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A River in the Trees cover art

A River in the Trees

By: Jacqueline O'Mahony
Narrated by: Grainne Gillis
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Summary

Two women. 

Two stories.

One hundred years of secrets.

A sweeping novel of love, loss, family and history for readers who love Maggie O'Farrell, John Boyne and Donal Ryan 

1919

Ireland is about to be torn apart by the War of Independence.

Hannah O'Donovan helps her father hide rebel soldiers in the attic, putting her family in great danger from the British soldiers who roam the countryside. An immediate connection between Hannah and O'Riada, the leader of this hidden band of rebels, will change her life and that of her family forever . . . 

2019

Ellen is at a crossroads: her marriage is in trouble, her career is over and she's grieving the loss of a baby. After years in London, she decides to come home to Ireland to face the things she's tried so hard to escape. Reaching into the past, she feels a connection to her ancestor, the mysterious Hannah O'Donovan. But why won't anyone in her family talk about Hannah? And how can this journey help Ellen put her life back together?

©2019 Jacqueline O'Mahony (P)2019 Quercus Editions Limited

Critic reviews

Excellent . . . O'Mahony's writing is beautiful and this unsentimental, intelligent book is highly recommended. (Antonia Senior)
A thrilling, thoughtful, passionate novel full of rich Irish atmosphere (Wendy Holden)

What listeners say about A River in the Trees

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Took some time to get into it but worth it.

I gave up listening to this book as some of the narration I found really annoying, calling the father dada and some of the accents nearly drove me mad. I went back to it at a later stage and started to get interested in the story. Maybe if I had read the book, I would have enjoyed it more.

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A Beautifully narrated compelling story.

This story powerfully evokes the lives of two women and the communities they lived in.

Hannah lives in rural poverty, in a land dominated by priests and nuns, among people who dreaded shame almost more than anything. Subject to the harsh, exploitative English regime, Hannah's story takes place during the liberation from English rule.

Ellen, of rural Irish heritage, has lived in America and now lives in London. Her story is set after the economic transformation of Ireland and after the disintegration of the authority of the church.

What both women have in common is that they are strong-spirited and independent minded, and both suffer terrible personal loss.

The softer more musical Irish voices and the hard cut-glass tones of the English voices are beautifully crafted by Grainne Gillis.
The author's language is poetic, dramatic and concise. This is a powerful and economically delivered story
When listening I had to take a rest every now and then as I found it very affecting emotionally.

A wonderful book.
Thank you, Jacqueline O'Mahony and Grainne Gillis

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