The Parting Glass

Whiskey Island #2

by Emilie Richards

Sisters Megan, Casey, and Peggy Donaghue find their lives forever changed when a letter arrives from a distant relative in Ireland, which sets in motion a chain of events that leads them all on a remarkable journey of self discovery. 75,000 first printing.

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Ireland, Family, Contemporary, Historical, Historical Fiction

464 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

I'm the author of seventy-something novels, including romance, women's fiction and mystery. When We Were Sisters debuted in June 2016, a stand alone novel about two foster sisters traveling back into their past together. I loved writing it and love the cover my publisher chose.

I'm also excited about my recent series, Goddesses Anonymous, which started with One Mountain Away and was followed by Somewhere Between Luck and Trust. The third book in the series, A River Too Wide, came out in July 2014. The Color of Light debuted in August 2015. Will there be more? We'll see.

I'm also putting up my newly edited romance backlist and love re-reading and updating them a bit.

Last year my husband and I moved from Virginia, to Osprey, Florida, the state where both of us were raised, met, and married. In the summer we live in Chautauqua, New York. I'm a quilter, knitter, kayaker, and the mother of four children, whom I regard as my greatest creative endeavors. And now there are four wonderful grandchildren to spoil.

Visit me at my web site, emilierichards.com, and my blog, www.emilierichards.com/blog. You can also find me at Twitter and on my Facebook reader page.

Reviews

[Thelma Fountain · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a big fan of Emilie Richards. I have read several of her books and loved them all. I did have a difficult time getting into this book though. The beginning just felt really chaotic with a lot of characters. I did not feel like I was getting invested in the story or the characters.

[Debby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great Irish multi-generational family saga with several heartwarming and heartwrenching plot lines and a great cast of characters. I was hooked from the very beginning!

[Vickie]

Great book about women friends who are quilters.

[Judy Hankom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story centers around three Donaghue sisters. They are Megan, Casey and Peggy. We met them in the previous book called Whiskey Island.

Megan has married a former priest. She is feeling adrift in the marriage. She was used to taking charge and now she is feeling she has problems and does not know to fix the relationship. Her husband at the same time is not used to having to care and love a woman. He spent time in the priesthood learning how to keep women at bay.

Casey has married her high school sweetheart. They dearly love each other but now are expecting a baby.

Peggy has had her baby who turns out to be autistic. She has been communicating with Irene Tierney, a distant relative in Shanmullin, a remote Irish village. She wants to bring the sisters closer in their family history. She also wants to learn more about the death of her father which happened in Cleveland, home of the three sisters.

So Peggy travels to this village with her son and to help Irene. She meets a former doctor and his daughter there.

The other two sister also travel there and come to learn more about their past. Their lives are changed forever.

This was a very satisfying read.

[Ily · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Un grande, trascinante romanzo che esplora un'ampia gamma di sentimenti ed emozioni" - Booklist aggiungo: soprattutto quando una delle tre protagoniste va alla ricerca della storia della propria famiglia.

[Denise · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was a little disappointed in this one - I have read a couple of other Emilie Richards books and really liked them. I found this one slow in some parts, unrealistic in others, and sappy throughout. Not ready to give up on her yet, but this one let me down.

[SarahDea Deatherage · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok. Apparently it is the second book—perhaps if I had read Whiskey Island first I would’ve been more invested. The plot was slow at times and the letters from Maura that were in the book for the reader didn’t add anything and were distracting. Forced myself to finish it but it was meh.

[Marcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Working my way through all her series....love her books

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. A little slow in the beginning, but then it picked up.
I really like this author.

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

“So fill to me the parting glass,
Good night and joy be with you all.”

[Gwen Susanek]

This is a book that I just couldn't get in to.

[Sue]

LOVED it, the characters are interesting, left me wanting to read more of this author's work.

[Miatta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Im rereading books right now and hadnt read this in over 10 years. Its sweet and comforting.

[Geraldine DEIBERT · Rating 4 out of 5]

always enjoy Emilie's books with their different twists

[Dawn Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A combined story of current struggles as well as a look back at family history. Had to pay attention to keep track of all the family connections from the past.

[Nancy Mattson · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite authors - did not disappoint!

[Gloria ~ mzglorybe · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this sequel to Whiskey Island, we once again get drawn in to the lives of the Donaghue sisters, Megan, Casey and Peggy. This opens with the marriage of Megan to the former priest Nick. When an earthquake rattles everyone at their wedding in the saloon that the family runs, an old tunnel is discovered and provides an escape route for their guests. Apparently, this tunnel was used for bootlegging back in the day of their Irish ancestors. Here begins two stories, the one of the girls in present day and their relationships, and the story of their ancestors as told by discovered letters, as well as an old Irish Aunt in Ireland that Peggy goes to visit, and the occasional lucid moments that their father Rooney can add to the puzzle pieces.

It was captivating, and I hated to see it end... this is a two-book series, and I hated for it to end. "The Parting Glass" is the name of a traditional Irish ballad for singing at the end of an evening, a gathering or an event. One of Ireland's most popular, it is documented as far back as the 1770's. Ms Richards does such a good job of combining historical facts in with her fictional characters and keep us all wanting more. I am becoming a big fan of her works.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the sequel to Whiskey Island and revisits the lives of the 3 Donaghue sisters. The book focuses primarily on Megan, who is about to get married to Niccolo, a former priest, and Peggy, the youngest sister, who has a son with signs of autism. At the wedding reception at their saloon, a freak tornado causes the guests to be trapped. Their father is able to lead them out through some secret tunnels from the Prohibition era. The remainder of book deals with the rebuilding of the saloon and the challenges in Megan and Nick's marriage. The other primary story is Peggy's journey to Ireland to care for a distant relation while giving her son a supportive environment to work on his autistic behavior. Peggy meets a troubled widower who has given up his medical practice, as she has given up med school to care for her son. Interwoven is the historical linking story between the Donaghues and the Tierneys. It was an enjoyable story and I am glad we got to see more of Peggy who was not a major character in the first book. The story was involving and the historical story was fascinating. This was a nice conclusion to the series.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about three sisters from Cleveland. The family business is a saloon/restaurant that has been in business since the early 1900's. The family is Irish. One of the sisters is a single mom to an autistic toddler. She moves to Ireland to act as an in-home caregiver to a newly discovered relative, a job that will allow her to spend significant time teaching her son. While there she meets a handsome widower. Another sister runs the saloon and at the beginning of the book the saloon burns durin her wedding reception--she married a former priest. The book not only talks about their lives today, but also about the ancestors they share and their stories. It had a happy ending, maybe almost too happy, but I like to be left smiling.

[Ferne (Enthusiastic Reader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not realize until reading some of the other reviews that this book is a sequel. It's easy to enjoy as a stand alone novel. This is my second read of a title by Emilie Richards and definitely an author that I'm glad to have discovered. The author has a lovely way of incorporating multiple story lines - a family of Irish heritage learning more of their genealogy both in Ireland and in the United States, the emotions of daily life from learning of a child's autism to a spouse/parent's grief in losing loved ones to caring for an elderly family member and that's only naming a few. It's one of those books that I couldn't wait to join the characters each day and yet in another way I didn't want their stories to come to an end.

[Laura Lander · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title of this book attracted me to it because of the traditional Irish song of the same name. It's a light read, and worthwhile for all who enjoy reading about Irish immigrants to the US, and stories set in Ireland. This story line travels between past and present, and between Cleveland, Ohio and a small village in Ireland. The plot picks up speed as you go, I found it just a tad slow in the beginning. I understand it is a sequel, and now I'd like to read the book that precedes it.

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Earlier this year I wrote about Richards' earlier book, Whiskey Island; this book takes up about two years later. I can't really talk about the plot of the book -- it would give away things from Whiskey Island -- but I can say that Richards' character studies are amazing. Even if you don't like romances, these books are definitely worth picking up (probably this one even more).

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the multi-generational story in Cleveland and Ireland. The story linked the life of an Irish immigrant in Prohibition era Cleveland with that of a modern Irish family running the family pub. I enjoyed the characters and the Prohibition stories. It was a great read to enjoy while bathing each morning.

[Haley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would really give this 3.75 stars or closer to 4 stars. I really liked the author's style and the history that was incorporated into the novel. There was a lot going on with the history and at times you were trying to figure out how it all related. So it was a good mystery.

[Doris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pleasantly surprised, not my usual mystery, though it had some mystery to it. Book goes back and forth from old world Ireland to current day Ohio following one family's journey. Well written. Will read this author again.

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sorry to say I gave up on this book after reading 100 pages. I found it slow moving and dull. Having thoroughly enjoyed Whiskey Island, this sequel was a disappointment to me. Perhaps it was my mood of the day, who knows. I may give it a try in the future, but at this point, I highly doubt it.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great followup to Whiskey Island.

[Rosie · Rating 4 out of 5]

great

[Marge · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the sequel to Whiskey Island which you should read first.

[Lu]

2nd Whiskey Island