Choosing Eros

by Julie Hagerty

Julie, an eleven-year-old Irish Catholic, had no inkling that the mysterious yet undeniable bond formed in a fleeting encounter with a priest would later transform her life. This memoir, in part told through actual letters, is the inspiring story of how two souls, grounded in faith and destined to be together, escape violence to move confidently from darkness to light and from fear to love.

416 pages, paperback

Published June 12, 2019

Reviews

[Desneiges Peloquin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspirational!

What a very brave person this Julie is. Resilient, courageous, resourseful, and above all ready to trust in love again despite a very sad first experience. Hers is a beautiful story and we can only rejoice that the second half of her life was spent with Bill her one true love. A great book, so well written, what I call a keeper.

[Trish Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grabs your attention on page 1 and keeps it throughout the book. Hard to put down. Powerful first book from Julie Hagerty. Hope for another soon.

[Susan Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a story! A great testament to Julie's strength and faith as she navigates and survives an abusive marriage. An in-depth look at why it's so hard - and often fatal - to leave an abuser. With 4 young children and only a high school education, Julie relies on a network of good friends and her faith in God to survive. A well-written captivating story.

[Amy mueller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book! Julie’s love for her children is remarkable. Her strength,faith and resilience is inspiring. This book grabs you from the very 1st sentence.

[Carol Wakeling · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was pulled into Julie’s story from the outset. This is a well written and compelling narrative. Julie’s strength of character and forgiving nature are commendable qualities which keeps the reader rooting for her happiness. The way in which she kept on trying to salvage her marriage to a flawed and troubled man, is both frustrating and admirable. I found myself urging her to leave far sooner than she actually did.

The strength of her faith is very evident throughout, backed up by the quiet love and encouragement from Fr. Bill Hagerty. As this becomes something more than an historic friendship, I felt that the story could have been contained and shortened. Many letters are included, mostly from Bill. I found myself skim reading these, because all the reader needs are the salient points. Sometimes the letters repeat information told elsewhere. I also feel that certain details are perhaps unhelpful in retaining the reader's sympathies with both the main protagonists. To edit the letter excerpts would also make this book more manageable in size and word count. To do so would win it 5 stars from me.

However, I enjoyed this book very much and I could not put it down. I am happy that Julie and Bill were able to be together at last. This is above all else, a love story which triumphed against all the odds.

[Jane Shoenberger]

Wonderful read! Julie Hagerty is both an inspiring author, and a very strong woman. I bought her book after meeting her at a family gathering and was so intrigued I rushed to Amazon to purchase this book. I also read it in 2 days. Simply could not put it down. This true story of endurance in a horrific marriage and her ultimately finding true love with a man she knew as a child, who just happened to be a Jesuit priest, begins abroad and culminates in Cincinnati OH.

Julie came to speak to our book Club and was both humorous and inspiring. I highly recommend this book! Jane Shoenberger

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though I knew the ending, reading this book has meant so much to me. It has been so wonderful to read the story of such a loving strong woman.

[Maria Gsell · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of my many character flaws is that I must finish every book I begin. In almost 70 years of life I have abandoned fewer than a dozen books. This one almost joined my unfinished books. I absolutely hated reading the narration and then re-reading what happened in the form of letters and horrible poetry between Julie and Bill.