You'll like this if you like historical fiction set in the years before WWI- and this one has a terrific Irish setting as well. I loved the details of Rosie's life and how Falvey gave us insight into the fate of girls in Ireland during this period. Victoria is also highly sympathetic (this could jade gone wrong but it didn't). Falvey has good old fashioned story telling skills- especially important since this is a theme we've often seen (think Upstairs/Downstairs or Downtown Abbey). Thanks to netgalley for the ARC- I very much enjoyed this and think you will too.

Downton Abbey.

Got your attention, didn't I? Yep. If you loved Downton Abbey as much as I did, you have to read this book.

I picked this book up because I loved the cover (yes, I am that girl) and because the blurb sounded pretty intriguing. I figured that this would be a book that I enjoy. What I didn't count on, was it becoming one of my new favorites. What a gloriously written book!

The book begins with an introduction to the Killeen family. John, the father, is a poor farmer who rents farmland from Lord Ennis, the head of Ennismore; a.k.a "The Big House." All of John's daughters work at Ennismore once they are of age, and Rosie Killeen is no different, heading to The Big House at 8 years old to work in the kitchen. She is not there long, however, when she meets the young Victoria Bell, daughter of Lord Ennis. Victoria takes an instant liking to Rosie, and talks her father into allowing Rosie to be her friend. What follows is a deep and abiding friendship, that takes the girls from their childhood, to young adulthood, through tragedy and the Uprising of 1916 in Dublin, Ireland. And through all of it, we are afforded the privilege of getting to know the servants of Ennismore, who are so easy to love. (And to loathe, a bit, in one or two cases.)

I read a few reviews that shed a negative light on Rosie Killeen. I loved Rosie. To be bluntly honest, unless you've been poor or endured hard times, you truly can't understand where Rosie's bitterness comes from. She was a survivor. She was a "peasant" that was used and cast-aside by the gentry. And while she worked her fingers to the bone for barely any pay, the gentry never lifted a finger and had more wealth than they knew what to do with. I felt her pride, her defeat and her stubbornness very keenly. (But I do wish she'd stopped pushing Valentine away!)

Victoria, on the other hand, drove me nuts. At first, anyway. She was so privileged and clueless and spoiled. It wasn't until she came face-to-face with the real world during the Uprising that she began to change, and I began to enjoy her somewhat. By the end of the book, I was cheering her on.

Bottom Line: This book is a heavy-hitter and absolutely a must-have. The characters, the storyline, the history and the way that Patricia Falvey puts you smack-dab in the middle of the scene is utterly refreshing.

This book was amazing. I loved the world and the characters and their development.

loved this story...looking forward to reading more from ms falvey.

This is a story of a friendship between two Irish girls of very different backgrounds in the early 1900’s. Rosie Killeen is a country girl that is brought to the “Big House” at Ennismore to be educated with Victoria Bell, the Lord and Lady Ennis’ daughter. Victoria had begged her father for a companion, and Rosie was chosen. As the girls get older, their social situations start to pull them apart. Victoria heads to Dublin for her season. Rosie is stuck between the two worlds of the aristocracy and the servants, but soon finds herself working to support her family.

A few years later, the Great War comes and a rebellion is starting in Ireland. Once again, Rose and Victoria find themselves on opposite sides. They both have to decide where they will stand, no matter what it costs themselves or their families. This is an epic story that has a Downton Abbey feel to it.

I really enjoyed immersing myself into this period novel. I don’t recall reading a historical piece before that was set in Ireland and involved the issue of the rebellion. There were so many sides to the social issues and this book brought most of them out. You were able to identify with so many points of view. What I personally enjoyed is, by the end of the book, the children that grew up together had to decide to live life in a changing world. How their decisions changed their family is fascinating. I read that the author was born and raised in Ireland, and the love of that country is very apparent while reading this work. She has several other novels both set in Ireland during this timeframe, and I plan on picking these up. Four and one/half stars…


Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

The Girls of Ennismore by Patricia Falvey is set in Ireland in June of 1900. Rosie Killeen is eight years old and is earning a little extra money by helping at the Ennis estate or as the locals call it the “big house”. Queen Victoria will be stopping at the house and extra help is needed in the kitchen. On the way home, Rosie encounters Victoria Bell (7 years old) who needs some assistance. Victoria is the daughter of Lord and Lady Ennis. After helping Victoria, Rosie heads home. Rosie is unaware of it, but this accidental meeting will forever change her life. Victoria is greatly impressed by Rosie and asks her Father to let her take lessons with her. Victoria is lonely and would love to have a friend. Against Lady Althea Ennis’ protests, Lord Edward Ennis agrees to the arrangement. This is a great opportunity for Rosie, but one she does not want. Rosie soon joins Victoria at the big house for lessons with Lady Louisa, the girl’s’ tutor. Lady Louisa resents being forced to teach Rosie and sets out to make it miserable for her. Over the years, the girls grow closer. But when Victoria heads off for her first season in Dublin, these two young women are head off on separate paths. Rosie, though, is in an unusual position. She is not gentry, but she has the education. She is not a servant, but her family is poor. Rosie is caught between these two very different worlds and does not know where she belongs. It is especially difficult that she is attracted to Valentine Bell, Victoria’s brother. Rosie is not considered a suitable mate for Valentine. Rosie must find a way to earn money for her family and find her place in the world during these tumultuous times in Ireland. The Home Rule (who are fighting for Irish independence) is gaining popularity in Ireland and the first World War is starting to break out in Europe. To find out what happens to Rosie and Victoria, you need to read The Girls of Ennismore.

The Girls of Ennismore is nicely written, had a good pace, and was easy to read. I found the book to be engaging. My interest was captured and held throughout the story. The author did a great job at bringing this period of time to life for me. I appreciated the setting of Ireland. So many novels have been set in England, so this was a nice change of pace. The Girls of Ennismore reminds me of Upstairs Downstairs (the show), A Woman of Substance (the book by Barbara Taylor Bradford) and Downton Abbey (you will think of Branson when reading this book). I give The Girls of Ennismore 4 out of 5 stars. There were a couple of slow sections, but they were minimal. Rosie attitude was challenging as she got older (in other words, she annoyed me), but it was understandable (most of the time). I was happy to see her character develop emotionally as she got older. The ending is so sweet. I am definitely checking out Patricia Falvey’s other novels.

I received this ARC from netgalley.com in exchange for a review.

Victoria is the landowners daughter who sees Rosie as her only friend. Rosie is a poor farmers daughter deigned to serve the landowners. Set in 1900's Ireland, the story follows Rosie and Victoria through turbulent political times in Irish history, social correctness, the Titanic and union politics in the states.

Although the writing was good and the topic(s) interesting enough the story was predictable, the book got a bit long in the tooth and could have been several chapters shorter.

3☆

Spanning several years that were, in retrospect, fairly crucial to the changes happening in the world, and more specifically in Ireland, both for women and the country that has struggled with its own identity and rule years. Mixing the two main characters from disparate situations, we have Rosie, a local child most decidedly not born to the finer things and Victoria, daughter of the Lord of the ‘big house’. Laden with the dynamics of class, power and expectations, the story is rich with description, setting the scene in ways that readers can instantly connect. More striking is the ease with which Falvey conveys the history and forces that will ultimately come to blows, pitting countrymen against one another in the series of events most commonly referred to as “The Troubles”.

From the start, Rosie is the more accessible and empathetic of the two characters: imagine yourself a child with next to nothing, a father and family who’s every move depends on the Lord of the Manor, and then being brought into a life of luxury beyond expectations. Allowed to join in lessons and play time, influencing her new friend to think for herself, even as the world would seek to silence both their voices. Victoria is a bit harder to suss out, she’s been raised to certain expectations, and even the influence of her bold and often brash friend, her only friend in reality, isn’t necessarily going to cause her to buck convention.

From the two distinct personalities, we get a sense of their growth and changing alliances, from girls to young women, the two provide a more personal, if not always emotionally available approach to the changes that they experience and see as the world around them pushes and struggles to redefine Ireland, what it means to be Irish, and the questions about home rule.

Wonderful prose features descriptions and political views that bring an understanding of the time, and keeps feeding information in tolerable bits, through the character’s understanding and interactions. While I didn’t actually find the romance threads as engaging as the rest of the book, the winner in that contest would have had to have been Victoria and Brandon, bringing the sense of the forbidden in far more palpable ways than did Rosie’s relationship with her brother, Valentine. For me, the story is more memorable for delivery of a story that places these disparate elements into the history, allowing an understanding of the various forces and the uneven distribution of power that led so many to speak, and later, act on their frustrations spurred by the unfairness of it all.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=”http://wp.me/p3OmRo-8UM”> <a> I am, Indeed </a>

A really enjoyable read with wonderful friendships and rich writing.

Characters were not very well developed and I did not like the additional junk that was it in it. Sorely disappointed with this book!

Ireland - 1900

Rosie Killeen, age 8, lives on the Killeen farm near the Ennis Estates. She has come to the Big House on the Ennis Estates to work temporarily in the kitchen. They are scurrying around in preparation for a visit from Queen Victoria. But Rosie is disappointed at the sight of the old, fat Queen dressed in black. Rosie’s sister, Bridie, woks at the Big House and soon Rosie will be working there full time as well.

When out walking one day, Rosie meets Victoria Bell, age 7, who lives at the Ennis House. Victoria wants Rosie to be her friend so her mother reluctantly agrees that Rosie can take lessons with Victoria and her governess. While Victoria can’t wait for Rosie to arrive, Rosie doesn’t want to go. But go she does. Even with the snide comments Rosie gets from the teacher, she excels in reading, learning French, and how to play the piano. More and more she begins to imitate Victoria to become a lady.

Valentine, Victoria’s second oldest brother has not done well at school or any other positions he has tried. But he and Rosie have become good friends.

When it comes time for Victoria’s season in Dublin, her mother refuses to allow Rosie to accompany her. With Victoria gone, Rosie is at loose ends with nothing to do. Her sister is a maid at the Big House but Rosie feels that with her education, that type of work would be beneath her. However, when her sister becomes ill, Rosie has to take her place to make money for her family.

Soon Rosie realizes that the love that she and Valentine now share is not to be and that she will always be just a maid. She then decides it is time to move to Dublin and start a new life there.

The story follows Rosie and Victoria as their lives touch one another over the years and the pain both women face during the difficult time of the Easter Rebellion in Dublin which tore apart so many lives.

This is a long saga about life in Ireland in the early 20th century. It depicts the decline of the aristocracy and the many class changes that took place around the time of World War I.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. The characters are so real and the way the author threaded actual historical events into the story is so very well done. Don’t miss this book.

Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Girls of Ennismore is a historical fiction novel set in Ireland during the early part of the twentieth century. It follows the lives and friendship of two girls, Rosie and Victoria, from the early childhood through to the time they are both young ladies. Rosie comes from a working class family. Victoria's family is both wealthy and titled. A chance meeting between the two young girls leads Victoria to beg her father to allow Rosie to be educated along with her and be a companion to her. The difference in their stations in life leads to complications and divisiveness over time as the girls age.

The Girls of Ennismore not only tells the stories of Rosie and Victoria but sets them against a historical backdrop that includes such events as the sinking of the Titanic and the Easter Rising in Ireland. The author seamlessly weaves these historical elements into an already strong plot. The writing in this novel is very skilled and while the book is long it is so entertaining that I finished it in a weekend because I did not want to put it down. I highly recommend this novel to those who enjoy historical fiction. You will not be disappointed. I look forward to reading more books by this author.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this novel.

Thanks Kensington Books and netgalley for this ARC.

Two girls couldn't be more socially different and love each other more. A recipe for trouble in Ireland. Great historical fiction that will surprise, baffle, and make you cheer the onward.

This book was really intense for me. So much going on here. This book is no lightweight!
This book is based on what the author experienced growing up in Ireland and stories she heard from relatives about working "at the big house". The book takes place in the early 20th century in Ireland. Rosie,crosses the road dividing her poor family's house to join the servants at Ennismore hoping to get a glimpse of Queen Victoria as she visits there. Upon chance she meets the young daughter of the house and helps her out. The daughter, Victoria is so lonely she asks for Rosie to be in the classroom with her to receive an education. Reluctantly her parents agree. This sets into motion a friendship. When Victoria is 16 she is ready for her first season and is sent away for training. For the first time the girls feel the social class differences. These class differences are shown many times during the book. I feel that Victoria and her brother Valentine did stand up to their parents for what they felt was right, most of the time. The parents were so rigid in the beliefs and did not care what their children thought or felt as long as it didn't disgrace them in society. Such a difference in class between the below stairs servants and the lord and lady of the manor. I could really feel for the servants as they were basically ignored and the upper crust of the manor didn't even know their names. Victoria and Valentine are not unfeeling like their parents though and form relationships with the lower class. When Rosie is older she goes out and works to help support her family, which is a good thing. Her sister, Birdie was working in the big house but goes away and gets married to a drinker and lives poorly. There are many tragedies and triumphs here! Changes must be made as the country struggles for Home Rule, the coming of the Great War, and an inevitable Easter rebellion in Dublin all heralding in a new era. This book is absolutely packed with rich historical detail that will have you reading far into the night to finish it.
I absolutely loved this book and will now look into more books by this author.
Pub Date 28 Mar 2017
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for a review copy in exchange for my honest review.

I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley. Going into the story, I highly expected simply a tale of class difference and two girls on the different sides in 20th century Ireland. What I got instead was a much larger story of two women growing through hardships, choices and friendship. Unsurprisingly, between the two girls, I definitely identified more with Rosie, the sharp tongued and stubborn farmer's daughter. Both she and Victoria were the highlights of this novel and both added greatly to the story and what evolved from it. I was pleasantly pleased to also get to see a portrayal of the unrest and the rise of the Irish Republic. Seeing this perspective of history, especially from Dublin and the Easter Rising, was fascinating to me. One of the few issues I had with this book were the chapters that were asides for minor characters. Some of them did add to the story, but others seemed to throw a wrench in the flow of it. 3.5 stars.

Rosie’s life changes when she meets Victoria, cherished daughter of Lord Ennis. Rosie’s father is a tenant farmer on the Ennismore estate, but when his lonely daughter begs him, he allows Rosie to take lessons with her. There is tremendous class consciousness in early 20th century Ireland, and we see the sharp divisions between the servants and the gentry. Later, when the girls, as adults, head (separately) to Dublin, they witness the 1916 Easter Rising, seeing firsthand the anger of a marginalized people. The extensive research that went into writing this novel, along with the unforgettable characters and a page-turning plot, combine to make this one of the best historical novels I have ever read.

I enjoyed reading this book. It was interesting to read about the 1916 Irish uprisings. It was sad that they didn't even have enough weapons to fight and that the uprising only lasted about two days, if that. Then everyone who fought went to jail.

I am still a little perturbed about how Rosie was treated. I understand it to some degree since she came from a poor family, but they educated her and then treated her like a slave and sometimes worse. I really felt sorry for her.

About 1/4 of the way through the book, I had enough of Lady Ennis and I was glad of the way Lord Ennis' sister treated her. She deserved worse. The only thing she was good at was complaining. What a miserable woman.

Which leads me to say I loved the ending and I was glad that I requested the book and got to read it.

Thanks to Kensington Books for approving my request and to Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

This is the story of Victoria and Rosie, who became best friends even though they came from different worlds. Victoria is a member of the gentry and Rosie is a member of the working class. Victoria convinces her father to let Rosie visit the "big house" so she can have a friend. Things are fine until Victoria is old enough for her "coming out." Rosie also develops feelings for Victoria's brother, Valentine. This is the fascinating story of how Victoria and Rosie manage to stay friends. There is a lot of problems along the way, but their strong friendship helps them survive. This book contains everything-history, friendship, love, and a little "Downton Abbey." I loved it! Highly recommend!

It’s 1900 and Rosie Killeen is leaving get family farm in County Mayo, Ireland to become a servant in the country estate of Lord and Lady Ennis. Not even nine years old, Rosie is soon caught up in household preparations for a visit from Queen Victoria. Rosie, who is roughly the same age as Lord and Lady Ennis’s daughter, Victoria, is soon charged with entertaining the lonely little rich girl. She begins talking lessons with Victoria and the two girls become fast friends. But not everyone is happy with the arrangement, and as the girls grow older and Rosie grows close to Victoria’s brother Valentine, her place in the household and in the world is tested. I really enjoyed this book and was couldn’t help but compare it to A Woman of Substance