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Miserere
1968 – a year of upheaval for the nation and for the Mitchell family. When her father goes MIA in Vietnam, ten-year-old Connemara and her family move to West Virginia and into her mother’s ancestral home – a neglected house whose walls hold old secrets of forbidden love and knowledge of things best forgotten.
For reasons she does not yet understand, Conn is chosen as the one who must unravel the mystery surrounding her ancestor, Caitríona Ní Faolain, who disappeared soon after the Civil War – a mystery that has condemned her family to a curse for over a hundred years.
Set during two of the most turbulent periods of American history, this story takes the reader on an epic journey through time as Conn delves deeper and deeper into her family's past in order to end the curse before it is passed on to a new generation. Along the way, she teaches the adults around her something of the enduring power of love and hatred – and the terrible price of redemption.
For reasons she does not yet understand, Conn is chosen as the one who must unravel the mystery surrounding her ancestor, Caitríona Ní Faolain, who disappeared soon after the Civil War – a mystery that has condemned her family to a curse for over a hundred years.
Set during two of the most turbulent periods of American history, this story takes the reader on an epic journey through time as Conn delves deeper and deeper into her family's past in order to end the curse before it is passed on to a new generation. Along the way, she teaches the adults around her something of the enduring power of love and hatred – and the terrible price of redemption.
- GenresLesbianHistorical
ebook
First published November 1, 2012
14 people are currently reading
535 people want to read
About the author
Caren J. Werlinger
22 books296 followersFrom the author's website: Bestselling author Caren Werlinger published her first award-winning novel, Looking Through Windows, in 2008. Since then, she has published fifteen more novels, winning several more awards. Influenced by a diverse array of authors, including Rumer Godden, J.R.R. Tolkein, Ursula LeGuin, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Willa Cather and the Brontë sisters, Caren writes literary fiction that features the struggles and joys of characters readers can identify with. Her stories cover a wide range of genres: historical fiction, contemporary drama, and fantasy, including the award-winning Dragonmage Saga, a fantasy trilogy set in ancient Ireland. Most recently, she created the magical setting of Little Sister Island (a place she and her readers wish were real) in When the Stars Sang and Face the Wind.
She lives in Virginia with her wife and their canine fur-children.
She lives in Virginia with her wife and their canine fur-children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
July 5, 2020
Elizabeth Mitchell gets the worst possible visit that a military family can get, two marines at her door in their dress blues, informing her that her husband’s plane was shot down somewhere in Vietnam. It’s 1968, a volatile time in American history, the day after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. and a few months prior to the murder of Robert Kennedy. And of course, the Vietnam War is at its peak. Times of protests and riots. Elizabeth decides home is the best place to be so she and her two children, Connemara and Will, head to West Virginia, settling into a small country town in the farmhouse that once housed their ancestors.
Conn is 11 years old and reminds me of Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird. She believes that the world should be fair and honorable for everyone. When it’s not, she’s confused and angry. This is 1968 after all with segregation and Jim Crow still in place, every move can be a matter of life and death for a black person managing their daily routine.
There’s a parallel narrative around the time of the Civil War that recounts the tale of Conn’s great great great grandmother and her sister who were sold by their father in Ireland to a plantation owner in America. For 8 years, the two young women suffer much cruelty but also see black slaves, many who have become friends, living under torturous conditions. We first meet Caitríona as a 13 year old girl, heartbroken at being torn from her beloved mother and the rest of her siblings. She turns this sorrow into a willfulness and strength that gain her the ire of the overseer but also the eye of a beautiful girl.
Two stories that begin as multi generational tellings of the Ní Faolain women, Conn, Orla, and Caitríona, become so interwoven that the past bleeds into Conn’s present reality. The pace relentlessly marches forward, the stories driving each other as Conn and Caitríona are compelled to take dangerous paths to help the ones they love.
There’s some lite paranormal aspects and a wlw love story which is not told in detail but is vital. Miserere is a beautifully spun story and one of the best that I’ve read that includes two timelines. Highly recommend.
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Conn is 11 years old and reminds me of Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird. She believes that the world should be fair and honorable for everyone. When it’s not, she’s confused and angry. This is 1968 after all with segregation and Jim Crow still in place, every move can be a matter of life and death for a black person managing their daily routine.
There’s a parallel narrative around the time of the Civil War that recounts the tale of Conn’s great great great grandmother and her sister who were sold by their father in Ireland to a plantation owner in America. For 8 years, the two young women suffer much cruelty but also see black slaves, many who have become friends, living under torturous conditions. We first meet Caitríona as a 13 year old girl, heartbroken at being torn from her beloved mother and the rest of her siblings. She turns this sorrow into a willfulness and strength that gain her the ire of the overseer but also the eye of a beautiful girl.
Two stories that begin as multi generational tellings of the Ní Faolain women, Conn, Orla, and Caitríona, become so interwoven that the past bleeds into Conn’s present reality. The pace relentlessly marches forward, the stories driving each other as Conn and Caitríona are compelled to take dangerous paths to help the ones they love.
There’s some lite paranormal aspects and a wlw love story which is not told in detail but is vital. Miserere is a beautifully spun story and one of the best that I’ve read that includes two timelines. Highly recommend.
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
August 28, 2019
Why do I keep forgetting how much I love Caren Werlinger’s books? They have this subtle beauty, you start reading and after a while, without realizing it, you’re not reading anymore, you’re in there, in the story. This is the 3rd or 4th book I read by CW, and it’s just as beautifully written, as captivating as the previous ones. 5*, no hesitation.
January 12, 2013
Caren Werlinger has written a masterful and gorgeous story in Miserere. Like the other reviewers, I could not put this book down. The story is about redemption in unlikely places among people related by blood or historical proximity to one another against a backdrop of the travesties committed in Ireland during the potato famine and in American during the last years of legalized slavery and, again in America, during the late 1960s. The juxtaposition of the Irish problem with that of the slaves and other marginalized cultures and peoples in America was a flawless execution of seamless delivery by Werlinger--and at the same time, so sensitively drawn, so beautifully nuanced, so completely engrossing.
A curse of biblical proportions has travelled down the centuries to one family of Irish heritage, and it's up to a young girl in 1968 to reclaim her family's freedom from that curse. The character of Connemara, Conn, is expertly and perfectly developed, as are each of the supporting cast. Facing a curse she doesn't understand within a society that doesn't allow for differences, Conn sets out to solve the mystery and end the curse. First she has to figure out what the curse is, and, with a series of scant but intriguing and amorphous but eerie clues, decide what to do about it.
The exquisitely chosen title of the book, Miserere, is from the Latin setting for the 51st Psalm, which begins with "Miserere mei, Deus" (Have mercy on me, oh God!). Often referred to simply as "Miserere," it is one of the Penitential, or Confessional, Psalms written as expressions of sorrow and repentance for sins. The history of the 51st Psalm is that it is David's song of penance about his adulterous affair with Bathsheba (Bat Sheva). Lady Jane Grey famously recited the 51st Psalm before her beheading in the Tower of London.
The pacing of this story is as perfect as it gets: Werlinger's narrative moves you along in a page-turning orchestration of events that is all the more exciting because we are seeing it from Conn's point of view. This choice by the author really sets up the tension, and the entire story delivers the punch and the promise of the first few pages. Seriously, this book never stops giving readers who came for a great story exactly what they came for!
A curse of biblical proportions has travelled down the centuries to one family of Irish heritage, and it's up to a young girl in 1968 to reclaim her family's freedom from that curse. The character of Connemara, Conn, is expertly and perfectly developed, as are each of the supporting cast. Facing a curse she doesn't understand within a society that doesn't allow for differences, Conn sets out to solve the mystery and end the curse. First she has to figure out what the curse is, and, with a series of scant but intriguing and amorphous but eerie clues, decide what to do about it.
The exquisitely chosen title of the book, Miserere, is from the Latin setting for the 51st Psalm, which begins with "Miserere mei, Deus" (Have mercy on me, oh God!). Often referred to simply as "Miserere," it is one of the Penitential, or Confessional, Psalms written as expressions of sorrow and repentance for sins. The history of the 51st Psalm is that it is David's song of penance about his adulterous affair with Bathsheba (Bat Sheva). Lady Jane Grey famously recited the 51st Psalm before her beheading in the Tower of London.
The pacing of this story is as perfect as it gets: Werlinger's narrative moves you along in a page-turning orchestration of events that is all the more exciting because we are seeing it from Conn's point of view. This choice by the author really sets up the tension, and the entire story delivers the punch and the promise of the first few pages. Seriously, this book never stops giving readers who came for a great story exactly what they came for!
March 24, 2016
A book classified under lesbian fiction which I thought will fit better under racial issues. Miserere is nevertheless a good and enjoyable read for me, it seems all books by Caren Werlinger is a seal of quality. Miserere is a story told from the eyes of a 11 year old Conn, reliving the life of her ancestor vicariously through dreams she is having. Sounds incredible, but tale is well told by the author, and keeps the reader hanging on till the very end.
June 29, 2013
I like the story, I like the juxtaposition of the past with the present. The characters are all very likeable (or not likeable, as they should be). This is different. Not your average lesfic. I like that it had romance without being a Romance. It has elements of coming out/coming of age, but doesn’t focus solely on that. I am curious to read more by this author.
The story of Caitriona and Orla in the past is quite compelling and well done. The switch from past to present was not jarring. I was confused, however, because it wasn’t made clear in the beginning that the past was experienced by Conn in the present (well, 1968) as visions. I found myself stopping, going, how’d she know that? It does become clear later, with her staring off into space, falling into a river (could be some serious implications from this little condition). So why not make that clear from the start?
I liked Conn very much, she’s a great character—very Scout-like. But she made me think this was a kids book, but it’s not. Though, neither is To Kill a Mockingbird. Something didn’t quite fit for me. I was never able to connect emotionally with a key relationship. There just wasn’t enough of one of the characters to grab me. I’m also not the least bit clear what happened to her, but Conn seemed to know more than the reader knows.
The first half of the book dragged while we got caught up on everything--that was well enough done; no info dumps, but everything moved slowly. Tension did not build well for me. What happened to Will should have been the crux of the story, the big climax—it’s how he relates to the curse, but it happens early on and Conn has no role in it. The curse seemed to link Caitriona to her father, but their “sins” seemed quite different and unrelated.
For a while I thought this wouldn’t be a lesbian story at all. Which would have been fine. But it is, so I don’t think that should take so long to get to, nor that the realization should hit both characters out of the blue. There should have been signs along the way.
A good effort and obviously lots of people like it.
The story of Caitriona and Orla in the past is quite compelling and well done. The switch from past to present was not jarring. I was confused, however, because it wasn’t made clear in the beginning that the past was experienced by Conn in the present (well, 1968) as visions. I found myself stopping, going, how’d she know that? It does become clear later, with her staring off into space, falling into a river (could be some serious implications from this little condition). So why not make that clear from the start?
I liked Conn very much, she’s a great character—very Scout-like. But she made me think this was a kids book, but it’s not. Though, neither is To Kill a Mockingbird. Something didn’t quite fit for me. I was never able to connect emotionally with a key relationship. There just wasn’t enough of one of the characters to grab me. I’m also not the least bit clear what happened to her, but Conn seemed to know more than the reader knows.
The first half of the book dragged while we got caught up on everything--that was well enough done; no info dumps, but everything moved slowly. Tension did not build well for me. What happened to Will should have been the crux of the story, the big climax—it’s how he relates to the curse, but it happens early on and Conn has no role in it. The curse seemed to link Caitriona to her father, but their “sins” seemed quite different and unrelated.
For a while I thought this wouldn’t be a lesbian story at all. Which would have been fine. But it is, so I don’t think that should take so long to get to, nor that the realization should hit both characters out of the blue. There should have been signs along the way.
A good effort and obviously lots of people like it.
November 13, 2025
What a riveting story! Honestly, it is near perfection. I love a good coming of age story and though I am not usually a fan of nonlinear storytelling, and rarely of historical fiction, the author had me hooked with this deftly woven story that spanned generations. I can definitely see myself revisiting this story to repeat the pleasure.
Other coming of age stories that I find especially wonderful are Where We Belong, The Summer of Bitter and Sweet and Boy's Life.
Other coming of age stories that I find especially wonderful are Where We Belong, The Summer of Bitter and Sweet and Boy's Life.
July 17, 2013
In MISERERE Caren J. Werlinger has written an historical novel that weaves together narratives from two periods: the mid-1960s dominated by the Civil Rights Movement and the mid-1800s that saw the Civil War and the end of legalized slavery in America. The story centers on the descendants of Caitríona Ní Faolain, an Irish girl brought to America as an indentured servant.
One descendant in particular, eleven-year-old Connemara Mitchell, carries a heavy burden. Only she can lift a curse that began with Caitríona and has afflicted the family for a hundred years. But first she must uncover its secret.
Read the rest of the review on my blog, Ancient Children.
http://www.ancientchildren.com/?p=1132
One descendant in particular, eleven-year-old Connemara Mitchell, carries a heavy burden. Only she can lift a curse that began with Caitríona and has afflicted the family for a hundred years. But first she must uncover its secret.
Read the rest of the review on my blog, Ancient Children.
http://www.ancientchildren.com/?p=1132
September 23, 2014
Caren J. Werlinger is rapidly becoming one of my all-time favorite writers.
I read “In This Small Spot” a couple of months ago and was carried away by the rich intricately woven story, which stayed with me for weeks.
Yesterday, I finished “Miserere” and once again found myself captivated by an incredible historical piece that was carefully crafted around some dark historical times and imbued with tantalizing mystery.
The characters are complex and authentic and her descriptions vivid. I was compelled to keep turning the pages Long after my back declared its displeasure with sitting. I’m looking forward to her next book in the queue, just as soon as I work out the kinks. ( and it doesn't hurt that she has discounted two of her books.)
I read “In This Small Spot” a couple of months ago and was carried away by the rich intricately woven story, which stayed with me for weeks.
Yesterday, I finished “Miserere” and once again found myself captivated by an incredible historical piece that was carefully crafted around some dark historical times and imbued with tantalizing mystery.
The characters are complex and authentic and her descriptions vivid. I was compelled to keep turning the pages Long after my back declared its displeasure with sitting. I’m looking forward to her next book in the queue, just as soon as I work out the kinks. ( and it doesn't hurt that she has discounted two of her books.)
July 5, 2021
Amazing story
I loved the generational nature of this story. It was also a great look at some history I wasn't aware of and how the impact of trauma affects families through generations. It was beautifully told with past and present beautifully woven together. Loved it.
I loved the generational nature of this story. It was also a great look at some history I wasn't aware of and how the impact of trauma affects families through generations. It was beautifully told with past and present beautifully woven together. Loved it.
March 5, 2019
A really interesting story, a wonderful read!
May 27, 2013
Excellent story! Gone with the Wind meets Fried Green Tomatoes.
July 4, 2021
It's two stories merge in one dealing with racism at two period of America's history :
> just before the Civil War
> in the sixties
So you jump from one storyline to the other. It's not badly done but I usually find those jarring, because when you get into one set of characters you're pulled of and ask to switch to the other.
It's really not an easy read, treating hard subject seriously though I was sometimes jolted out by characters speaking with too-much clarity on the high consequence of the conflict. It felt more like what a history teacher would say nowadays, decades after the event than what people in the conflict would be able to say.
It was too dark for my taste, so it's only an okay read.
The paranormal element is a curse/prophecy, that is revealed at the beginning of the story.
That choice, this early reveal, let us know that for the main in the Civil War, it's not going to be good. It's doom. That's sad, you don't even have hope for this character and so you can't help to keep a gloomy eye on her.
For the other one, it's reversal. Because of the prophecy, we know it's going to be mostly okay at the end of her arc.
So that prophecy killed the book for me by spoiling the what and the how wasn't complex enough to make up for it.
> just before the Civil War
> in the sixties
So you jump from one storyline to the other. It's not badly done but I usually find those jarring, because when you get into one set of characters you're pulled of and ask to switch to the other.
It's really not an easy read, treating hard subject seriously though I was sometimes jolted out by characters speaking with too-much clarity on the high consequence of the conflict. It felt more like what a history teacher would say nowadays, decades after the event than what people in the conflict would be able to say.
It was too dark for my taste, so it's only an okay read.
The paranormal element is a curse/prophecy, that is revealed at the beginning of the story.
That choice, this early reveal, let us know that for the main in the Civil War, it's not going to be good. It's doom. That's sad, you don't even have hope for this character and so you can't help to keep a gloomy eye on her.
For the other one, it's reversal. Because of the prophecy, we know it's going to be mostly okay at the end of her arc.
So that prophecy killed the book for me by spoiling the what and the how wasn't complex enough to make up for it.
September 23, 2021
A story that span the generations to bring mercy and healing.
Oh the weaving of this story brings so many life-changing moments. In the 100+ years the book spans decades of life during a time when things are harsh and people are cruel a heart full of light lives in a 11 year old girl. Connemara and Caitriona have lived in different time periods but are connected to the present together. A curse, a life of toil and the bright power of love come together to bring mercy. I can't say enough how heart wrenching but soul challenging these characters lives unfolds. I had so many emotions and such love for this cast of characters. Our American history had such an impact on people during the periods weaved in this story. I enjoy seeing the events in history and how people live through them. This story however transcends the veil of time to see how our touch trickles through time. A magnificent story I will carry in my heart for sometime.
Oh the weaving of this story brings so many life-changing moments. In the 100+ years the book spans decades of life during a time when things are harsh and people are cruel a heart full of light lives in a 11 year old girl. Connemara and Caitriona have lived in different time periods but are connected to the present together. A curse, a life of toil and the bright power of love come together to bring mercy. I can't say enough how heart wrenching but soul challenging these characters lives unfolds. I had so many emotions and such love for this cast of characters. Our American history had such an impact on people during the periods weaved in this story. I enjoy seeing the events in history and how people live through them. This story however transcends the veil of time to see how our touch trickles through time. A magnificent story I will carry in my heart for sometime.
March 23, 2021
The story follows Irish sisters, Orla and Catríona, who are sold into human bondage by their father in exchange for land, and sent to a plantation in Virginia, shortly after the Irish potato famine.
Meanwhile, young Connemara is growing up in 1968. When her father goes MIA in Vietnam, Conn, her brother and mother, up stakes to go to the old family homestead in West Virginia. As the story unfolds, Conn becomes more and more connected to her ancestor, Catríona Ní Faolain, and the curse that has haunted the family for a couple of hundred years.
This is, without a doubt, my favourite book I’ve read this year. An absolute joy from start to finish. I laughed, I cried, I swooned. That’s right, I swooned. Beautifully written with wonderful characters and a satisfying ending. I felt it completely, and can’t wait to read more from this author.
A must read.
Meanwhile, young Connemara is growing up in 1968. When her father goes MIA in Vietnam, Conn, her brother and mother, up stakes to go to the old family homestead in West Virginia. As the story unfolds, Conn becomes more and more connected to her ancestor, Catríona Ní Faolain, and the curse that has haunted the family for a couple of hundred years.
This is, without a doubt, my favourite book I’ve read this year. An absolute joy from start to finish. I laughed, I cried, I swooned. That’s right, I swooned. Beautifully written with wonderful characters and a satisfying ending. I felt it completely, and can’t wait to read more from this author.
A must read.
July 13, 2021
More novel than romance, 'Miserere' really captivated me. It's been a while since I read it (Sorry, Caren Werlinger, but I only just now got around to reviewing it) and I don't remember all the details of the story now, but I do remember that I thought, wow, this author is good, I want to read more by her.
All in all, Caren Werlinger delivers LGBT history in one of the most alluring packages I've so far encountered. Check it out, you will not regret it!
All in all, Caren Werlinger delivers LGBT history in one of the most alluring packages I've so far encountered. Check it out, you will not regret it!
February 8, 2018
I loved this book. It has a bit of everything... history, mystery, ghosts... great read, great build to the conclusion. I’ve enjoyed all of Caren’s work that I’ve read, and will continue to read for as long as she chooses to share it with us. Definitely 5 stars for me.
May 10, 2020
Wow
I don't write review 's because they don't usually reflect the true value of the book. This was a great story ,well written with a very unique story line . I highly recamend but, what do I know?
I don't write review 's because they don't usually reflect the true value of the book. This was a great story ,well written with a very unique story line . I highly recamend but, what do I know?
December 1, 2020
I highly recommend this book
I have read many of Caren's books and have enjoyed them all. Her book's touch my heart. The characters are very well developed and likable. All I can say is this was one of the best books I have read. Thanks for another winner.
I have read many of Caren's books and have enjoyed them all. Her book's touch my heart. The characters are very well developed and likable. All I can say is this was one of the best books I have read. Thanks for another winner.
August 26, 2024
The complexity of this tale is worth 6 stars. Caren J. Werlinger has threaded Ireland 1855 sisters sold as slaves to the English plantation in Virginia, with West Virginia 1968 . What a year that was. JFK, MLK, RJK , Vietnam. Throughout the generations flows love. Very well done.
July 22, 2020
Wonderful story
I greatly enjoyed this story. I recommend this book to all and hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I did.
I greatly enjoyed this story. I recommend this book to all and hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I did.
September 28, 2025
Irish girls go to US during famine.
June 22, 2020
This beautifully written story of two girls growing up generations apart blew me away! One of my new favorites!
March 12, 2014
I received this book as a giveaway from First Reads.
I really liked this book. I thought it was a real page turner and I was quite invested in the characters' lives . The only reason I'm knocking a star off is because I thought the curse was left a bit unexplained. I'm not sure if I misread it, but it seemed like the ending didn't quite match up with what we were told about the curse earlier.
Other than that, great book. :)
I really liked this book. I thought it was a real page turner and I was quite invested in the characters' lives . The only reason I'm knocking a star off is because I thought the curse was left a bit unexplained. I'm not sure if I misread it, but it seemed like the ending didn't quite match up with what we were told about the curse earlier.
Other than that, great book. :)
April 3, 2013
I really enjoyed this. I love historical fiction and stories linked through time. It was well paced and written, grabbing me in a way that all the best books do. I was with Conn unfolding the mystery while I was working kinks out of my clients (massage therapy is a great profession for daydreamers ;)Read this book!
January 24, 2016
My first historical book
I couldn't have picked a better to start reading in this genre. The storyline and characters were all written beautifully. I was so drawn into the story from the beginning. I cried a lot while reading this one but was warmed by the friendships and family relationships in it.
I couldn't have picked a better to start reading in this genre. The storyline and characters were all written beautifully. I was so drawn into the story from the beginning. I cried a lot while reading this one but was warmed by the friendships and family relationships in it.
May 9, 2013
Tied the lives of two people from different time periods together very nicely.
November 8, 2015
A very interesting and multilayered story. The characters had depth and personality, the author made you care about all of them. I look forward to reading more from this author.
November 1, 2015
2013 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention (5* from at least 1 judge)
June 20, 2022
Really quality book. The story is a bit mystical and historical while also feeling grounded in reality.
Read
July 2, 2013Young girl returns to old family home and lifts ancient curse.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews