Book Review: Irish Meadows by Susan Anne Mason

Irish immigrant James O’Leary has spent his life building Irish Meadows into a thriving horse farm and is not about to let hard economic times threaten its success. He intends for his daughters to marry prosperous men–ones who will secure the family’s rightful place in society, and at the same time, guarantee the future of Irish Meadows. Both girls, however, have different visions for their futures.

Brianna and Colleen O’Leary know their father expects them to marry well. Yet despite his wishes, Brianna, the quieter sister, dreams of attending college. Vivacious Colleen, meanwhile, is happy to marry–as long as her father’s choice meets her exacting standards. When stable hand Gilbert Whelan returns from college and distant family member Rylan Montgomery stops in on his way to the seminary in Boston, the two men quickly complicate everyone’s plans. It will take every ounce of courage for both sisters to follow their hearts. And even if they do, will they inevitably find their dreams too distant to reach?

This book intrigued me from the stunning cover of a young woman with green eyes and red hair. A bit worried reading the first few chapters about two characters who closely resembled Anne and Gilbert, my fears were put to rest as these characters took on different personalities, quirks, and ambitions. One factor that rises above all other books I have read recently that dominated basically the whole plot was character development, and how it transformed the leading people and the plot in general. Readers find themselves tangled in these characters lives, how they think and react towards eachother, their motives, and their realizations at the outcomes. Every fictional person in this story could have been the main character based on their depths, something that is lacking in many novels out there today, and this focus on character development and others helping struggling ones with their past, their present, and their future problems. I adored each character in some way, the quiet ones with insecurities, the restless ones with their need to feel enough, and the helpful ones who can help turn others lives around. Deeply impacted by this clean read, I recommend any historical fiction reader to pick this debut novel up!