The Irish Milliner
The Making of an Irish-American Woman in 19th Century New York;
The Continuing Story of Norah McCabe
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"filled with so much intrigue, mystery, and beauty, that you'll cling to every word" — Feathered Quill Book Reviews |
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"We need to haunt the house of history and listen anew to the ancestors’ wisdom." – Maya Angelou
It is New York City and the Civil War is brewing. Norah McCabe, an Irish immigrant who escaped the Famine as a child, is now a young widow with a daughter. A milliner, struggling to survive in tumultuous times, Norah meets Abraham Lincoln, befriends the extraordinary African-American woman Elizabeth Jennings, and assists the Underground Railroad creating hats for runaway slaves. She falls headlong in love with Edward M. Knox, son of the famous hat-maker Charles Knox, but he is lace curtain Irish and she is shanty Irish. Edward joins the 69th regiment and leaves for battle. Can their love endure through class differences and war? And then Norah is thrust into the chaos of the Draft Riots. Norah's childhood sweetheart, Sean O'Connolly, leaves New York to avoid conscription and Norah misses both men. She eventually travels to Gettysburg as a journalist for the Irish-American newspaper. And it is on the ghostly, but reverent, fields of Gettysburg Norah McCabe remembers the Famine fields of Ireland and is transformed. But now where will Norah find her home? This is a story of survival, intrigue, romance, as well as exploring the conflict of Irish immigrants thrust into a war that threatened to destroy a nation. Mostly, it is about an Irish-American woman who could be any immigrant today, any woman today, seeking to create beauty and make sense of her life. |
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"Cometh the hour, cometh the book. The Irish Milliner spans centuries to bring a topic as old as yesterday, as timely as to-morrow to our attention—emigration. Neale's work, written with love and insight, reminds us that our neighbor is all mankind." — Tim Pat Coogan, Irish broadcaster, journalist, writer and author of 1916 The Easter Rising, Michael Collins and The Famine Plot
"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." — Feathered Quill Book Reviews
"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 Galway Boy, Irish Above All, and Of Irish Blood
"The Irish Milliner is a finely-crafted novel and powerful story of a woman caught in the social and political backwash of a rapidly-changing country that will shape her and her family’s lives forever. Norah McCabe is an unforgettable Irish-American woman who is spirited and imbued with a remarkable sense of independence and self- will, of steely courage and a burning desire for justice and human rights for all—black or white, slave or freeman. Above all, it is her unshakable and buoyant spirit that shines through these pages. It is a story that stays with you long after you put the book down." — PJ Curtis, A Nightingale Falling, now an Irish feature film
"Cynthia Neale's beautifully written, well researched novel is a gift for our times. To witness the immigrant experience at a tumultuous period in our history through the eyes of the Irish Milliner and Norah McCabe softens the heart, expands the mind, and drives home once again Burke's quote, 'Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it.'" — Joanna Rush, actor, playwright, author of Asking For It (Kick!)
"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." — Feathered Quill Book Reviews
"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 Galway Boy, Irish Above All, and Of Irish Blood
"The Irish Milliner is a finely-crafted novel and powerful story of a woman caught in the social and political backwash of a rapidly-changing country that will shape her and her family’s lives forever. Norah McCabe is an unforgettable Irish-American woman who is spirited and imbued with a remarkable sense of independence and self- will, of steely courage and a burning desire for justice and human rights for all—black or white, slave or freeman. Above all, it is her unshakable and buoyant spirit that shines through these pages. It is a story that stays with you long after you put the book down." — PJ Curtis, A Nightingale Falling, now an Irish feature film
"Cynthia Neale's beautifully written, well researched novel is a gift for our times. To witness the immigrant experience at a tumultuous period in our history through the eyes of the Irish Milliner and Norah McCabe softens the heart, expands the mind, and drives home once again Burke's quote, 'Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it.'" — Joanna Rush, actor, playwright, author of Asking For It (Kick!)