So Many Partings

by Cathy Cash Spellman

A novel filled with so much love, so many grand dreams and So Many Partings--you'll never forget it.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Ireland, Historical Romance, Romance, Adult Fiction, Historical

Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

Cathy Cash Spellman is a best-selling author of multiple books that have been on The New York Times Bestseller List and International Bestseller lists, in both hardcover and paperback. Bless the Child became a Paramount movie starring Kim Basinger and Jimmy Smits, and has developed a cult following since it's Paramount release in 2000. Cathy's books have been sold in 22 countries.

Cathy was born to two parents who loved to read and filled their home with books and poetry. The small town in which she grew up had a library that was a small castle, brought over stone by stone from Europe, and gifted to the town by a benefactor, replete with suits of armor, stained glass windows and a round tower that held the classics. It was to this fairytale place that Cathy biked every afternoon after school to immerse herself in stories and to dream of one day seeing her own books on the shelves of such a magical place.

Born with a caul, the Irish harbinger of Second Sight, Cathy has always been an ardent student and practitioner of multiple esoteric disciplines: astrology, metaphysics, and a wide variety of healing modalities including Qi Gung, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Cranio Sacral Therapy, Homeopathy, and spiritual healing. She holds Black Belt rank in Goju-Ryu Karate has had the joy and privilege of studying with shamans, healers, Native American medicine men and women, a Jain saint and a Tibetan High Lama.

If you'd like to learn more about her adventurous life, Cathy invites you to visit her website at www.cathycashspellman.com

Reviews

[Misfit]

So Many Partings is the story of Tom Dalton, illegitimate child of the younger son of the manor Drumgillan and Irish peasant Mary Dalton. When Tom comes to New York as a young man fresh out of college and fresh off the boat, he finds friends and obtains work among the other Irishman at the docks. Eventually Tom is mentored by ruthless businessman Diamond Jim Mulvaney and as he proves his mettle he quickly moves up in the ranks and hopes to one day earn enough to be able to court Diamond Jim's daughter Dierdra (much to DJ's consternation).

The rest of the book details early 1900's New York as Tom's work in Diamond Jim's empire involves him with the Tammany gang, dirty politics, and a labor strike at the docks between the Irish and the Italians that leads to tragic consequences for Tom and his new family, and finally culminates in the story of Tom's beloved granddaughter Megan and the treacherous betrayals by Tom's two sons.

While I enjoyed this book, at the same time I found something missing. It's not quite BIG enough in scope to be an "epic novel", nor is there enough romance to keep me on the edge of the seat waiting for two lovers to finally get together. Additionally, most of the characters were a bit clichéd and unoriginal - the madam with the heart of gold, the big Irish dockworker with the soft side no one knows, the ruthless business man who lets no one in his way (well almost), a few Mafioso types - that as much as I enjoyed the book I felt like I just left the table after a full meal and I'm still needing something more. It's a good book, not a great one although it did quite well for this housebound reader on a snowy winter afternoon. not too light and not too heavy, and definitely no where near as good as the author's fabulous Paint the Wind. 3.5/5 stars.

Note, don't let the high prices on this used paperback scare you. You can find used copies of the hardback at a much lower price.

[Marie Phillip · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed So Many Partings, mainly because I enjoy Irish settings and folklore. The author did a good job with that. Unfortunately, probably only for me, she had her characters move to the United States. Luckily her characters flourished, but I felt let down. The author educated us on the rights of seamen, forming a union and even the mafia in New York. She brings it all together nicely for us. Though I had no interest in the aforementioned education, I was never bored and probably learned a thing or two.

[Joan Hauser · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always, I was able to immerse myself in Cathy Cash Spellman's amazing story featuring a dashing Irish hero, Tom Dalton, who immigrates to America in the early twentieth century. There, forced to cope with the New World, he travels from a job with the Longshoremen's Union to a mansion on Fifth Avenue, finding love along the way. This generational story, from his Irish parents to his high-spirited granddaughter, took me through Irish-American history with Ms. Spellman's unparalleled gusto. Her plots are always fascinating, her style delightful, and her history revealing. You won't be able to put this book down. It's a perfect summer--or any time--read.

[Jennifer B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Judging this book by its cover I was a bit reluctant, because romance is the one genre I try to avoid. There is a fair share of romance, but the saga has so many other aspects that it just becomes another part. I enjoyed the story that followed several generations, through several places and many years. A lot of Irish lore and a fair amount of history make this a satisfying read.

[Patrick Lum (Jintor) · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is an interesting thing going back on old books (that is, books you read when you were young) with an older eye. It was a bit of a disappointment to go back and realise this novel, which I recall as being in some ways formative, was not as well constructed or as amazing as I thought. The early section with Tom's parents remains largely dull despite the exciting events; the ways in which research was placed into the story leaned more towards infodumps than being embedded naturally in the narrative. Especially as time sped up and years went by between chapters, the story seemed to stop feeling quite so natural and began feeling more like plot points, especially as characters began to be shaded in only the broadest of outlines. Also, speaking as a subeditor, a lot of sentences

And yet... once Tom lands in New York, the overall narrative, the labourer-to-magnate pipeline that frames the rest of the novel (alongside the romance and suchlike) is irresistibly compelling, the odd mix of labor politics, mafioso, and tough-business intergenerational tale bluster an eminently readable tale that carries you along with it. I can't hold it in quite as high regard as I did entirely in my memories, but I still really enjoyed visiting it again, but from a slightly different light. It's not as strong as my other childhood love - Colleen McCullough's historical fiction - but it's its own thing, and that's all right.

[Bamboozlepig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't a bad book but it wasn't as good as "Paint the Wind" (and even it wasn't that super-duper great). Spellman's novel suffers the same issue Taylor Caldwell's "Captains & the Kings" suffered...both novels spent a huge amount of time focused on the early lives of the characters, then towards the end the plots were rushed. Some of the characters Spellman introduced and featured big in the early sections of the book are discarded at the end without wrapping up their storylines. One character is introduced in the last quarter of the book, seemingly just to allow Spellman to cap the ending with a slightly cliched HEA. It was okay to read, but I don't see myself wanting to reread it in the future.

[Mrs Julie Gargett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emotional

The storyline was so emotional and I loved every thing about this book, the characters are amazing and strong. I loved the way the generations grew in the story.
Loved this book so much

[Shelly Nielsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very much enjoyed this story.

[Terri Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A true saga. I love a historical drama and Cathy Cash Spellman tells one heck of a story, it is like a good soapie. If you enjoy history, drama, and a soapie in one, you'll enjoy this story.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read her book Paint the Wind prior and thought I would like to read more. Unfortunately this book did not deliver.
The beginning was interesting, very heavy with historical facts, but the characters were endearing and I became interested in their fate.
The original cast floats away and we are left with a history lesson in Irish dockworkers union relations. The business overtones take over the entire story and make it extremely boring to me. I skipped ahead to find out if he got his inheritence and even that was lackluster.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

My mom declared this book from the early '80s one of her "favorites," so I had to read it. In general, she loves stories of Irish immigrants, their struggles and successes. The book is right up that rags-to-riches alley. It strives for epic classification in its painstaking attention to the life of one immigrant, Thomas Dalton, and it at times just seems too long. Nevertheless, it reminds me of the naturalistic novels of the early 20th century in its depictions of New York and Boston labor practices (dockworkers, prostitutes, mob bosses, etc.).

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful story set in 1874. A baby is born out of wedlock to Mary Dalton and her lover the youngest son of the Lord of the manor. A terrible accident kills his father and this leads to his mother putting her child Tom into a school run by monks. She goes to America and tells him she will send for him. She actually abandons him because he does not reach America until he is an adult. Many remarkable women are involved in his life. Absolutely unforgettable story. There are friendships, love and betrayal what a mixture for you to enjoy. loved this book .

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thomas Dalton is the illegitimate son of Mary Dalton and her love, Michael Hartington, youngest son of Jeffrey, Lord of Drumgillan manor. His father is killed and Mary and her son are kicked out of their home. Thomas is put into a monastery for his education and Mary leaves for America to find a new life. The rest of the story revolves around their lives and problems. Thomas makes a name for himself in a big way and Mary marries a man she doesn't love to protect herself. This is like a family saga you don't want to see end because always something comes along that is interesting.

[Shelly Kotalik · Rating 3 out of 5]

I could tell that this book really wanted to be a sweeping epic. I read it around St. Patty's Day because it was mostly an Irish story, but I admit I wasn't swept away. Somehow there remained a disconnect between the characters and me becoming completely involved. I liked the story but what happened to the characters: Tom, Mary, Billy, etc. was interesting but not emotionally involving. It was good but nothing I HAD to read.

[Northern Light · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book which tells the story of Thomas born to a rich aristocrat's son and a servant. When the man dies the woman is forced to put Thomas into the care of the monks in a local school when she emigrates to America from her beloved Ireland. It then follows his adventures as he grows up and tries to make up for his early troubles and emulate his father.

This is a powerful saga with very believable characters and you really feel for the hurdles that are put in Thomas' way.

[Joni Daniels · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starting in Ireland in 1874, the story weaves through four generations, and over to America, as Tom Dalton, the bastard son of the aristocrat and the peasant makes his way through the world. Little on history, but but full of characterization , the author makes sure we understand the heroes and heroines thoroughly, but skimps on revealing a lot about anyone else. A good read but nothing new here

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this when I was maybe 15 years old. I'd first read a small amount in *Cosmopolitan* Magazine. (Mum din't keep very close track of what I read) Then bought the full book. It was prob'ly "too old" for me to read (meaning more mature than my usual reads) But it was enjoyable.

I found it at a resale shop many years later, and re-read. it's still a good story.

[Dee-Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this many years ago and loved it. I was 20 at the time and I ma sure if I went back and read it again I would find it immature, however I passed it on to a few of my friends and they loved it too. What a saga it was, covering two countries, ireland and the US.

[Rhonda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love historical fiction

[Janice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Book. Read many years ago. Looking for a copy

[Cyndy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good. Historical content good. Enjoyed very much.

[Manuel Ricardo Avila Rincón · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely

[Jade · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this one many years ago and loved every page of it.

[Alisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

An American historical fiction saga of the kind I adore. In the same vein as those by Belva Plain or John Jakes.

[Debra Jennings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read!

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it! hard to put down

[Nicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Estupenda historia familiar.