What do you think?
Rate this book
The Callahans #1
Destiny
Fleeing an abusive father and a hopeless life in Ireland in 1895, nineteen-year-old Tom Callahan takes passage on a ship bound for America. On board the Antioch, he meets pretty Katrina Hansen, a young Norwegian woman traveling to America with her family. Their meeting results in a Katrina will wait one year before accepting any other proposal for marriage; within that time, Tom will somehow find his way to Utah to try his hand at permanentely winning her heart.
290 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 1996
14 people are currently reading
162 people want to read
About the author
Gordon Ryan
23 books14 followersPassed away November 14th, 2012. He was 69.
Gordon Ryan was a writer with a varied history. He lived and worked in six foreign nations and a dozen or more states, including Alaska. He served in the 1st Recon Battalion, U.S. Marine Corps in the aftermath of the Cuban Missile Crisis, and in the Air Force in Thailand during the Vietnam War. He also served as a member of the American Embassy staff in Dublin, Ireland, during the violent seventies. His first published novel, Dangerous Legacy, was released in 1994 and he published ten more over the intervening years with the three Pug Connor novels, the last one released in early 2011.
Gordon Ryan was a writer with a varied history. He lived and worked in six foreign nations and a dozen or more states, including Alaska. He served in the 1st Recon Battalion, U.S. Marine Corps in the aftermath of the Cuban Missile Crisis, and in the Air Force in Thailand during the Vietnam War. He also served as a member of the American Embassy staff in Dublin, Ireland, during the violent seventies. His first published novel, Dangerous Legacy, was released in 1994 and he published ten more over the intervening years with the three Pug Connor novels, the last one released in early 2011.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
February 17, 2011
First in a series of historical fiction surrounding the early Utah settlers. A good book though I did have a tough time getting through parts of it, not because it is boring, but because one of the characters is so deceiving that you want to beat him over the head. My husband read it before me so I ended up asking him how it ended just so I could get through it without punching something. Once he told me I was able to relax and enjoy the book. Be careful it really sucks you in!
July 30, 2012
This is my first foray into a novel such as the Spirit of Union: Destiny by Gordon Ryan. Having recently read The Titanic Plan by Michael Bockman, I was interested in another book in roughly that same time period. Destiny fit the bill.
It is the story of young Thomas Callahan and his adventures fleeing Ireland for a new and better life. The book opens with Tom Callahan walking across Ireland as he his family and his abusive and controlling father. He is anxious to flee a very difficult situation and the resulting hopeless life in Ireland that he sees in his future. He is only nineteen-year-old when he books steerage passage on a ship bound for America.
Late one evening when his class of passengers is allowed on the upper decks, he sees the beautiful and graceful Katrina Hansen. She is a young Norwegian woman immigrating with her family to Utah as part of the great Mormon "migration". It's not a very likely pair. The brash, yet charming Irishman is a Catholic. He is also a a pub brawler and a young man without many prospects. Katrina is a refined young woman, yet naive in the ways of the world. She is also a bit of a product of a controlling father. Despite all that, they promise to guard their hearts until the year is done. And if young Callahan can find a way to get to Utah, Katrina will offer him a chance to win her heart. But does he already have her heart after just a few encounters on board the ship?
Thomas Callahan and the wealthy Hansen family land on Ellis Island in New York City. There, they part company and the Hansen's begin to make their way toward Utah. Callahan, begins to seek employment, work and plan for a way to work his way across the broad expanse of the United States and reunite with Katrina in Utah. Once she gets to Utah she is lured into a somewhat arranged marriage and then ultimately a polygamous marriage. Ultimately she finds herself abandoned in a remote Mexican town by the man she married as the man she loves, Thomas Callahan, is unaware of her status, and is busy seeking his fortune in Alaska having arrived in Utah a few weeks too late.
Destiny is an expansive historical novel set at the turn of the 19th century. It is played out on board a transatlantic ocean liner and in such far-flung places as New York City, Salt Lake City, the gold fields of Alaska and down to old Mexico.
This is only book one of five in the entire Callahan series. I plan to take a break from the series in favor of a book from another genre. But I will get back to the series after this next book.
It is the story of young Thomas Callahan and his adventures fleeing Ireland for a new and better life. The book opens with Tom Callahan walking across Ireland as he his family and his abusive and controlling father. He is anxious to flee a very difficult situation and the resulting hopeless life in Ireland that he sees in his future. He is only nineteen-year-old when he books steerage passage on a ship bound for America.
Late one evening when his class of passengers is allowed on the upper decks, he sees the beautiful and graceful Katrina Hansen. She is a young Norwegian woman immigrating with her family to Utah as part of the great Mormon "migration". It's not a very likely pair. The brash, yet charming Irishman is a Catholic. He is also a a pub brawler and a young man without many prospects. Katrina is a refined young woman, yet naive in the ways of the world. She is also a bit of a product of a controlling father. Despite all that, they promise to guard their hearts until the year is done. And if young Callahan can find a way to get to Utah, Katrina will offer him a chance to win her heart. But does he already have her heart after just a few encounters on board the ship?
Thomas Callahan and the wealthy Hansen family land on Ellis Island in New York City. There, they part company and the Hansen's begin to make their way toward Utah. Callahan, begins to seek employment, work and plan for a way to work his way across the broad expanse of the United States and reunite with Katrina in Utah. Once she gets to Utah she is lured into a somewhat arranged marriage and then ultimately a polygamous marriage. Ultimately she finds herself abandoned in a remote Mexican town by the man she married as the man she loves, Thomas Callahan, is unaware of her status, and is busy seeking his fortune in Alaska having arrived in Utah a few weeks too late.
Destiny is an expansive historical novel set at the turn of the 19th century. It is played out on board a transatlantic ocean liner and in such far-flung places as New York City, Salt Lake City, the gold fields of Alaska and down to old Mexico.
This is only book one of five in the entire Callahan series. I plan to take a break from the series in favor of a book from another genre. But I will get back to the series after this next book.
November 6, 2016
This is book one of a several book saga and I am enjoying it quite a bit. It is well written historical fiction.
October 3, 2010
I super skimmed most of this book, as it was pretty slow. Most of the book had me worried it would have one of those terrible endings, not at all happy. It did end ok though, after all. Not a book I'd reccomend to anyone.
January 18, 2012
I loved this book. It pulled me in right from the beginning and continued to the end. It is the start of a the Callahan saga. I look forward to the rest of the series and just found out there is a 6th book coming out in March 2012.
April 24, 2008
Beautiful love story!
January 15, 2012
Good story. I like how history is included.
September 20, 2010
I'm positive I've already read this series, but it is still good.
August 2, 2011
It's a good book. Not great, but but good. The Yay for Mormons overtones are a bit strong, but not enough to stop me from enjoying the book.
September 11, 2011
Kindle freebie
Historical saga
Historical saga
February 18, 2012
Good story. Many good and happy experiences - but also some very sad things. I look forward to continuing this series. Good historical fiction - LDS church and American History.
November 17, 2012
I liked the book OK but didn't love it. It seemed to have places when the story stopped and didn't flow, when the author stopped to give an information dump.
December 17, 2016
Anxious to read part 2
December 13, 2010
Really learned alot more about the Irish coming overto the US
Read
August 12, 2018Excellent
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews