Signed, A Paddy
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3.8 • 4 Ratings
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- $4.99
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
Winner of the 2022 Eric Hoffer First Horizon Book Award
Winner of the 2022 Eric Hoffer Historical Fiction Book Award
Winner of the 2022 IPPY Awards Best Regional Fiction, U.S. Northeast, Bronze Medal
The gruesome truth hung in the air, and none of us wanted to go near it. Not yet.
Ireland, 1848. Fourteen-year-old Rosaleen watches her mother die. Her country is reeling from the great potato famine, which will ultimately kill more than one million people. Driven by a promise and her will to survive, Rosaleen flees her small coastal town.
She eventually arrives in America at the birth of the industrial revolution and is filled with hope and a new sense of independence. Yet the more Rosaleen becomes a part of this new world, the more she longs for a community she lost and a young man she can't forget.
Through a series of both heartwarming and tragic events, Rosaleen learns that she can't outrun the problems that come along with being Irish. And maybe, she doesn't want to.
Customer Reviews
A Paddy
There were a lot of good elements to this book. It highlighted times in history that we tend to gloss over. Her characters were well-developed and interesting. IMO, it lacked some authenticity in the language. All the Irish spoke as English/Americans. I feel that if she would have used some Irish phrases, it would have helped the story feel more authentic. All in all an enjoyable book, although it did end rather abruptly. Good job for a first book by the author.
Excellent story of an Irish Immigrant
Signed A.. Paddy starts in Ireland in 1848 with Rosaleen. Rosaleen is just 14 years old when her mother passes away during the potato famine. She had lost her father several years before so now she is completely alone. With her family gone, Rosaleen decides it is time for her to leave her family home.
Rosaleen travels to a larger city in Ireland and takes a job to earn money to provide for herself. With nothing left in Ireland for her, she decides to go to America, “the land of opportunity”. On her journey she meets Emmett and the two become fast friends. The boat lands in Boston. Emmett is going to Lowell, a place where he already has friends and a job. Rosaleen stays in Boston and finds a job working in a hotel.
Rosaleen finds out quickly, and very much to her surprise the prejudices of the people across the country. She feels she needs to help somehow. She knew nothing of slavery, nor the extreme dislike of the Irish in her new country, but what can she do?
Rosaleen feels out of place and needs to find a way back to her own people, but how? How do you become a party of the community and help others in the process? These lessons and more are all a part of Rosaleen’s story.
Beautifully written, and heart wrenching this story is definitely worth the read. The story keeps you wanting for more and thankfully, Lisa Boyle continues the story of Rosaleen.
Thank you #netgalley and #victoryeditingnetgalleycoop for allowing me to read this ARC. All opinions are my own and truly express my feelings on this wonderful story.
Beautiful, moving, and heart-felt.
A coming of age story set amidst the devastating effects of the Irish potato famine, Signed, A Paddy brings to life the voice of a young girl thrust into adulthood by the loss of her home and family. Despite the heartbreaking and tragic circumstances of her life, Rosaleen MacNamera is a bold and determined heroine, whose sheer willpower to survive and better herself and the lives of those around her is admirable. Lisa Boyle crafts a hauntingly beautiful tale that isn’t afraid to confront the realities of racial and social evils of times past. Yet Rosaleen’s story is also one of love, of finding peace in one’s purpose, and of hope. This moving book will grip you from the first page and will stay with you long after you’ve finished the last.