The Weaver's Legacy: A Family Epic of the American West

O'Neill Series #2

by Olive Collins

1865: Goldie O’Neill was nine years of age when she trekked across the unclaimed American West with her family to form their own Irish catholic Colony. Their new community had dreams of self-governance and prosperity far removed from the anti-Irish sentiment and prejudice of the ruling classes. They soon learned about the extremes of the American West and the ongoing Indian war. A year after their arrival, Goldie blames herself for her sister’s disappearance. She forms an unlikely friendship with a Lakota Indian boy who promises to help with her life-long quest to find her sister. In the intervening years, as their community flourishes and a new prejudice surfaces, her sister’s disappearance ebbs away for everyone except Goldie.

1937: Lucy O’Neill was adopted by her aunt, Goldie O’Neill. When she learns that her father, Lorcan O’Neill, has returned to the small town in the Midwest after a thirty-year absence, she returns to meet him. Aware of the silence that surrounds his name and the reluctance of her family to reveal the real story, Lucy delves into the past to find a story far removed from the account her aunt had told her.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Book Club, Irish Literature

476 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 30, 2020

Reviews

[Susan P · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book needs a good professional editor.

[Marcia · Rating 2 out of 5]

If grammar and punctuation errors bother you, do not read this book. Typos appear early in the book. At some point about 2/3rds through, the proofreader must have given up. Apostrophe errors abound. Run on sentences are common — you cannot join two sentences with a comma, people! If one of my writing students turned this in for a grade, I’d have given it back with an order that she correct the errors before subjecting me to them. And, we’re told several times that Goldie cannot read or write, but somehow, she kept a notebook with stories to share. Were it not for the bad proofreading, I probably could add a third star. There’s no mention anywhere of a publisher or editor, so I assume the fault lies with the author herself. Olive, I’m available for hire as a proofreader. Email me.

[Marie Z Johansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so happy that I stumbled on this book! I felt that the author really did excellent research and I could almost feel myself in the narrative during the Irish immigration West during the worst of times for the Lakota. I could visualize the hardships, the struggles, the lives, lives and sorrows of the i migrants as they built themselves up in a new land.

Now I must read more from this author!

[Oceantide74 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I wish it was longer-I felt the later years were a bit rushed. I did have a bit of trouble keeping up with all the people in each family. I did not like the Lucy-Harry storyline. I found Harry to be a cliche, throw away character. It didn’t make sense Lucy would marry him and leave what/who she loved. When I read books during this time period I could cry with anger and frustration about what happened to the Native Americans, Buffalo/wildlife and the beautiful sacred land. To go back in time to see it all in its glory would be something!!

[mary m green · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and got engrossed in the characters. We meet the weaver of the title, nicknamed Goldie, when she is a young girl traveling with her family in a caravan of Irish-American settlers to the Dakota territory. Through her we see the Indian wars, the grasshopper plague of the 1860s, the violation of the Laramie Treaty that had promised the Indians that the Black Hills would belong to them in perpetuity, the killing of buffalo to starve the Indians, the Dust Bowl days and much more. The weaver has an adopted daughter, a niece, to whom she leaves her home and considerable holdings. We meet that daughter, married to a wealthy investor and living in New York City, in the 1960s. After a cousin calls to tell her that her father, thought to be long dead, has returned to his hometown, she travels to meet him, renewing old ties and memories. Goldie’s story unfolds as the narrator alternates between her lifetime and her daughter’s return. It’s an effective storytelling device, well executed. The characters likewise are well developed.
One problem - poor editing - has marred all three Olive Collins novels I have read. It was worst in her debut, “The Memory of Music,” and would have discouraged me from reading more of her work if I had not already enjoyed her second novel, “The Tides Between Us.” It was an annoying distraction in “Tides,” but slightly less prominent than in “Memory.” The editing is better in “The Weaver’s Legacy” but still unprofessional. It’s a real problem in Collins’ historical fiction and takes away from her solid research and good storytelling .

[Camille Haggard · Rating 5 out of 5]

An epic story of twists and turns

From the beginning to end the reader becomes engrossed in the lives of several Irish families emigrating to the western streets. The events are all tied together affecting three generations. Each family must deal with their own peculiarities, and the consequences continue to the next generation. Fascinating read and the characters are sometimes sympathetic and often repelling. I do recommend this novel.

[Susie Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The true weaver of this book was the author herself. It was impressive to see how she wove the story between the two timelines, peeling back the layers of the past one little piece at a time. A great read.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book covers several family’s lives through good and bad times. It covers the time period from 1865 to 1937. The author gives you a good grasp of the conflicts and animosity between the Native Americans and those settling the west and/or searching for gold. Because she includes individuals with extreme prejudices on both sides it helps the reader understand how terrible things were for the Lakota tribe in particular. It also shows how destructive prejudice and hate can be.

[Sandy Estes · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Weaver's Legacy is sometimes hard to read because of the prejudices toward the American Indians. Even so, this was still a good sf

I like stories of the old west,which is frequently romanticize d in many stories. Life was very hard in the old west as witnessed in the Weaver's Legacy. I didn't like the way the American Natives were treated but it was a fact of life back then. I enjoyed this story!

[Susan J · Rating 1 out of 5]

Had to stop reading this book. It began ok and I love history, adventure and was dissatisfied with the language, and the descriptions of horrific atrocities done to women and children. This was attacks on Native Americans. Wish there had been a warning because you can’t unread something, Amazon Prime free read ebook. Moved on to a better choice.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the book and learning a bit about this period’s history. But the title didn’t fit the book’s content!

[Susie Helme · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lucy O’Neill has been adopted by her aunt Goldie, who’d left her a ranch in Four Oaks, Wyoming. Trying to convince her to come back and take possession of her property, her cousin Wilbur Breen informs her of the sudden reappearance of her long-lost father Lorcan.
Lorcan has returned after a 30-year absence, and Lucy goes back to Four Oaks to meet him, hoping to learn the real story of the family’s past. She reminisces with Makawee, the Lakota wife of Goldie’s neighbour, while her husband Harry plots to make sure Lorcan is not there to try to claim the property.
1865. Grainne O’Neill (Goldie) is 9 when she sets off West with a wagon train of Irish Catholic immigrants, each family to claim their 160 acres. Her father Barry is keen to leave everything behind, even their Gaelic language, always ‘clawing for more’. Her brother Lorcan can’t seem to do anything right and is ever thirsty to hear stories about killing Indians. The children make friends with Chaytan, the Lakota boy who tames wild mustangs.
Goldie is fighting with her cousin when the grasshoppers (locusts) invade. When the swarm subsides, her baby sister is gone. Each day she steps farther into the forested hills marked as Indian territory and leaves letters for the Indians she believes have taken her sister.
The immigrant families intermarry, carrying their personalities, their prejudices and their vendettas with them, and the various family histories unravel across the generations.
One challenge in writing family sagas is that most families lead pretty ordinary lives. ‘The story of my grandparents’ is really only interesting enough if they’re your own grandparents. There usually has to be some kind of ‘deep, dark family secret’ or mystery to keep the reader wanting to read through till the end while we work through the generations. In this novel, the two mysteries a) where had Lorcan been and why was he back? and b) what happened to Goldie’s baby sister? are just about enough. There’s also c) an undercurrent that Lorcan may not have been ‘the gentleman that she had been led to believe’.
The initial reveal is a bit clumsy, making me wonder if I’d skipped over a few pages somewhere, but it becomes clear in the end. The final revelation is a shocker that comes too late to avoid the tragedies.
It also helps if a story is set during an eventful historical period. The setting is, interestingly enough, defined as the period of time between two great natural disasters—the 1866 Grasshopper Invasion and the 1933 Dust Bowl.
Tx to JM, who gave me this book for my birthday.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my the first book I read by Olive Collin and I would give another of her books a read. It was an interesting story of the first Irish immigrant families to colonize parts of the midwest, USA following the civil war. The author does an impressive job of describing the tensions between the natives Americans with the invasion of European colonization. The story follows the O’Neill family through two generations told through the eyes of two female offsprings. The story moves along quickly and does have a simple but interesting plot written in a somewhat diary like fashion. The author attempts to explores the subjects of ethnic cleansing, cultural prejudices, along with gender bias in the “wild west” during the later part of the 1800’s and into the first half of the last century.

[Debora Prescott]

This book was a highly enjoyable read. It is one that you don’t want to end. There are many twist that emerge as the story moves ahead. I highly recommend this book to any who enjoy history and stories about the Native American culture. I must admit to being throughly surprised by the last twist. Enjoy!

[Marianne KB · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining and quick read about the clash between european immigrants (some of whom are recent immigrants from Ireland as is Collins' pattern) and indigenous people shortly after the Homestead Act attracted those of European decent westward.

[Alicia Voss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Based in the black hills. One of the best historical fiction books I’ve ever read. Didn’t realize it was a series but you didn’t need the first book at all to know what was going on.

[Peg Kroonenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written in such a great format!

As I started to read this book I wondered if I would be able to finish it. Going from one year to a completely different year surprised me. I’ve never read a book that used this format, but after a few chapters I realized I really enjoying it.

The story is a truly wonderful story of the how the American West was settled. Then, it goes on to follow a few families as they grow. It tells how these families moved in and out of each other’s lives for the good and bad. I do enjoy history and could imagine this story as I read. The only person that might not enjoy this book is someone who doesn’t like history.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was hesitant to read this book, I’m so glad now.
What a good read.
This will be one of the few that will stick in my mind as I begin my weaving legacy.

[Edie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Patchwork of lives woven together

I enjoyed reading this book immensely.Interesting story of the lives of Irish immigrants who left in search of a better future than what they had in Ireland. Crossing the ocean and then crossing America in wagons or on foot was an arduous task to say the least! I'm sure not many people today would survive the trip. The desire to own land was driving force in their lives. They endured the hunger and hostility of the journey,frequently being attacked by Indians, who were loosing their home and way of life. Subsequently, the White man endeavored to exterminate them by whatever means they had. Sad story of human greed and extreme hatred.
Our history is not as we've been taught!
Excellent book and I highly recommend it to everyone.

[Mary Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this well written, historical novel, Olive Collins takes us into the world of an extended family of Irish immigrants who left their homeland to carve out new lives in the harsh Midwestern landscape. Community life over the generations is told through the eyes of a remarkable woman pioneer and her adopted daughter. The mystery in their lives is an underlying theme in the story. Friendship was the key to successful pioneer life, yet a brother and other characters were mean, prejudiced men who expanded their land holdings into Indian territory and as soldiers, made murderous raids on the tribes. The U.S. government protected the settlers by pushing Indians onto reservations and breaking negotiated treaties.

[Sue · Rating 2 out of 5]

I felt like the ending was really rushed. They spent so much time at the beginning and middle of the book with the plot, then in the last six or seven chapters there were a couple of life changing events for Goldie (trying not to spoil it). Also, the weaving portion (from the title) seemed to be an afterthought.
I really don’t like to give bad reviews but this wasn’t what I thought it was going to be at all.

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

The characters were interesting, the story moved along well, I found myself barely able to put the book down. My reason for not giving it a higher rating is that there was much lacking in editing, enough to interfere with my pleasure in the reading. From small things like lack of agreement between noun and verb as pertains to singular/plural status, to harder-to-overlook unnecessary repetition of phrases, it wasn't just one or two instances.

[Kathleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author seemed to take a short story and draw it out to novel length. I found the pace very slow and plodding. The basic plot was intriguing, but it just didn't move forward quickly enough. I found the characters a little too stock. I did like the time period and the inclusion of historical events.

[Corrine Ardoin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Weaver's Legacy by Olive Collins is the story of Irish settlement in America after the Civil War and the families who strive to forge a life apart from the harsh legacy of their Irish roots. Through the skillful use of dialogue, tone, word choice, and each character's actions the author imparts a sense of the times and its stark, unforgiving landscape without having to engage in long, descriptive passages. The old wooden homes that were once grand and the coarseness of men and the women who must survive their violent ways, come to life in this epic story of the American West.

Like Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove series, The Weaver's Legacy does not shy away from the dangers of frontier life, but unlike McMurtry's books, Olive Collins tells her story without excessive graphic or lurid details. Even so, she succeeds in getting across the understanding that one man, Lorcan O'Neill, is a predator who will not rest until he has satisfied his need to kill. He has a terrible secret told only to the one woman who knows all, Makawee, a Lakota woman who, in the end, sees that justice is served where Lorcan is concerned. The secret comes out in the end, but not before the unfortunate consequences of all their family's secrets have cost many lives and allowed needless suffering to go unpunished.

Like the woven rugs created by its main character, Goldie O'Neill, the author weaves a story told between past and present, from the early frontier days in 1865 to the modern times of the 1930's. Eventually, the story moving forward from the past, meets up with the story being told in the present, until they meet and one story continues on from there. With each reading, the questions that arise in the present, the things not discussed openly, gradually become answered as the family's and their neighbor's entwined past inches forward in time. This creates a sense of the past catching up to them, that the things they try to keep buried, even their Irish culture, cannot stay hidden for long.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes to read stories with strong female characters, that are set in the American West, without having to read explicit profanity, sex, and violence. It is a story well-told that conveys the fearless determination of both Native American peoples and white settlers to lead their lives as they choose. Amid the clashes of these two warring cultures, a third choice evolves, that of the women who befriend each other and whose wise ways endure throughout generations to come.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book club - September 2021

A story of the west - immediately draws you into the group of Irish families emigrating to American - Barry, through trickery to his own brother for money for passage.

A story of two women, Goldie and niece Lucy

A story of prejudice and mistreatment.

Lucy O'Neill (husband Harry), N.Y. socialite 1936, owned 2,000 acres in the west where she had grown up
Wilbur Breen - cousin, mayor of the town between S. Dakota and Wyoming; he and not seen Goldie since Wilbur plotted to have a statue built commemorating Lorcan's military service and death, lived with his parents and had never married, big talker, mother was Frances who considered Goldie uncouth
Lorcan O'Neill - Lucy's estranged father, had a shady past; used fake death to his advantage
Grainne O'Neill - her story, along with Lucy, walked to the west at age 9 with 37 wagons - Goldie (red hair) along with her family who had left Ireland, Lucy's aunt, sister of Lorcan, never learned to read but built a weaving empire after learned to weave from Aengus's wife
Barry O'Neill - Goldie's fatherNed Breen- also on wagon train, wife brought piano which had to be left on the trail
Harry Livingstone-Lucy's husband, not interested in the west or charity, but inheriting Lucy's money was fine, cousin to Wilbur Breen, partner in investment firm, weekly radio show, p. 59, 69
Aengus - another Irish homesteader, Barry O'Neill's cousin, had come to the west first and brought others out later, friend to Indians, not greedy, level headed, had an Indian wife, Makawee, whom he had taken in, also took in Chatan, young Indian boy, 194 he was missing for 5 years and later found with Lorcan's gun hilt clenched in his hand
Chatan - part Indian but not accepted by them, excellent horse trainer, befriended Goldie when they were young, helped her look for Miriam, her "stolen" sister
210-211 Lorcan tells story to Francis, his sister
223 The Indians were torn between two cultures (and not treated well at all)
283 "Sometimes Goldie marveled at her own life..... Her husband Ernesto was killed in 1909 in a farm accident
287 quote after dust cloud

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Weaver’s Legacy: A Historic Epic novel of the Irish in the American West: The O’Neill Family Trilogy, Book 2 is by Olivia Collins. This story is actually the last in the story. It takes place in the American West.
Goldie O’Neill came across the American West with her family. They set up a farm in the area of Billings, Montana. The O’Neills and the Breens came on the wagon train together and settled near each other and their families became intertwined over the years. Goldie traveled with her parents; her sister, Francis; her brother Lorcan, and her baby sister Miriam. Her father wanted to forget the war years in Ireland and forbid the family to speak Gaelic, refer to Ireland, or anything Irish. His family was now American. The Indians even gave Goldie her name for the color of her hair. Goldie’s life was changed by an incident during the grasshopper situation. The children were on a picnic near the Indian woods when the insects swarmed. Goldie was separated from the others and someone helped her into a cave where she sat out the swarm. The other children ran for home leaving Baby Miriam alone. There was no trace of her and Goldie blamed herself.
The book skips to the life of Lucy, Goldie’s daughter when she finds out that her father Lorcan has miraculously arrived. Now she had to get to know her father and trace his life after he left home. Lorcan was the disgraced son of the family. His return is the catalyst of the story as the past is revealed.
In time, this should probably be the last book of the series; but is the second. You can still follow the family from afar. The book was okay. It wasn’t as good as the first nor third books.

[R.E. E. Derouin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Weaver’s Legacy by Olive Collins 6/28/2021 Kindle

This book is listed as the second in a trilogy; the second family epic after The Tide between Us which I read earlier this year. While The Weaver’s Legacy is similar in construction, I don’t see enough connection to the earlier work to call it a set. This story line moves between the late nineteenth century west and a generation later in the 1930s when the results of the earlier pioneer’s efforts have been realized. We begin with nine-year-old Goldie O’Neil and her family as they join others in a covered wagon journey to form an Irish settlement. It is the heart of the Indian Wars and life is a continuous struggle. However, as the years pass, the O’Neils and many of the others prosper. However, old animosities continue to smolder. Old scores call for revenge.

The story documents the cultural conflicts between the newcomers and native population, and the different life goals of each. Goldie is at odds with many of her neighbors after forming a lifelong friendship with Lakota young man.

We alternate this tale between those times and the depression area when Lucy, an adopted child of Goldie becomes the main character. She returns to the old homestead where she was raised, joined by a husband who is at odds with most of her feelings.

I was far more comfortable with the split stories in this book than the earlier writing. While this story line is at times over complicated with unresolved characters and incidents, I enjoyed it and highly recommend it to others.

[Stephanie Pieck · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel opens in 1865 with a group of Irish families crossing America in a wagon train to settle farmsteads in Wyoming at the foot of the Black Hills. Goldie is ten, her brother is six, and her sister Miriam is an infant. Over the next six decades, there are natural disasters, family tragedies, bad blood among whites and between whites and the local Indians. Goldie learns to weave, and her rugs and blankets eventually make her rich. But the past is always threatening to burst into the pffesent, especially when Lucy, Goldie's adopted daughter, returns to Wyoming in 1937 after Goldie's death. It's not just Goldie's death, though. The brother who was six in 1865, long believed to be dead and honored as a war hero, has appeared in Four Oaks, the tiny town where Goldie lived.
Lucy's wealthy husband, Harry, disliked Goldie and believes Lucy should sell the house and land Goldie left to her. He also wants to meet this long-lost relative.
Harry immediately latches onto the old man's glorification of war and Indian-killing, while Lucy grows more and more disturbed. She is rediscovering her roots and her heart, and realizing that she wants a life very different than the constant swirl and glamor of New York City.
The book is full of vivid characters and memorable scenes. It will keep readers enthralled like a train ride through the majestic and desolate reaches of the American West.

[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this novel fell short of her Tide Between Us, I would give it a solid 3.5 stars. On the plus side, I enjoyed Goldie’s story very much, although I would like it to have been the sole focus of the book. I felt that much more detail could have been given to the westward trip of her Irish emigrant family.

While I understand that two timeline novels are all the rage, I didn’t feel like Lucy’s more modern story added to the book. Her husband, Harry, was one dimensional and their relationship felt completely implausible … chalk and cheese.

Had the novel been written chronologically, I believe it would have had more impact and all the storylines could have been woven nicely more cohesively.

I enjoyed the characters, and there are a lot of them, I found each clearly ‘God’s or ‘bad’. People are not that simple.

Some readers have complained of the violence against native Americans in the book. History is history. The best author recognizes that wrongs done in the past cannot be undone in literature.

[Elizabeth Fellows · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Weavers Legacy


Back in 1865 many migrants came to North America especially the USA to obtain free land in the Wyoming area. One Groüp was from Ireland who wanted to create an Irish area. Through the harshness of the covered wagon journey to setting up farms and homes they persevered. However, some had no respect for the Natives and believed all the land they saw they could take. This story is based on facts which is hard to realize. This epic story goes through different families their prejudices their greed and the tough times in that era. There were no restrictions on what a man could do to hurt others in those days, and it is painful to see what some took into their own hands. The story goes forward to 1937 and the descendants of the initial families, and what transpired in between. Very interesting epic.