Anyone who knows me is well aware of my love, nay, my adoration, of all things Irish.  So when I was asked by Hachette Book Group if I wanted to read The Yellow House by Patricia Falvey I couldn’t refuse!

In the early 20th century Ireland was involved in two wars- one for independence from Britain, the other fighting as a part of Britain in World War I.  It was a difficult time, especially for Catholics who were second class citizens under Protestant British rule.   As a Catholic you couldn’t own land and finding work was difficult.  It is a time that is difficult to imagine.

Eileen O’Neill remembers with fondness growing up in the sunny yellow house which is guarded over by Slieve Gullion, the ancient mountain whose legends begin with Ireland’s birth.

Eileen’s family suffers tragedies- death, violence, and desertion- and through it all Eileen’s only dream is to bring her family back together in the yellow house.

But nothing is ever easy in life- even falling in love.  Especially when you are a Catholic in Northern Ireland and the boy you love is not only a Quaker but his family also owns the only mill in town that doesn’t discriminate based on religion.

As I read this story I felt so many emotions- pain, sorry and anger.  There were times I wished I could reach through the pages of the book, slap Eileen across the face and tell her to open her eyes.

But isn’t that what makes a book real?  The emotions, the understanding and the acceptance?  I felt it all while reading this book and when it ended I found myself hoping that Eileen’s future would be easier than her past.

I have one copy of The Yellow House to give away.
To enter leave a comment.  Since it’s almost St. Patrick’s Day tell me if you celebrate the holiday and how.

Want more entries?

• 1) For one extra entry subscribe to Iowa Geek. You can do this near the top right of the page. Leave a comment letting me know you did this.
• 2) Blog this giveaway. Leave the link in the comments so I can verify.
• 3) Tweet this giveaway. (Copy & paste: A great novel set in #Ireland- just in time for St.Patrick’s Day! Review of The Yellow House at Iowa Geek: http://tinyurl.com/yk33csx) Leave a comment with the link to your tweet.
• 4) Link this giveaway on Facebook. Leave the individual link in the comments.

The fine print:
Five entries per person; duplicate entries will be deleted.  Make sure I can easily find an email to contact you; I will not search for one. Contest ends March 17 at 11:59pm. I will draw the winner March 18. The winner will be contacted via email and will have 3 days to respond. If I do not hear back from the winner within that time another winner will be drawn.

I was given this novel by Hachette Book Group.  Thoughts in this post are my own.