Norah
The Making of an Irish-American Woman in 19th-Century New York
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"A page-turner, a provocative rendering of immigrant life" — Mary Donnarumma Sharnick |
A corset of pink Jaquard silk trimmed with pink plush encircles Norah McCabe's small waist as she strides delicately through the squalor of Five Points, New York. A rotting horse carcass, odors emanating from a heap of animal entrails outside a butcher shop, a clam seller's raucous cries, and a rag picker's greedy hands clutching for a piece of her yellow silk dress embossed with elaborate brown velvet, does not deter Norah. She is on her way . . . on her way to success. Norah McCabe defies the roles and limitations of her race and gender, throwing off the washer woman domestic's apron to become someone as worthy as any Yankee Protestant woman. She tenaciously spins her sorrows into gold while the threads of her life shred, break, and become lost in the fabric of the complex, mysterious creature of pre-Civil War New York City.
Scant historical attention has narrowly defined the Irish immigrant woman. And yet the rate of economic and social progress of Irish women far exceeded other immigrant women ethnicities. Norah McCabe heartbreakingly and quixotically stumbles and falls into her real self in this coming-of-age, adventurous, romantic, historical novel. When she strives to strip herself of her impoverished past through such manifold schemes as buying her own used clothing store, ‘A Bee in Your Bonnet,’ and promenading in Paris finery, she experiences corruption, exploitation, and enchantment in a city that is forever mythic and magical. Norah McCabe joins a rebel Irish organization to free Ireland from British rule, writes for an Irish newspaper, undergoes love’s transformation, and suffers a ship wreck. She seeks to understand the feminist movement, but ultimately is unable to cross the chasm between herself as an Irish immigrant woman and Protestant feminist ideology. The terrors and questions of life strike her down with mental incapacity and loss. Her solitary freedom is the colorful warp and weft in the fabric of who she has become—an Irish-American woman.
Scant historical attention has narrowly defined the Irish immigrant woman. And yet the rate of economic and social progress of Irish women far exceeded other immigrant women ethnicities. Norah McCabe heartbreakingly and quixotically stumbles and falls into her real self in this coming-of-age, adventurous, romantic, historical novel. When she strives to strip herself of her impoverished past through such manifold schemes as buying her own used clothing store, ‘A Bee in Your Bonnet,’ and promenading in Paris finery, she experiences corruption, exploitation, and enchantment in a city that is forever mythic and magical. Norah McCabe joins a rebel Irish organization to free Ireland from British rule, writes for an Irish newspaper, undergoes love’s transformation, and suffers a ship wreck. She seeks to understand the feminist movement, but ultimately is unable to cross the chasm between herself as an Irish immigrant woman and Protestant feminist ideology. The terrors and questions of life strike her down with mental incapacity and loss. Her solitary freedom is the colorful warp and weft in the fabric of who she has become—an Irish-American woman.
"This is not a tame, peaceful read. Although there are certainly beautiful scenes of corseted females in their finery traversing the streets of New York City, those same streets are also filled with vicious, violent people desperately trying to feed their families. Norah's life is upsetting in many ways and the twists and turns that happen to her do, indeed, include angry people who are truly out for themselves. However, this story is filled with so much intrigue, mystery, and beauty, that you'll cling to every word while watching Norah grow into a strong, courageous, and brilliant woman, who ends up truly proud of her Irish blood." — Review, Feathered Quill
"Make no mistake, Norah McCabe is worthy of a reader’s attention in Neale’s deftly rendered novel that bears its heroine’s name. A page-turner, a provocative rendering of immigrant life, and a paean to the Ireland Neale clearly loves, the novel will certainly enhance your bookshelf as it has mine." — Mary Donnarumma Sharnick, author of Thirst and Plagued, historical fiction set in Venice
"While Norah is the main focus of this tale, there are many twists and turns that keep the reader turning the pages. There is deception, murder, mystery and a bit of romance. Cynthia G. Neale is a master at characterization. I felt as if I knew Norah personally. I cheered for her as she came to respect her heritage. If I could give this book higher than 5 stars I would. This is an excellent read that you won’t want to miss." — Review, Readers' Favorite
"In her exciting historical novel, Norah, Cynthia G. Neale shows us 19th-century New York through the eyes of an Irish-American woman and thus gives us new insights into this tumultuous time. We see Norah McCabe making her way against all odds. A memorable journey!" — Mary Pat Kelly, author of the best-selling novel, Galway Bay and In Irish Blood
"If you're of Irish stock, and wonder how your mother or grandmother got to be so tough and resilient, you'll find her precursor in the title character. But of course, you don't have to be Irish to appreciate Norah McCabe. Hers is an American story of self-creation through sheer grit and imagination. This historical novel paints an authentic and compelling picture of what it means to be young, poor, and female longing for a better life in 1850s New York City—a place teeming with Irish immigrants, beset by gangs, challenged by feminists and abolitionists, and imbued with the vibrancy of a young nation seeking its potential . . . You'll root for Norah as [she] embarks on a dramatic journey to achieve a hard-won identity as a self-sufficient Irish-American woman in a turbulent time. She is the type of woman in whom you just might recognize your own mother, grandmother, and quite possibly, yourself." — Nancy Kelley, author of The Whispering Rod
"Make no mistake, Norah McCabe is worthy of a reader’s attention in Neale’s deftly rendered novel that bears its heroine’s name. A page-turner, a provocative rendering of immigrant life, and a paean to the Ireland Neale clearly loves, the novel will certainly enhance your bookshelf as it has mine." — Mary Donnarumma Sharnick, author of Thirst and Plagued, historical fiction set in Venice
"While Norah is the main focus of this tale, there are many twists and turns that keep the reader turning the pages. There is deception, murder, mystery and a bit of romance. Cynthia G. Neale is a master at characterization. I felt as if I knew Norah personally. I cheered for her as she came to respect her heritage. If I could give this book higher than 5 stars I would. This is an excellent read that you won’t want to miss." — Review, Readers' Favorite
"In her exciting historical novel, Norah, Cynthia G. Neale shows us 19th-century New York through the eyes of an Irish-American woman and thus gives us new insights into this tumultuous time. We see Norah McCabe making her way against all odds. A memorable journey!" — Mary Pat Kelly, author of the best-selling novel, Galway Bay and In Irish Blood
"If you're of Irish stock, and wonder how your mother or grandmother got to be so tough and resilient, you'll find her precursor in the title character. But of course, you don't have to be Irish to appreciate Norah McCabe. Hers is an American story of self-creation through sheer grit and imagination. This historical novel paints an authentic and compelling picture of what it means to be young, poor, and female longing for a better life in 1850s New York City—a place teeming with Irish immigrants, beset by gangs, challenged by feminists and abolitionists, and imbued with the vibrancy of a young nation seeking its potential . . . You'll root for Norah as [she] embarks on a dramatic journey to achieve a hard-won identity as a self-sufficient Irish-American woman in a turbulent time. She is the type of woman in whom you just might recognize your own mother, grandmother, and quite possibly, yourself." — Nancy Kelley, author of The Whispering Rod
"It became clear that much had conspired to bring her to this place, but that it was not just the place and event that she had been brought to. Revelation came to her that she, Norah McCabe, would live and not just live, but live like she had always wanted to live and had not known how."