The Moon Is Red in April

by Joy Martin

Ireland, 1744, and the young Catholic, Richard 'Dick' O’Shaughnessy, embarks on a perilous journey to escape the harsh Penal Laws and fight for his country in France. En route he meets wealthy Philip Cantillon, and together they pursue their studies in Paris with the intention of joining the Irish Brigade.

Across the waters in Ireland, Dick leaves behind his erstwhile admirer Ellen Nagle's, life is changed forever by her crush's departure. Not dissuaded by his indifference, Ellen sinks her last savings into a trip to France to find him.

However, she arrived to a cold welcome when Catherine Cantillon, Philip’s sister, takes a disliking to her. Having made a promise to Philip, Dick does all he can to take care of Catherine and her mother, Hélène, and Catherine makes the most of this situation. She wants Dick all to herself - and certainly nowhere near the young woman who's just turned up on their doorstep! So begins a lifelong rivalry, that will lead every one of them to question their choices and desires.

Steeped in the turbulent history and dramatic landscapes of France and Ireland, The Moon is Red in April is a magnificent saga of rivalry and passion that powerfully and movingly evokes the restless spirit of 18th century Europe — and of a love that couldn’t be denied.

Joy Martin was born in Limerick. She trained as a journalist and worked on Dublin’s Evening Press, then moved to writing news for the Zambia Broadcasting Corporation and the BBC Home and External Services. She has also broadcast on radio in Ireland, Zambia, South Africa and Britain. Now she lives in London and works as a freelance journalist.

Paperback

First published March 23, 1989

About the author

Joy Martin is an Irish journalist and author. Born in Limerick, where she was educated at Laurel Hill Convent, her father was an English Protestant and her mother an Irish Catholic. As Ireland’s Assistant Land Commissioner, her great grandfather, John George O’Brien Kelly, a lawyer and agriculturalist, brokered the deal which gave tenants the right to purchase land over a 30-year period, turning him into a national hero. The O’Brien Kellys owned most of the land on the boundaries of Limerick and Clare and three Georgian manors, Moylish House, Clonmacken House and Fedamore House.
Joy writes:
‘Living in a cottage on my grandfather’s land, I played in these houses as a child so, inevitably, tales of secret passages leading down to the river, illicit love affairs, murder, conspiracy and ghosts on the stairs found their way into my novels.’
Her first short story was published when she was still at school. She trained as a journalist on a local paper, The Limerick Weekly Echo, and subsequently worked as a reporter on The Evening Press, in Dublin, the Rand Daily Mail, in Johannesburg and for BBC Home News and World Service

You can hear about how Joy Martin's writing process in the link below:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3Sl4...

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in 18th century Ireland and France, this is an enjoyable family saga, rich in historical detail. This was a great charity shop find. My paperback copy is out of print now but it's available on Kindle.

[Elaine Watson]

No review - an old book I found in my library which I read in 2005 - just wanted to update the list