An Irish mother must flee her beloved homeland for a new life in
America, in the "gripping" second novel of the acclaimed historical
trilogy (Publishers Weekly).
Forced to flee Ireland, Gracelin O'Malley boards a coffin ship bound for
America, taking her young daughter with her on the arduous transatlantic
voyage. In New York, Gracelin struggles to adapt to a strange new world
and to the harsh realities of immigrant life in a city teeming with
crime, corruption, and anti-Irish prejudice. As she tries to make a life
for herself and her daughter, she reunites with her brother, Sean . . .
and a man she thought she'd never see again. When her friendship with a
runaway slave sweeps her into the volatile abolitionist movement,
Gracelin gains entrée to the drawing rooms of the wealthy and powerful.
Still, the injustice all around her threatens the future of those she
loves, and once again, she must do the unthinkable.
This sweeping novel of the Irish immigrant experience in 1840s America
brings a long-ago world to vibrant life and continues a remarkable
heroine's bold, dramatic journey through extraordinary times.