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The American Girl
Boston 1968. Rose Moroney is seventeen, smart, spirited – and pregnant. She wants to marry her boyfriend. Her ambitious parents have other plans. She is sent to Ireland, their birthplace, to deliver her daughter in a Mother and Baby home. Against Rose's will, her baby is taken for adoption.
Dublin 2013. Martha Sheeran’s life has come undone. Her marriage is over, and her husband has moved on with unsettling speed. Under pressure from her teenage daughter, she starts looking for the woman who gave her up for adoption more than forty years before.
Martha's search for her birth mother leads her to the heart of long-buried family secrets and forces her to question everything she thought she knew. When her first love, Paudie Carmody, re-enters the frame, she's also forced to take a hard look at her own life.
From Boston to rural Ireland; from Dublin back to Boston, The American Girl is a heart-warming and enthralling story about mothers and daughters, love and cruelty and, ultimately, the struggle for acceptance – and the embrace of new horizons.
Dublin 2013. Martha Sheeran’s life has come undone. Her marriage is over, and her husband has moved on with unsettling speed. Under pressure from her teenage daughter, she starts looking for the woman who gave her up for adoption more than forty years before.
Martha's search for her birth mother leads her to the heart of long-buried family secrets and forces her to question everything she thought she knew. When her first love, Paudie Carmody, re-enters the frame, she's also forced to take a hard look at her own life.
From Boston to rural Ireland; from Dublin back to Boston, The American Girl is a heart-warming and enthralling story about mothers and daughters, love and cruelty and, ultimately, the struggle for acceptance – and the embrace of new horizons.
506 pages, Paperback
First published April 30, 2017
2399 people are currently reading
2187 people want to read
About the author
Rachael English
8 books227 followersHi, and thanks for visiting my page.
I'm the author of seven novels. The latest is WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BIRDY TROY?Before that there was GOING BACK, EACH AND EVERY ONE, THE NIGHT OF THE PARTY, THE PAPER BRACELET and the Irish number one bestsellers, THE LETTER HOME and THE AMERICAN GIRL.
Like many many writers, I also have a day job. I'm a presenter on the radio programme, Morning Ireland.
You can find me on Twitter - @EnglishRachael, on Instagram - @RachaelEnglishWriter or on Facebook.
I'm the author of seven novels. The latest is WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BIRDY TROY?Before that there was GOING BACK, EACH AND EVERY ONE, THE NIGHT OF THE PARTY, THE PAPER BRACELET and the Irish number one bestsellers, THE LETTER HOME and THE AMERICAN GIRL.
Like many many writers, I also have a day job. I'm a presenter on the radio programme, Morning Ireland.
You can find me on Twitter - @EnglishRachael, on Instagram - @RachaelEnglishWriter or on Facebook.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 185 reviews
November 5, 2019
What a wonderful read Rachel English's American Girl was, Fresh, entertaining, witty, rich characters and just an all round good story that will have you turning the pages to find out more
I picked this up after hearing the author interviewed and was immediately drawn to the premise of this story. Boston 1968 Rose Moloney is seventeen, smart, spirited and pregnant. She is shipped off to a baby home in Ireland against her will. 2013 Martha Sheeran's is struggling to come to terms that her marriage is over and is urged by her daughter to look for her mother who gave her up for adoption over 40 years ago.
I really enjoyed this page turner, with its wonderful sense of time and place and for me a terrific reminder of all things 80s. I enjoyed the writing and the sensitive way Rose's story was handled and yet I had so many laugh out loud moments in this book as the writer has a wicked way with words that comes across so natural in her writing without been Cheesy or twee.
Loved the characters, and the small Irish town setting and having a teenager myself I felt the character of Evanne was so well protrayed as in fact were all the characters as they felt real and full of life and I could identify with them which made the book so enjoyable.
Martha watched her crouch to get a better shot of the slate-coloured church . It was funny, she thought, how small a part religion played in the lives of Evanne and her friends . For them the catholic church was a source of indifference. Like thatched cottages, slow sets at the disco and black and white TV, it belonged to to the past.
A terrific summer read, and one I will be recommending to friends to pact for holidays as its a really entertaining and a well written novel.
I think readers who enjoy Diane Chamberlain , Heather Gudenkauf. or Maeve Binchy might also enjoy this novel.
I picked this up after hearing the author interviewed and was immediately drawn to the premise of this story. Boston 1968 Rose Moloney is seventeen, smart, spirited and pregnant. She is shipped off to a baby home in Ireland against her will. 2013 Martha Sheeran's is struggling to come to terms that her marriage is over and is urged by her daughter to look for her mother who gave her up for adoption over 40 years ago.
I really enjoyed this page turner, with its wonderful sense of time and place and for me a terrific reminder of all things 80s. I enjoyed the writing and the sensitive way Rose's story was handled and yet I had so many laugh out loud moments in this book as the writer has a wicked way with words that comes across so natural in her writing without been Cheesy or twee.
Loved the characters, and the small Irish town setting and having a teenager myself I felt the character of Evanne was so well protrayed as in fact were all the characters as they felt real and full of life and I could identify with them which made the book so enjoyable.
Martha watched her crouch to get a better shot of the slate-coloured church . It was funny, she thought, how small a part religion played in the lives of Evanne and her friends . For them the catholic church was a source of indifference. Like thatched cottages, slow sets at the disco and black and white TV, it belonged to to the past.
A terrific summer read, and one I will be recommending to friends to pact for holidays as its a really entertaining and a well written novel.
I think readers who enjoy Diane Chamberlain , Heather Gudenkauf. or Maeve Binchy might also enjoy this novel.
February 6, 2018
The American Girl by Rachael English was a novel about the cruelty inflicted on single mothers in the 1900's. This story is about Rose who found out that she was pregnant in 1968 and her struggle to keep her baby. Her Irish parents send her from Boston to a mother and baby home in Ireland to have her baby so that it could be kept a secret. Rose desperately wanted to keep her daughter but is forced to give her up for adoption, this leaves her heartbroken. Over forty years later Rose is contacted by her daughter who wants to meet her. This story has a few twist and turns and is full of secrets and lies.
I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway and I would like to thank Rachel for my signed copy. I enjoyed reading this book.
I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway and I would like to thank Rachel for my signed copy. I enjoyed reading this book.
April 1, 2019
Three and a half stars.
The year is 1968. In Boston, pregnant 17 year old Rose Moroney wants nothing more than to marry her boyfriend Joe and raise their child. Her parents have other ideas. Instead they send her to Ireland, where Rose will remain in a home for unmarried mothers and their babies, until after the baby is born. Then the plan is she will come home alone and the baby given up for adoption. In 2013 in Dublin Martha Sheeran finds her marriage to Dermot is not only over but he has quickly moved on. After urging from her teenage daughter, Evanne, Martha starts looking into her background and trying to find her birth parents. When she does, Martha finds a lot more then she bargained for. Secrets and lies abound in the family and it takes time to work through them all and come to grips with the truth. Family will never be the same again. Will it?
What this story does clearly show is the way, over the years, attitudes towards unwed mothers and adoption have changed. Years earlier everything was shrouded in guilt, shame and secrecy. So, from that historical perspective gives an interesting look at how society has changed. The characters were complex and believable. Even if I didn’t agree with their decisions, they still managed to get me in and to want to keep reading. That’s not to say though that there weren’t times when as a reader I felt enough was enough and so many contrivances and lies weren’t needed. But still it made for an entertaining read that does tug at the emotions from time to time. My trouble was I kept comparing it a little to another book set around the same time and similar theme and thought this one never quite grabbed me the way the other one did. Still this one, is a well told story that draws the reader in and produces a lot of different emotions at times.
The year is 1968. In Boston, pregnant 17 year old Rose Moroney wants nothing more than to marry her boyfriend Joe and raise their child. Her parents have other ideas. Instead they send her to Ireland, where Rose will remain in a home for unmarried mothers and their babies, until after the baby is born. Then the plan is she will come home alone and the baby given up for adoption. In 2013 in Dublin Martha Sheeran finds her marriage to Dermot is not only over but he has quickly moved on. After urging from her teenage daughter, Evanne, Martha starts looking into her background and trying to find her birth parents. When she does, Martha finds a lot more then she bargained for. Secrets and lies abound in the family and it takes time to work through them all and come to grips with the truth. Family will never be the same again. Will it?
What this story does clearly show is the way, over the years, attitudes towards unwed mothers and adoption have changed. Years earlier everything was shrouded in guilt, shame and secrecy. So, from that historical perspective gives an interesting look at how society has changed. The characters were complex and believable. Even if I didn’t agree with their decisions, they still managed to get me in and to want to keep reading. That’s not to say though that there weren’t times when as a reader I felt enough was enough and so many contrivances and lies weren’t needed. But still it made for an entertaining read that does tug at the emotions from time to time. My trouble was I kept comparing it a little to another book set around the same time and similar theme and thought this one never quite grabbed me the way the other one did. Still this one, is a well told story that draws the reader in and produces a lot of different emotions at times.
June 4, 2017
This review was originally posted on Between My Lines
The American Girl by Rachael English is an evocative read flowing with emotions. Which in turn made me flow with tears. Featuring a horrible a theme about the treatment of an unmarried mother in the 1960s, all the more powerful as it was the truth for so many women.
First Line of The American Girl by Rachael English:
My Thoughts on The American Girl by Rachael English:
The thoughts that fly into my head when I think about this book are
Authentic characters
Heartbreaking storyline
An all round fab read
Rose is a 17 year-old girl from Boston who becomes pregnant in 1968. Her parents panic, and pack her off to a mother/baby “home” in Ireland. Watching Rose flounder in such unfamiliar surroundings, coping with her pregnancy, and struggle with her lack in power in the situation is devastating. Even worse is that it then traps her in a lifelong legacy of lies and secrets.
Martha is the second point of view in the book. The timeline is 2013, and the setting is Dublin. Martha while happy out with the life that her adoptive parents gave her, has always felt a lack in her life, as she doesn’t know her true roots. I enjoyed the leap to contemporary times, and it added another set of compelling characters to the plot.
The timelines of both women fill in the missing links between their stories in way that reels you into their lives. I connected, I related, and I raged. I found it hard to put the book down, but even when I did, I was still playing out the drama in my head.
When I was reading, I had to keep reminding myself that events like this actually happened. Women like Martha are still struggling to find their birth parents, and women like Rose endure a lifetime of wondering where their child is. The thought of this haunts me, and it makes this book feel very relevant, and even more appalling.
I engaged with the characters, and carried their pain in my heart while I read. So it was lovely to meet Marta’s daughter; she was so bouncy and enthusiastic, that she added a lovely light feel to the story. Plus I hugely appreciated the plot twists that hid along the pages. They made certain parts of the story unexpected, and kept me turning pages rapidly.
The bottom line
It's a heck of a good read, and definitely one of the best books I’ve read so far this year.
Who should read The American Girl by Rachael English?
I’d highly recommend this to you if you like emotional plot-lines, haunting characters, and family secrets. If you were a fan of Rachael’s previous books, then I think you’ll also enjoy this. Or if you read authors such as Diane Chamberlain, Sheila O’Flanagan, or Maeve Binchy; then you should also check this out.
Thanks to the author for giving me a copy of this book for review consideration. As always, no matter what the source of the book, you get my honest, unbiased opinion.
The American Girl by Rachael English is an evocative read flowing with emotions. Which in turn made me flow with tears. Featuring a horrible a theme about the treatment of an unmarried mother in the 1960s, all the more powerful as it was the truth for so many women.
First Line of The American Girl by Rachael English:
“Rose Moroney twirled around the bedroom.”
My Thoughts on The American Girl by Rachael English:
The thoughts that fly into my head when I think about this book are
Authentic characters
Heartbreaking storyline
An all round fab read
Rose is a 17 year-old girl from Boston who becomes pregnant in 1968. Her parents panic, and pack her off to a mother/baby “home” in Ireland. Watching Rose flounder in such unfamiliar surroundings, coping with her pregnancy, and struggle with her lack in power in the situation is devastating. Even worse is that it then traps her in a lifelong legacy of lies and secrets.
Martha is the second point of view in the book. The timeline is 2013, and the setting is Dublin. Martha while happy out with the life that her adoptive parents gave her, has always felt a lack in her life, as she doesn’t know her true roots. I enjoyed the leap to contemporary times, and it added another set of compelling characters to the plot.
The timelines of both women fill in the missing links between their stories in way that reels you into their lives. I connected, I related, and I raged. I found it hard to put the book down, but even when I did, I was still playing out the drama in my head.
When I was reading, I had to keep reminding myself that events like this actually happened. Women like Martha are still struggling to find their birth parents, and women like Rose endure a lifetime of wondering where their child is. The thought of this haunts me, and it makes this book feel very relevant, and even more appalling.
I engaged with the characters, and carried their pain in my heart while I read. So it was lovely to meet Marta’s daughter; she was so bouncy and enthusiastic, that she added a lovely light feel to the story. Plus I hugely appreciated the plot twists that hid along the pages. They made certain parts of the story unexpected, and kept me turning pages rapidly.
The bottom line
It's a heck of a good read, and definitely one of the best books I’ve read so far this year.
Who should read The American Girl by Rachael English?
I’d highly recommend this to you if you like emotional plot-lines, haunting characters, and family secrets. If you were a fan of Rachael’s previous books, then I think you’ll also enjoy this. Or if you read authors such as Diane Chamberlain, Sheila O’Flanagan, or Maeve Binchy; then you should also check this out.
Thanks to the author for giving me a copy of this book for review consideration. As always, no matter what the source of the book, you get my honest, unbiased opinion.
April 13, 2017
Every so often you come across a novel that leaves a mark on you.
The American Girl is one such novel.
I knew from reading the back cover that this was a book that had all the ingredients of a wonderful read and I was correct. Taking the reader on a journey through a time, not that long ago in our history, where young girls were hidden away in shame, this is a book that will strike a chord very close to home for many families in Ireland and across the globe.
The American Girl tells us the story of Rose Moroney. Born in the early 1950’s in Boston, Rose grew up the youngest daughter of Ed and Grace, both emigrants from Ireland, Rose’s life was supposedly mapped out for her. But as is often the case, the world had something different in mind for Rose. After meeting and falling head over heels in love with Joe Brennan, Rose discovers she is pregnant. Joe Brennan was not of sufficient social standing for either parent and it’s not long before Rose is forced to pack her bags and is sent across the Atlantic to a mother & baby home in the West of Ireland.
The year was 1968. Ireland was a very religious country at the time and there were many girls packed off to these places of incarceration ‘for their own good’. For many of us, it is hard to believe that such horror existed and that young girls would be closeted away for the duration of their pregnancy, with their babies taken from their bosoms within days of their birth.
Rose Moroney became one of those girls. Her story reflects many a true story, where today people have hidden lives that our society refused to recognise. I listened to Rachael English give an interview on Irish radio where Rachael spoke of the depth of research she undertook for this novel and reflected that she may have delved too deep and found out perhaps too much. Excellent interview might I add!!
When back in Boston, leaving her baby behind having been adopted, Rose’s life took many twists and turns but it’s not until nearly forty years later that the shell she had built around herself begins to crack.
Dublin 2013 and Martha Sheeran makes a decision that will permanently change the direction of her life. Recently separated, Martha is feeling lost within herself and with the encouragement of her daughter Evanne and best friend Cat, Martha begins a search for the woman who let her go many years back.
Martha’s character is so familiar to me in many ways as we were both from the 80’s generation when we thought we were so cool!! Life consisted of music, clothes, hair and boys…not so different to now I guess!! But Martha always felt something was missing. It must be very scary to not know where you came from and Martha decides to dig a little deeper.
The American Girl, while based on the fictional character of Rose Moroney, is the story of one too many young girls in our past. In this sensitive portrayal of Rose, Rachael English has captured the tragedy and horror of such an inhumane act, in both a heart-wrenching and very poignant manner.
On a personal level, I am a mother to two beautiful young ladies and I cannot begin to imagine the pain inflicted on all these fragile women.
The American Girl is a remarkable read with a very captivating story at it’s core.
You will laugh at the conversations and descriptions of some of the characters and you will shed a tear at the moments when the reality of the situation hits you.
I recommend!!!
The American Girl is one such novel.
I knew from reading the back cover that this was a book that had all the ingredients of a wonderful read and I was correct. Taking the reader on a journey through a time, not that long ago in our history, where young girls were hidden away in shame, this is a book that will strike a chord very close to home for many families in Ireland and across the globe.
The American Girl tells us the story of Rose Moroney. Born in the early 1950’s in Boston, Rose grew up the youngest daughter of Ed and Grace, both emigrants from Ireland, Rose’s life was supposedly mapped out for her. But as is often the case, the world had something different in mind for Rose. After meeting and falling head over heels in love with Joe Brennan, Rose discovers she is pregnant. Joe Brennan was not of sufficient social standing for either parent and it’s not long before Rose is forced to pack her bags and is sent across the Atlantic to a mother & baby home in the West of Ireland.
The year was 1968. Ireland was a very religious country at the time and there were many girls packed off to these places of incarceration ‘for their own good’. For many of us, it is hard to believe that such horror existed and that young girls would be closeted away for the duration of their pregnancy, with their babies taken from their bosoms within days of their birth.
Rose Moroney became one of those girls. Her story reflects many a true story, where today people have hidden lives that our society refused to recognise. I listened to Rachael English give an interview on Irish radio where Rachael spoke of the depth of research she undertook for this novel and reflected that she may have delved too deep and found out perhaps too much. Excellent interview might I add!!
When back in Boston, leaving her baby behind having been adopted, Rose’s life took many twists and turns but it’s not until nearly forty years later that the shell she had built around herself begins to crack.
Dublin 2013 and Martha Sheeran makes a decision that will permanently change the direction of her life. Recently separated, Martha is feeling lost within herself and with the encouragement of her daughter Evanne and best friend Cat, Martha begins a search for the woman who let her go many years back.
Martha’s character is so familiar to me in many ways as we were both from the 80’s generation when we thought we were so cool!! Life consisted of music, clothes, hair and boys…not so different to now I guess!! But Martha always felt something was missing. It must be very scary to not know where you came from and Martha decides to dig a little deeper.
The American Girl, while based on the fictional character of Rose Moroney, is the story of one too many young girls in our past. In this sensitive portrayal of Rose, Rachael English has captured the tragedy and horror of such an inhumane act, in both a heart-wrenching and very poignant manner.
On a personal level, I am a mother to two beautiful young ladies and I cannot begin to imagine the pain inflicted on all these fragile women.
The American Girl is a remarkable read with a very captivating story at it’s core.
You will laugh at the conversations and descriptions of some of the characters and you will shed a tear at the moments when the reality of the situation hits you.
I recommend!!!
April 12, 2017
In this beautiful novel of love, despair, and heartbreak. we embark on the journey of two women from different times as they try to come to terms with what has happened in their lives. In Boston in 1968 Rose Moroney finds herself pregnant to the man that she loves, but whom her parents abhor, and so Rose is shipped off to Ireland and forced to give away her baby. In Dublin, it is 2013 and Martha's life has imploded around her, so in trying to figure out her next move, she decides to get answers to the past first by beginning her search for information on her birth mother.
As the narrative moves from the past to present, I became completely immersed in both of the character's emotions, and time flew past as I was lost in this captivating story. Be warned - you will need a box of tissues close at hand, as the words will get under your skin and break your heart. As a mother, and an Irish woman, THE AMERICAN GIRL by Rachael English deeply struck a chord with me as we must recognise that while this is a compelling novel for us, for far too many people there are elements of their real experiences echoed in these pages, which brings an even deeper level of feeling to this book. THE AMERICAN GIRL by Rachael English will leave an indelible mark on your heart and mind as you read the first page and become enveloped by Rose and Miriam lives. Rachael English is a superb author who weaves a tale like no other, and I'm already looking forward to her next book.
*I voluntarily reviewed this book from the author
As the narrative moves from the past to present, I became completely immersed in both of the character's emotions, and time flew past as I was lost in this captivating story. Be warned - you will need a box of tissues close at hand, as the words will get under your skin and break your heart. As a mother, and an Irish woman, THE AMERICAN GIRL by Rachael English deeply struck a chord with me as we must recognise that while this is a compelling novel for us, for far too many people there are elements of their real experiences echoed in these pages, which brings an even deeper level of feeling to this book. THE AMERICAN GIRL by Rachael English will leave an indelible mark on your heart and mind as you read the first page and become enveloped by Rose and Miriam lives. Rachael English is a superb author who weaves a tale like no other, and I'm already looking forward to her next book.
*I voluntarily reviewed this book from the author
July 7, 2017
4.5 stars.
Boston-Irish Rose Moroney shocks her family when she finds herself pregnant at 17. It is 1968 and while Rose insists she will marry her boyfriend, her mother is having none of it. "There are ways of handling these things."
The family's hard-earned reputation is everything to them and Rose is dispatched to Ireland, where she can conceal her condition and place her baby up for adoption.
Young Rose is met by her aunt, a nun in Carrickbrack Mother and Baby Home, and is soon swallowed whole by the religious institution.
The girls are treated abysmally and their babies seen as commodities; sold with no emotional involvement.
Sister Agnes justifies the adoptions in the typical Catholic way: "Unfortunately, many modern girls have peculiar ideas. They think they can do whatever they like without considering the consequences. And, of course, they never pause to consider the pain and shame they're visiting on their families."
Dublin, 2013 and Martha Sheeran begins the process of tracing her birth-mother.
With limited details from her adoptive parents, she becomes frustrated with the delays involved with official research.
Her teenage daughter does her own sleuthing and it is not long before they are visiting the site of Carrickbrack; with decades of secrets and grief hidden behind its stunning facade.
What happened to the American Girl? Did she ever think about her baby? Who was the child's father? The questions begin to mount as mother and daughter continue their search.
Rachael English (pictured) has addressed the overseas-adoption process, but in reverse.
The harrowing details of what occurred in Irish Mother and Baby homes has only fully come to light in recent years; with revelations of hidden records, secret burials and systematic abuse.
While these issues are addressed in the novel, it is not written in the form of 'misery lit'; rather in a retrospective way.
Martha's daughter, Evanne, is horrified to discover that nails jutting out from a dilapidated wall at Carrickbrack represent the burial sites of infants: "How could the nuns do that to them? How could their families let it happen? I mean, what was wrong with those people?"
The story unfolds, gently, with Rose, Martha and Evanne looking at the past to better understand the present. Three generations deserve the truth.
A tender novel which compassionately looks at the terrible era of moral dictatorship, hidden truths and the ongoing effects of Ireland's Mother and Baby homes.
Boston-Irish Rose Moroney shocks her family when she finds herself pregnant at 17. It is 1968 and while Rose insists she will marry her boyfriend, her mother is having none of it. "There are ways of handling these things."
The family's hard-earned reputation is everything to them and Rose is dispatched to Ireland, where she can conceal her condition and place her baby up for adoption.
Young Rose is met by her aunt, a nun in Carrickbrack Mother and Baby Home, and is soon swallowed whole by the religious institution.
The girls are treated abysmally and their babies seen as commodities; sold with no emotional involvement.
Sister Agnes justifies the adoptions in the typical Catholic way: "Unfortunately, many modern girls have peculiar ideas. They think they can do whatever they like without considering the consequences. And, of course, they never pause to consider the pain and shame they're visiting on their families."
Dublin, 2013 and Martha Sheeran begins the process of tracing her birth-mother.
With limited details from her adoptive parents, she becomes frustrated with the delays involved with official research.
Her teenage daughter does her own sleuthing and it is not long before they are visiting the site of Carrickbrack; with decades of secrets and grief hidden behind its stunning facade.
What happened to the American Girl? Did she ever think about her baby? Who was the child's father? The questions begin to mount as mother and daughter continue their search.
Rachael English (pictured) has addressed the overseas-adoption process, but in reverse.
The harrowing details of what occurred in Irish Mother and Baby homes has only fully come to light in recent years; with revelations of hidden records, secret burials and systematic abuse.
While these issues are addressed in the novel, it is not written in the form of 'misery lit'; rather in a retrospective way.
Martha's daughter, Evanne, is horrified to discover that nails jutting out from a dilapidated wall at Carrickbrack represent the burial sites of infants: "How could the nuns do that to them? How could their families let it happen? I mean, what was wrong with those people?"
The story unfolds, gently, with Rose, Martha and Evanne looking at the past to better understand the present. Three generations deserve the truth.
A tender novel which compassionately looks at the terrible era of moral dictatorship, hidden truths and the ongoing effects of Ireland's Mother and Baby homes.
April 13, 2017
Warmth and elegance are perfect words to apply to this book, but there are other words I’d choose too – enchanting, emotional, heart-breaking, ultimately uplifting and just perfect. This was a book I really struggled to put down, and on the occasions when I had to, I was constantly thinking about it. The story is deceptively simple – the 1960s story of Rose, forced to give up her child in the cruellest way, and the present day story of Martha, deciding the time has finally come to find her real mother. But the way it twists and turns, introduces the unexpected, pulls you in emotionally, makes you gasp aloud, convinces you that nothing else matters other than these people and their lives – that’s the work of a really accomplished author.
There was nothing I didn’t love about this book, but I particularly loved the characterisation. Both Rose and Martha soon won their places in my heart, but their interplay with other characters was wonderful too. In the 1960s story I loved Rose’s supportive brother, was won over by the charm of Joe, and hated with a passion those who tore her away from her child. And in Martha’s story, her friend Cat is magnificent (and not only for the touches of lovely humour), Martha’s daughter’s teenage enthusiasm so infectious, Paudie and the whole story surrounding him just perfectly done.
The relationships and their different dynamics work so well – so many variations on the mother/daughter theme (always a personal favourite), friendship, relationships, the secrets within families, the actions of which people are capable in the name of love. I enjoyed the setting too – the changing face of Ireland over the years, the way things change more slowly away from the cities, the things that never change – and the cultural references setting each story in its particular time. And, perhaps above all, I absolutely loved the story – a sweeping, all-consuming one that holds you in its thrall from first page to last.
Maeve Binchy and Maggie O’Farrell? I’m not sure – and no comparisons are needed. Rachael English is a wonderful story teller, with a style and panache all of her own – and this is a book I’d recommend most highly.
There was nothing I didn’t love about this book, but I particularly loved the characterisation. Both Rose and Martha soon won their places in my heart, but their interplay with other characters was wonderful too. In the 1960s story I loved Rose’s supportive brother, was won over by the charm of Joe, and hated with a passion those who tore her away from her child. And in Martha’s story, her friend Cat is magnificent (and not only for the touches of lovely humour), Martha’s daughter’s teenage enthusiasm so infectious, Paudie and the whole story surrounding him just perfectly done.
The relationships and their different dynamics work so well – so many variations on the mother/daughter theme (always a personal favourite), friendship, relationships, the secrets within families, the actions of which people are capable in the name of love. I enjoyed the setting too – the changing face of Ireland over the years, the way things change more slowly away from the cities, the things that never change – and the cultural references setting each story in its particular time. And, perhaps above all, I absolutely loved the story – a sweeping, all-consuming one that holds you in its thrall from first page to last.
Maeve Binchy and Maggie O’Farrell? I’m not sure – and no comparisons are needed. Rachael English is a wonderful story teller, with a style and panache all of her own – and this is a book I’d recommend most highly.
April 9, 2023
This is a story we know & it always saddens. The unyielding strictures of religion & the cruel culture it fosters. The weight of “what will the neighbors think” & the lifetime of lies it perpetuates.
Well developed characters tell this compelling story.
Well developed characters tell this compelling story.
May 23, 2017
Totally absorbing and utterly realistic tale. Well crafted and page turning, it evoked vivid imagery of both Ireland and the USA. An strong insight into attitudes and trauma without too much shock or unnecessary prose. Lots of interesting characters who I'd like to have known more about. A great read 4.5*
March 4, 2019
2.75 stars
"The American Girl" started out really strong in my opinion, but then it kind of lost me. I liked the general plot of this novel and it took on a very interesting topic and I definitely liked the main plot line. Unfortunately, there were too many plot lines to follow and the novel didn't really manage to develop them all to a satisfying level. Due to the many different storylines, many characters remained rather under developed and many of the major plot developments felt rather rushed.
"The American Girl" started out really strong in my opinion, but then it kind of lost me. I liked the general plot of this novel and it took on a very interesting topic and I definitely liked the main plot line. Unfortunately, there were too many plot lines to follow and the novel didn't really manage to develop them all to a satisfying level. Due to the many different storylines, many characters remained rather under developed and many of the major plot developments felt rather rushed.
April 17, 2017
When Rose finds herself pregnant at the age of 17 in 1968, society will not accept the situation and her parents send her away. These actions will reverberate through the decades.
Oh my goodness I loved this book. Everything about The American Girl made it just the kind of read I adore. I’m sure there’s something in the water in Ireland that makes for natural storytellers as Rachael English certainly knows how to create a plot that holds the reader completely enthralled. I genuinely felt devastated when I’d finished as I didn’t want the story to end. The American Girl was one of those books that made me resent normal life when it prevented me from reading it.
Firstly, the plot of The American Girl is brilliantly constructed with shocks and surprises along the way and a devastating insight into the mind set of the 1960s. Although I could understand the actions of Grace and Ed I simply couldn’t forgive them and this set up my emotional engagement with the whole of the story so that I felt completely invested in what happened to Martha.
The quality of Rachael English’s writing is just gorgeous. She balances a lightness of touch with humour through absolutely pitch perfect dialogue so that the emotional elements are heightened further. The variety of paragraph and sentence length gives a naturalness that I found utterly beautiful and absorbing. The deftness of description added depth to make the characters and settings so realistic that I could hardly bear to tear myself away from them.
It is the characters that make The American Girl such a wonderful book. These are not two dimensional sketches on a page, but real and warm people who engendered a whole range of emotions in me as a reader. Cat gave me hope and entertainment. I loathed Rose’s parents without mercy and found myself far less forgiving and accepting of them than she is. I loved Martha without reservation, even when I felt she didn’t always behave perfectly as in her desire to run her daughter, Evanne’s, life. I was so angry with the treatment of the girls in the convent that I almost felt murderous towards the nuns. Indeed, it was the exploration of the roles of women that drew me in to The American Girl so unfailingly. I could see my own flaws, hopes, desires and needs reflected even though I have no experience of similar situations. Rachael English has held up a mirror to the souls of women that I found held me in thrall. I was completely captivated.
I genuinely loved The American Girl. Part love story, part tragedy, part social history, it is a book that will remain in my heart for a very long time.
https://lindasbookbag.com/2017/04/17/...
Oh my goodness I loved this book. Everything about The American Girl made it just the kind of read I adore. I’m sure there’s something in the water in Ireland that makes for natural storytellers as Rachael English certainly knows how to create a plot that holds the reader completely enthralled. I genuinely felt devastated when I’d finished as I didn’t want the story to end. The American Girl was one of those books that made me resent normal life when it prevented me from reading it.
Firstly, the plot of The American Girl is brilliantly constructed with shocks and surprises along the way and a devastating insight into the mind set of the 1960s. Although I could understand the actions of Grace and Ed I simply couldn’t forgive them and this set up my emotional engagement with the whole of the story so that I felt completely invested in what happened to Martha.
The quality of Rachael English’s writing is just gorgeous. She balances a lightness of touch with humour through absolutely pitch perfect dialogue so that the emotional elements are heightened further. The variety of paragraph and sentence length gives a naturalness that I found utterly beautiful and absorbing. The deftness of description added depth to make the characters and settings so realistic that I could hardly bear to tear myself away from them.
It is the characters that make The American Girl such a wonderful book. These are not two dimensional sketches on a page, but real and warm people who engendered a whole range of emotions in me as a reader. Cat gave me hope and entertainment. I loathed Rose’s parents without mercy and found myself far less forgiving and accepting of them than she is. I loved Martha without reservation, even when I felt she didn’t always behave perfectly as in her desire to run her daughter, Evanne’s, life. I was so angry with the treatment of the girls in the convent that I almost felt murderous towards the nuns. Indeed, it was the exploration of the roles of women that drew me in to The American Girl so unfailingly. I could see my own flaws, hopes, desires and needs reflected even though I have no experience of similar situations. Rachael English has held up a mirror to the souls of women that I found held me in thrall. I was completely captivated.
I genuinely loved The American Girl. Part love story, part tragedy, part social history, it is a book that will remain in my heart for a very long time.
https://lindasbookbag.com/2017/04/17/...
May 22, 2017
Broadcaster Rachael English explores an all-too-familiar topic in her third novel: the Magdalen laundries of twentieth-century Ireland and the long shadow they cast over the women incarcerated in them. But this story goes far beyond the usual ‘wasn’t it terrible’ approach – after all, we know it was.
We first meet Rose as a seventeen-year-old Irish-American living in Boston, the youngest of six children in a family struggling desperately to be respectable. Her boyfriend, Joe Brennan, may be the love of her life but he is absolutely not someone she can ever marry, it has been decided – not by her, but by her controlling parents. When Rose gets pregnant, she’s shipped off to a home in Ireland where her aunt is a nun, and very quickly we see the expected outcome: the child is taken away from her.
Rose, unlike some of the other girls there, doesn’t need to stay to pay back her keep; her father has covered those charges and arrives to take her back home. Cut to Dublin forty-five years later, where Martha – fresh from the news of her ex-husband’s new partner’s pregnancy – is under pressure from both her best friend and her teenage daughter, Evanne, to track down her birth mother before it’s too late.
The slow development of the relationship between Martha and Rose, and how it impacts on the rest of their lives, is played out in a realistic manner. On the one hand, it is a joyous reunion, and on the other, it stirs up secrets from the past that are difficult to deal with. Both Martha’s birth mother and adoptive mother are complicit in certain deceptions, and Martha too is conscious of hiding the truth of an abortion from her own former partner.
This is a compelling read with engaging characters – particularly the teenage Evanne, who both loves her family and is frustrated by it, and who comes off as a lot more rounded than many teen characters in fiction intended for adults. The tendency to moralise in a book like this is undoubtedly tempting, but the narrative thankfully avoids this and lets us arrive at our own conclusions and assessments of each character.
We first meet Rose as a seventeen-year-old Irish-American living in Boston, the youngest of six children in a family struggling desperately to be respectable. Her boyfriend, Joe Brennan, may be the love of her life but he is absolutely not someone she can ever marry, it has been decided – not by her, but by her controlling parents. When Rose gets pregnant, she’s shipped off to a home in Ireland where her aunt is a nun, and very quickly we see the expected outcome: the child is taken away from her.
Rose, unlike some of the other girls there, doesn’t need to stay to pay back her keep; her father has covered those charges and arrives to take her back home. Cut to Dublin forty-five years later, where Martha – fresh from the news of her ex-husband’s new partner’s pregnancy – is under pressure from both her best friend and her teenage daughter, Evanne, to track down her birth mother before it’s too late.
The slow development of the relationship between Martha and Rose, and how it impacts on the rest of their lives, is played out in a realistic manner. On the one hand, it is a joyous reunion, and on the other, it stirs up secrets from the past that are difficult to deal with. Both Martha’s birth mother and adoptive mother are complicit in certain deceptions, and Martha too is conscious of hiding the truth of an abortion from her own former partner.
This is a compelling read with engaging characters – particularly the teenage Evanne, who both loves her family and is frustrated by it, and who comes off as a lot more rounded than many teen characters in fiction intended for adults. The tendency to moralise in a book like this is undoubtedly tempting, but the narrative thankfully avoids this and lets us arrive at our own conclusions and assessments of each character.
February 25, 2018
It's 1968 and Rose is in love. She's seventeen years old and has the feeling Joe is the love of her life. Rose's vibrant nature and her love for life perfectly suit him and they are happy together. When Rose falls pregnant Joe wants to marry her, but Rose's parents have other ideas. They send their daughter to Ireland, where they are originally from, to have the baby in a convent. Afterwards the child will be taken from Rose. Rose is being forced to give up the little girl she loves so much.
Martha has a loving family, so she never felt the need to look for the parents who gave her up for adoption. She was always discouraged to do so and she agreed. Now that she's single again after being married to a charismatic man, who found love with someone else Martha doesn't feel complete. Her daughter Evanne encourages Martha to look for her birth mother. Martha starts a search that will uncover many family secrets and shocking truths, will she be ready for everything that is about to come her way?
The American Girl is a beautiful impressive story. Rose has to give up her baby while she doesn't want to, which is heartbreaking. Her parents send her to Ireland where she's being treated cruelly and she's being forced to give up her child. Reading about this brought tears to my eyes, especially because this has been the sad and harsh reality for so many women. I love that Rachael English has written a story about this painful subject in such a stunning emphatic way.
Martha is an intelligent woman. She's in her forties and needs to start over. Fortunately she has her daughter Evanne, a wise girl who knows what she wants. They have a strong connection and Evanne encourages her mother to find out more about the woman who gave birth to her. I love how she helps Martha through this difficult process and found this amazing mother-daughter bond one of the best parts of The American Girl. It warmed my heart to read about their love for one another. They don't always agree, exactly the way it should be, but they are there for each other when it counts. Rachael English makes their story come to life in an incredible way.
The American Girl is captivating and gorgeously written. It's a story about missed opportunities, second chances, secrets and family connections. I loved the way Rachael English describes her main characters, settings and emotions. Everything is thoroughly researched and I could feel so many different emotions behind her words. The American Girl is a fantastic book filled with surprising moments, fascinating cover-ups and terrific deep connections. I highly recommend this mesmerizing book.
Martha has a loving family, so she never felt the need to look for the parents who gave her up for adoption. She was always discouraged to do so and she agreed. Now that she's single again after being married to a charismatic man, who found love with someone else Martha doesn't feel complete. Her daughter Evanne encourages Martha to look for her birth mother. Martha starts a search that will uncover many family secrets and shocking truths, will she be ready for everything that is about to come her way?
The American Girl is a beautiful impressive story. Rose has to give up her baby while she doesn't want to, which is heartbreaking. Her parents send her to Ireland where she's being treated cruelly and she's being forced to give up her child. Reading about this brought tears to my eyes, especially because this has been the sad and harsh reality for so many women. I love that Rachael English has written a story about this painful subject in such a stunning emphatic way.
Martha is an intelligent woman. She's in her forties and needs to start over. Fortunately she has her daughter Evanne, a wise girl who knows what she wants. They have a strong connection and Evanne encourages her mother to find out more about the woman who gave birth to her. I love how she helps Martha through this difficult process and found this amazing mother-daughter bond one of the best parts of The American Girl. It warmed my heart to read about their love for one another. They don't always agree, exactly the way it should be, but they are there for each other when it counts. Rachael English makes their story come to life in an incredible way.
The American Girl is captivating and gorgeously written. It's a story about missed opportunities, second chances, secrets and family connections. I loved the way Rachael English describes her main characters, settings and emotions. Everything is thoroughly researched and I could feel so many different emotions behind her words. The American Girl is a fantastic book filled with surprising moments, fascinating cover-ups and terrific deep connections. I highly recommend this mesmerizing book.
May 6, 2019
The ringing endorsements for this novel included comparisons to Maggie O’Farrell and Maeve Binchy. Both are renowned Irish authors, and favorites of mine. While the similarities to Maeve are many, I feel that Maggie O’Farrell is perhaps a cut above with the quality of her writing. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed the book! The intriguing story began with an unmarried pregnancy in 1960’s Boston. How it was handled, or mishandled, and the repercussions through generations made for a rich plot, deftly delivered. The Irish aspect seldom fails to capture my interest. Indeed, Maeve Binchy came to mind, especially toward the end of the book, as all the various characters were buzzing around with intersecting fates! A well told tale, with a plot that included some unexpected turns! I remained enthralled, and had no complaints about the duration – for a change plus, so pleasing was the story.
July 7, 2017
This review can be found at https://sarahsvignettes.wordpress.com/
This is the first book by Rachael English which I have read and what a wonderful introduction it has been to her writing. As soon as I read the book blurb, I knew it had the makings of a great story and it did not disappoint.
Set between Boston and Ireland, from 1968 to the present day, The American Girl has a heartbreaking story at it’s core. When 17 year-old Rose Moroney, living in Boston in 1968, falls pregnant, her family are horrified by the shame she brought on the family and ship her off to a Mother and Baby home in their native Ireland. It is in this awful institution, where she is forced, in the most cruellest way, to give up her baby girl for adoption. Fast forward to present day Dublin and we follow Martha Sheeran’s journey as she tries to trace her birth mother.
The American Girl is a book which, once you start, you will not want to put down. The end of every chapter left me wanting more, desperate to know how both Rose and Martha’s stories panned out. Although the story keeps going back and forth between 1968 and 2013, it was really easy to follow and flowed nicely. The American Girl is really well-written and Rachael English’s turn of phrase is superb.
I don't know what it is about the works of Irish writers but there is something so comfortable and familiar about their writing that make them natural storytellers, and Rachael English is one of them. From the moment, I started reading this book, I was captivated by the tale and it’s characters, absorbed in their stories. At times, I was shocked, horrified, angry, and even close to tears, whilst, at other times, I was laughing.
There were a couple of chapters in this book which really provoked strong emotions in me. One of Rose's time in the mother and baby home and her horrific treatment. It made me so angry that these girls were being punished when they were at a time in their lives when they needed so much care and support. Another was when Martha and her daughter Evanne visited the former site of the mother and baby home where Rose had stayed. Evanne, who at 17 years old is the same age as Rose when she had her baby, comes across a plaque on the wall where the babies who did not survive were buried in mass graves. As she punches the wall, she says,‘How could the nuns do that to them? How could their families let it happen? I mean, what was wrong with those people?’ Nodding in agreement, I found the whole scene very emotional and I choked up.
Rachael English has created some great characters who are instantly likeable, or in some cases, dislikable (if you read or have read this book, you will, hopefully, understand what I mean). I warmed to Rose and Martha really quickly. Evanne, Martha's daughter, is very much like Rose and knows her own mind. She is a fun character and brings a lot of lightheartedness to the book. It is also nice to see some of Martha's story from her point of view.
Although Rose Moroney is a fictitious character, she embodies so many young girls and women from Ireland's history. This is a story which needed to be told and Rachael English has told it with so much respect and compassion. She is a true storyteller and I will definitely be reading her other books.
This is the first book by Rachael English which I have read and what a wonderful introduction it has been to her writing. As soon as I read the book blurb, I knew it had the makings of a great story and it did not disappoint.
Set between Boston and Ireland, from 1968 to the present day, The American Girl has a heartbreaking story at it’s core. When 17 year-old Rose Moroney, living in Boston in 1968, falls pregnant, her family are horrified by the shame she brought on the family and ship her off to a Mother and Baby home in their native Ireland. It is in this awful institution, where she is forced, in the most cruellest way, to give up her baby girl for adoption. Fast forward to present day Dublin and we follow Martha Sheeran’s journey as she tries to trace her birth mother.
The American Girl is a book which, once you start, you will not want to put down. The end of every chapter left me wanting more, desperate to know how both Rose and Martha’s stories panned out. Although the story keeps going back and forth between 1968 and 2013, it was really easy to follow and flowed nicely. The American Girl is really well-written and Rachael English’s turn of phrase is superb.
I don't know what it is about the works of Irish writers but there is something so comfortable and familiar about their writing that make them natural storytellers, and Rachael English is one of them. From the moment, I started reading this book, I was captivated by the tale and it’s characters, absorbed in their stories. At times, I was shocked, horrified, angry, and even close to tears, whilst, at other times, I was laughing.
There were a couple of chapters in this book which really provoked strong emotions in me. One of Rose's time in the mother and baby home and her horrific treatment. It made me so angry that these girls were being punished when they were at a time in their lives when they needed so much care and support. Another was when Martha and her daughter Evanne visited the former site of the mother and baby home where Rose had stayed. Evanne, who at 17 years old is the same age as Rose when she had her baby, comes across a plaque on the wall where the babies who did not survive were buried in mass graves. As she punches the wall, she says,‘How could the nuns do that to them? How could their families let it happen? I mean, what was wrong with those people?’ Nodding in agreement, I found the whole scene very emotional and I choked up.
Rachael English has created some great characters who are instantly likeable, or in some cases, dislikable (if you read or have read this book, you will, hopefully, understand what I mean). I warmed to Rose and Martha really quickly. Evanne, Martha's daughter, is very much like Rose and knows her own mind. She is a fun character and brings a lot of lightheartedness to the book. It is also nice to see some of Martha's story from her point of view.
Although Rose Moroney is a fictitious character, she embodies so many young girls and women from Ireland's history. This is a story which needed to be told and Rachael English has told it with so much respect and compassion. She is a true storyteller and I will definitely be reading her other books.
May 1, 2017
Rachael English's writing gets better and better with each book that she writes. The American Girl is a beautifully constructed story that will pull at the heart-strings, but is also an astute and detailed observation of Ireland's social history that is both shocking and overwhelmingly sad. When I was sent the details about The American Girl it struck a chord with me. It covers a subject that is very personal to me and to my family as I was born in 1966 to an unmarried Irish Catholic woman, and my birth name was Brennan. This is a story that begins fifty years ago, but has far-reaching consequences. There are so many families that this subject has touched, and the emerging discoveries and on-going investigations currently going on in Ireland are revealing more and more of the harsh and sordid truth that has been hidden away for so many years.
The American Girl of the title is Rose Moroney, a seventeen-year-old living in 1960s Boston, USA. Her family are Irish-American, upwardly mobile and living the American dream, far from the rural backwater town in the West of Ireland that they originate from. Rose is clever, pretty ... and pregnant. Her parents are horrified. Rose's boyfriend, Joe Brennan is not the type of guy that they imagined for their daughter; he's from a rough family, they see no prospects for him. Despite their Catholic origins, religion doesn't play a large part in their decision to send Rose to her Aunt in Ireland to have the baby. They are more concerned about their social standing, about what their associates will say, and how Rose will never manage to snag a decent husband if she has an illegitimate child in tow.
Rose's Aunt Agnes is a nun, in charge of a mother and baby home on the outskirts of a small town in rural West Ireland. This is not a caring, compassionate place. The nuns are determined that the girls in the home will realise the error of their ways. These young women are desperate, vulnerable, isolated, alone and terrified, yet they are put to work; in the kitchens, scrubbing floors. Dressed in drab clothes and punished for the smallest of crimes. This is their punishment, and the most traumatic and cruel thing of all is that at the end of their confinement, their child will be taken away and given to another family. They must sign papers to say that they will never try to contact their child. Ever.
For Rose, this period in her life will colour the rest of her years. Here is the place that the demons inside are unleashed, and they will continue to haunt her. Despite the fact that she returns to the US and marries, and has more children, she will always keep secrets, deep in her heart.
Forty five years later, in Dublin, Martha Sheeran finally takes the plunge and decides to try to track down her birth mother. Martha's life is in turmoil; her marriage is in tatters, she feels unloved and unfulfilled and it is her teenage daughter Evonne's constant nagging about her birth family that persuades her to take the tentative first steps.
What follows is a detailed and excellently written story of the journey that both Martha and Rose take. Rachael English has clearly researched her subject so very well and her writing is so beautifully tender, there are scenes that took my breath away. The horror of Rose's treatment, and the difficulties that Martha encountered during her search are brilliantly portrayed.
This author has created such an eclectic cast of characters who are incredibly lifelike, there are times when both Rose and Martha are infuriating, both of them keep their emotions very close to their chests, yet the reader can totally understand why both of them do this. Young Evonne is startling mature, possibly more so than either of her parents, she's the glue that holds the story together.
The American Girl is subtle and delicate, it is a passionate and intense family drama that deals with hidden secrets and the effects that they have. The web of mystery is tantalisingly revealed, the characterisation is wonderful. Filled with sorrow, joy and tenderness and highly recommended by me.
http://randomthingsthroughmyletterbox...
The American Girl of the title is Rose Moroney, a seventeen-year-old living in 1960s Boston, USA. Her family are Irish-American, upwardly mobile and living the American dream, far from the rural backwater town in the West of Ireland that they originate from. Rose is clever, pretty ... and pregnant. Her parents are horrified. Rose's boyfriend, Joe Brennan is not the type of guy that they imagined for their daughter; he's from a rough family, they see no prospects for him. Despite their Catholic origins, religion doesn't play a large part in their decision to send Rose to her Aunt in Ireland to have the baby. They are more concerned about their social standing, about what their associates will say, and how Rose will never manage to snag a decent husband if she has an illegitimate child in tow.
Rose's Aunt Agnes is a nun, in charge of a mother and baby home on the outskirts of a small town in rural West Ireland. This is not a caring, compassionate place. The nuns are determined that the girls in the home will realise the error of their ways. These young women are desperate, vulnerable, isolated, alone and terrified, yet they are put to work; in the kitchens, scrubbing floors. Dressed in drab clothes and punished for the smallest of crimes. This is their punishment, and the most traumatic and cruel thing of all is that at the end of their confinement, their child will be taken away and given to another family. They must sign papers to say that they will never try to contact their child. Ever.
For Rose, this period in her life will colour the rest of her years. Here is the place that the demons inside are unleashed, and they will continue to haunt her. Despite the fact that she returns to the US and marries, and has more children, she will always keep secrets, deep in her heart.
Forty five years later, in Dublin, Martha Sheeran finally takes the plunge and decides to try to track down her birth mother. Martha's life is in turmoil; her marriage is in tatters, she feels unloved and unfulfilled and it is her teenage daughter Evonne's constant nagging about her birth family that persuades her to take the tentative first steps.
What follows is a detailed and excellently written story of the journey that both Martha and Rose take. Rachael English has clearly researched her subject so very well and her writing is so beautifully tender, there are scenes that took my breath away. The horror of Rose's treatment, and the difficulties that Martha encountered during her search are brilliantly portrayed.
This author has created such an eclectic cast of characters who are incredibly lifelike, there are times when both Rose and Martha are infuriating, both of them keep their emotions very close to their chests, yet the reader can totally understand why both of them do this. Young Evonne is startling mature, possibly more so than either of her parents, she's the glue that holds the story together.
The American Girl is subtle and delicate, it is a passionate and intense family drama that deals with hidden secrets and the effects that they have. The web of mystery is tantalisingly revealed, the characterisation is wonderful. Filled with sorrow, joy and tenderness and highly recommended by me.
http://randomthingsthroughmyletterbox...
April 14, 2017
The American Girl is the third novel from Irish author Rachael English who has been compared to Maeve Binchy and Maggie O'Farrell. These are quite hefty comparisons to make given the high regard said authors are held in but as I read this book I could see the acclaim was justified. The cover for The American Girl is stunning in its simplicity and as I quickly read through the blurb before beginning to immerse myself in the story I could see the author had tackled a subject which for far too long has been taboo in Ireland. This is a story that needed to be told and in doing so Rachael has brought to light some of the many injustices young women in Ireland suffered for so many years. This subject of young girls being 'sent away' when they have fallen pregnant has hit the headlines once again here in Ireland upon the discovery of what just went on behind closed doors in these mother and baby homes run by what everyone believed were kindly nuns doing God's work but that was not always the case. The information that has come to light has been horrific and devastating and should never have been allowed to happen.
Through telling Rose's story with such sensitivity and tact and from all points of view the author has provided a voice for the women who went through such trauma forced upon them due to the strict rules and regulations as outlined by the church. She also shows how families themselves having to cope with outside pressures from a social and religious perspective felt no other choice but to cover things up for the sake of status and appearances. The American Girl is a beautifully written novel full of heartbreak, loss and despair and one wonders whether can forgiveness and acceptance ever be possible given all that has gone before?
The story begins in Boston in 1968 and I wondered would we remain in or around that time period for the majority of the story? But once all the facts and the back story had been outlined we shifted to 2013 and at other points we went back and saw what happened in the in between years. I like how the author did this as it really helped to build up an overall picture of the wider situation, it also demonstrated the stark constants and in some ways similarities between society today and in the past. Some things have changed drastically and others stay very much the same. Even when I was discussing this book with a friend on Twitter we commented on how much of a hold the church had on all aspects of people's lives many years ago. She said she was thankful that was not the case now but is it really? I know the church does not exert the same power it once held but still same things have not changed and will take some time to do so.
Rose Moroney is the youngest of six born into an Irish American family. It is a time of great change in America and people are struggling to come to terms with the recent assassination of J.F.K but Rose is young and in love and wants to spend all her available time with her boyfriend Joe Brennan. Any snatched moments that they can be with each other are taken and long afternoons are spent hidden away in his sisters apartment. Rose is shocked when she discovers she has fallen pregnant and given her parents strict opinions and beliefs she is fearful of telling them. Needless to say when her competitive sister Nancy discovers the pregnancy she can't run quick enough to tell her parents. Rose's mother Grace believes Rose has thrown her life away on a whim - a solution must be found and that solution is taking Rose away to her aunt in Ireland who just happens to be a nun and working in a mother and baby home. I felt Rose was given no chance to state her opinion or asked to say how she felt about everything. The decision was completely taken out of her hands and all because of the humiliation that would be brought on her family. It was of the utmost sin for this to happen to Rose and apparently she should have known better. Her parents showed her no compassion although I could sense her father wavered a bit bringing his beloved daughter across the Atlantic Ocean and leaving her to deal with one of the most important events in her life all alone. Yes I did think her parents were cruel and knowing so many others have found themselves in the same position and have been treated in the same way simply beggars belief. Being liberal and standing up for one's daughter didn't seem to feature in the minds of many back then appearances and obeying the rules of the church seemed more important and that makes me angry.
I had nothing but sympathy for Rose as she endures the home where the nuns believed they were saving lost souls and curing selfish, despicable behaviour. I felt the raw horror Rose experiences as she realises she has more or less being duped and her beloved baby is being taken away from her and she must go back to her normal life in Boston. How any mother and I know there were many could go through this when all they wanted to do was hold their baby in their arms I do not know. Why was nothing done about it at the time? Again the rules and regulations are the answer. I really felt the author got right inside Rose's head and we experienced all the pain and heartache she was going through and unfairness and injustice. How could anyone go back to their life and pretend that everything was all all right and continue on as if nothing had happened when surely it must have been eating them up inside day by day? Given the story was told from two perspectives that of Rose in 1968 and that of Martha in the present day one aspect could have been stronger than the other, the reader could have identified with one more than the other. Thankfully this wasn't the case and I thought both sides were as strong as each other and equally as well told.
We first meet Martha in 1985 where she is constantly teased for being adopted. It's not easy growing up in a small town but best friend Cat is always there for her and together they long to escape the confines of a place where everyone knows each others business and is not afraid to shout it out. Martha always had a long held fear that her mother abandoned her because she simply hadn't wanted her. She loves her family and parents Delia and Clem yet there at the back of her mind is that niggling feeling where is my mother? Why did she give me up? Her history will shape the woman she becomes in the future. It will always haunt her until she finds the answers she so desperately craves.
As we follow Martha's journey we meet her in 2013 and at a cross roads in her life. She has been separated from Dermot for two years and now it is just her and 16 year old Evanne. Evanne to me was not your typical teenager she was full of sense and not out to cause trouble or hassle. She was adjusting to her new family situation and was looking forward to having a new sibling given that Dermot's girlfriend Layla was pregnant. Evanne had a sensible head on her shoulders and I'm glad the later half of the book didn't descend into what normally happens with this family situation where there is fighting and a constant battles of wills with teenage children. The author did write well of the contrast between the family situation in the present and that of where Rose found herself so many years earlier. Evanne could see her mothering was struggling and becoming discontent and in a way isolating herself and I am glad she took the bull by the horns and decided the answers so desperately needed she was going to find.
I'll admit I did find parts of the later half of the story floundered a bit for me until we got to the real climax of the book, there were chapters where I felt nothing happened and the story didn't seem to move on. Martha seemed so indecisive and needed a big push otherwise she would have remained in the same state forever. Paudie Carmody an old school friend coming back on the scene didn't really help me engage with the wider picture even though I know it helped Martha see things a bit clearly. It was only as answers came to the fore and the truth began to make itself known did the book pick up again and I loved all the twists and turns and secrets coming to the fore after being suppressed for so long. There were quite a few I didn't see coming and I was just as surprised as the characters themselves. Just like Rose and Martha I was angry at what had happened. It all seemed to needless and although people believed it was all in the name of love one wonders was that the case.
The mother/daughter relationship was brilliantly explored throughout the story and shows how the bonds no matter how broken or weak will always come shine through in every sense of the word. It's been well over two years since the last book from Rachael but The American Girl was well worth the wait. Such heart and soul has gone into the writing of the story and it's evident the author wanted to do it's themes justice and she certainly has.The characters became so real I felt I knew them in real life and I was sad to leave their story behind when I turned the last page.The American Girl is an emotional read but well worth you taking the time to do so.
Through telling Rose's story with such sensitivity and tact and from all points of view the author has provided a voice for the women who went through such trauma forced upon them due to the strict rules and regulations as outlined by the church. She also shows how families themselves having to cope with outside pressures from a social and religious perspective felt no other choice but to cover things up for the sake of status and appearances. The American Girl is a beautifully written novel full of heartbreak, loss and despair and one wonders whether can forgiveness and acceptance ever be possible given all that has gone before?
The story begins in Boston in 1968 and I wondered would we remain in or around that time period for the majority of the story? But once all the facts and the back story had been outlined we shifted to 2013 and at other points we went back and saw what happened in the in between years. I like how the author did this as it really helped to build up an overall picture of the wider situation, it also demonstrated the stark constants and in some ways similarities between society today and in the past. Some things have changed drastically and others stay very much the same. Even when I was discussing this book with a friend on Twitter we commented on how much of a hold the church had on all aspects of people's lives many years ago. She said she was thankful that was not the case now but is it really? I know the church does not exert the same power it once held but still same things have not changed and will take some time to do so.
Rose Moroney is the youngest of six born into an Irish American family. It is a time of great change in America and people are struggling to come to terms with the recent assassination of J.F.K but Rose is young and in love and wants to spend all her available time with her boyfriend Joe Brennan. Any snatched moments that they can be with each other are taken and long afternoons are spent hidden away in his sisters apartment. Rose is shocked when she discovers she has fallen pregnant and given her parents strict opinions and beliefs she is fearful of telling them. Needless to say when her competitive sister Nancy discovers the pregnancy she can't run quick enough to tell her parents. Rose's mother Grace believes Rose has thrown her life away on a whim - a solution must be found and that solution is taking Rose away to her aunt in Ireland who just happens to be a nun and working in a mother and baby home. I felt Rose was given no chance to state her opinion or asked to say how she felt about everything. The decision was completely taken out of her hands and all because of the humiliation that would be brought on her family. It was of the utmost sin for this to happen to Rose and apparently she should have known better. Her parents showed her no compassion although I could sense her father wavered a bit bringing his beloved daughter across the Atlantic Ocean and leaving her to deal with one of the most important events in her life all alone. Yes I did think her parents were cruel and knowing so many others have found themselves in the same position and have been treated in the same way simply beggars belief. Being liberal and standing up for one's daughter didn't seem to feature in the minds of many back then appearances and obeying the rules of the church seemed more important and that makes me angry.
I had nothing but sympathy for Rose as she endures the home where the nuns believed they were saving lost souls and curing selfish, despicable behaviour. I felt the raw horror Rose experiences as she realises she has more or less being duped and her beloved baby is being taken away from her and she must go back to her normal life in Boston. How any mother and I know there were many could go through this when all they wanted to do was hold their baby in their arms I do not know. Why was nothing done about it at the time? Again the rules and regulations are the answer. I really felt the author got right inside Rose's head and we experienced all the pain and heartache she was going through and unfairness and injustice. How could anyone go back to their life and pretend that everything was all all right and continue on as if nothing had happened when surely it must have been eating them up inside day by day? Given the story was told from two perspectives that of Rose in 1968 and that of Martha in the present day one aspect could have been stronger than the other, the reader could have identified with one more than the other. Thankfully this wasn't the case and I thought both sides were as strong as each other and equally as well told.
We first meet Martha in 1985 where she is constantly teased for being adopted. It's not easy growing up in a small town but best friend Cat is always there for her and together they long to escape the confines of a place where everyone knows each others business and is not afraid to shout it out. Martha always had a long held fear that her mother abandoned her because she simply hadn't wanted her. She loves her family and parents Delia and Clem yet there at the back of her mind is that niggling feeling where is my mother? Why did she give me up? Her history will shape the woman she becomes in the future. It will always haunt her until she finds the answers she so desperately craves.
As we follow Martha's journey we meet her in 2013 and at a cross roads in her life. She has been separated from Dermot for two years and now it is just her and 16 year old Evanne. Evanne to me was not your typical teenager she was full of sense and not out to cause trouble or hassle. She was adjusting to her new family situation and was looking forward to having a new sibling given that Dermot's girlfriend Layla was pregnant. Evanne had a sensible head on her shoulders and I'm glad the later half of the book didn't descend into what normally happens with this family situation where there is fighting and a constant battles of wills with teenage children. The author did write well of the contrast between the family situation in the present and that of where Rose found herself so many years earlier. Evanne could see her mothering was struggling and becoming discontent and in a way isolating herself and I am glad she took the bull by the horns and decided the answers so desperately needed she was going to find.
I'll admit I did find parts of the later half of the story floundered a bit for me until we got to the real climax of the book, there were chapters where I felt nothing happened and the story didn't seem to move on. Martha seemed so indecisive and needed a big push otherwise she would have remained in the same state forever. Paudie Carmody an old school friend coming back on the scene didn't really help me engage with the wider picture even though I know it helped Martha see things a bit clearly. It was only as answers came to the fore and the truth began to make itself known did the book pick up again and I loved all the twists and turns and secrets coming to the fore after being suppressed for so long. There were quite a few I didn't see coming and I was just as surprised as the characters themselves. Just like Rose and Martha I was angry at what had happened. It all seemed to needless and although people believed it was all in the name of love one wonders was that the case.
The mother/daughter relationship was brilliantly explored throughout the story and shows how the bonds no matter how broken or weak will always come shine through in every sense of the word. It's been well over two years since the last book from Rachael but The American Girl was well worth the wait. Such heart and soul has gone into the writing of the story and it's evident the author wanted to do it's themes justice and she certainly has.The characters became so real I felt I knew them in real life and I was sad to leave their story behind when I turned the last page.The American Girl is an emotional read but well worth you taking the time to do so.
January 13, 2018
I got this as a present for christmas. I was excited to read it from the blurb at the back but it just didn't grab me. It was very long winded, and even though the time sped on through the book, it was very long for what the story was. I got halfway through where Martha met rose and I was thinking.. this should be the end of the story.
I know some people who thoroughly enjoyed it but it wasn't for me.
I know some people who thoroughly enjoyed it but it wasn't for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 12, 2018
I absolutely loved reading this book and found that it was a bit of a page turner. Admittedly I do have an interest in the Magdalene Laundries after watching the movie The Magdalene Sisters and then latterly Philomena and discovering that the Catholic school I attended as a small girl was run by one of the orders involved.
Despite what could be a very dour topic - forced adoption, there is a lightness of touch and humour in this book and an attempt at showing the laundries for what they were whilst glossing over the main atrocities. The bulk of the novel is set in the modern day cities of Dublin and Boston and Carrigbrack is mentioned only briefly but it looms large over the rest of the tale.
Martha Sheeran has always known she was adopted, her parents have been open about that much at least. However, it seems there is an unwarranted amount of secrecy surrounding the adoption and as her daughter reaches the outer reaches of childhood and with her marriage broken down she decides to look for her birth parents. We experience the highs and lows of the search and the impact it has on her friendships and family relationships when Martha unearths more than she expected.
The pace of the tale is gentle and we experience everything through the voices of Martha and her birth mother Rose. Things that were considered dead and buried come to light thanks to the efforts of both of their respective children once the truth starts to become known will either of their lives ever be the same again?
The sense of time and place, particularly in the late 1960s, is exquisitely realised and I did feel completely drawn in to this rather peculiar world of moral standards and appearance being all. The characterisations are well drawn and the people inhabiting the book soon begin to feel real to the reader and you find yourself wishing he best for them whilst shaking your head at some of their decisions.
Definitely an author I will be reading more from!
Despite what could be a very dour topic - forced adoption, there is a lightness of touch and humour in this book and an attempt at showing the laundries for what they were whilst glossing over the main atrocities. The bulk of the novel is set in the modern day cities of Dublin and Boston and Carrigbrack is mentioned only briefly but it looms large over the rest of the tale.
Martha Sheeran has always known she was adopted, her parents have been open about that much at least. However, it seems there is an unwarranted amount of secrecy surrounding the adoption and as her daughter reaches the outer reaches of childhood and with her marriage broken down she decides to look for her birth parents. We experience the highs and lows of the search and the impact it has on her friendships and family relationships when Martha unearths more than she expected.
The pace of the tale is gentle and we experience everything through the voices of Martha and her birth mother Rose. Things that were considered dead and buried come to light thanks to the efforts of both of their respective children once the truth starts to become known will either of their lives ever be the same again?
The sense of time and place, particularly in the late 1960s, is exquisitely realised and I did feel completely drawn in to this rather peculiar world of moral standards and appearance being all. The characterisations are well drawn and the people inhabiting the book soon begin to feel real to the reader and you find yourself wishing he best for them whilst shaking your head at some of their decisions.
Definitely an author I will be reading more from!
November 16, 2017
Loved this book!!! I couldn't put it down..my bathrooms have turned to shame whilst I've been preoccupied reading the American girl. I've never read a Rachael English novel, this one caught my eye at the library partly because of its cover. Rose is a young Irish catholic in Boston, becomes pregnant and is sent away to Ireland to a place run by nuns that will take on these types of "loose women" and find a new home with loving catholic parents for the "unwanted" babies. It was a topic I was vaguely familiar with, years ago I'd watched the magdalene sisters movie & the other one with dame Judy Dench (title escapes me) so I knew the premises of those places. The abuse, humiliation, torture and cruelty that the Catholic Church has proceeded to inflict on people is just horrific. The author doesn't dwell too much on a lot of grim details in the women's home...she takes you on this journey that allows to to understand what happened without getting too in depth. The real story is the reunions formed between baby Josephine & her birth family. This book was a lovely ride, it tackles an important issue but leaves the reader with hope and love. I think I will be picking up more books by this author in the future!!
July 19, 2017
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It starts in the late 60s when Rose is sent from America to her aunt who is a nun in Ireland to have her baby that she got pregnant with aged 17. Rose desperately wants to keep her baby but she is forced to have her adopted. 40 years later Martha decides to track her mother down. She is recently separated with a 17 year old daughter of her own. She has always known she is adopted but wants to know her roots. A great read of sad events that happened in real life. Unbelievable that people were treated in such a way all in the name of religion. There are lots of family secrets that come out into the open which shows how much we are prepared to do to save face sometimes.
August 20, 2025
I really enjoyed this story as it’s not like anything I’ve read recently and it held my attention. At the center of the story is a pregnant American teenager who is forced to go to Ireland to stay while she is pregnant and then to give away the child to avoid embarrassing her family. This decision by her parents has rippling effects beyond the main characters and for decades to come.
The author weaves a story that will eventually bring the child back to the mother and there is one last twist in the final chapters that makes this book a good one to recommend.
The author weaves a story that will eventually bring the child back to the mother and there is one last twist in the final chapters that makes this book a good one to recommend.
July 24, 2017
A book that touches the heart. After a very long time I have read a book that made me laugh, smile, and cry. A book on relations, confusions and the deepest feelings. This was my first book I read of Rachael English and I was very impressed. I wasn't able to put down the book. I would surely be reading her other books.
September 21, 2017
I love Rachael English's books this is my fave out of the 3...set in Boston & Ireland in the late 1960's & present day it follows the story of Rose who was forced to give up her baby as a teenager & Martha who is adopted & decides to track down her birth parents. A great story of struggles & the strengths it brings out in people.
July 8, 2017
I really enjoyed this novel. The characters are very well developed and with complex backstories. The different time layers made the multi-layered plot intense and thrilling. Especially great was to see Rose's development and to gain a deep insight into the roots of her struggles.
January 28, 2019
I loved this book. Not really as the title implies but more about an Irish woman who was born from American parents. I thought the way the story spanned the years was done very well and the characters were likeable and yet believable also.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 11, 2024
So good!!
June 25, 2017
Sadly there are too many stories like this one and I thank the author for putting this one to print
September 9, 2017
a sensitively written tribute to the strength of love and forgiveness.
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