The Boatman's Wife By Noelle Harrison - Review

Books

*AD-Gifted – A copy of The Boatman’s Wife was kindly gifted in exchange for this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Affiliate links are marked with a *

Here I am with my first book review and blog tour for 2021 and I must say it’s a fantastic read to start off the year. *The Boatman’s Wife by Noelle Harrison is an emotional page-turner for sure.

The Boatman's Wife By Noelle Harrison - Review

Book Description

There was some dark secret in this western edge of Ireland that her husband never wanted her to find out. She might never be able to lay his body to rest, but she could gain some kind of closure by finding out who the man she married was.

When Lily married her soulmate Connor, buffeted by the sea spray and wild winds of her coastal homeland in Maine, she never imagined she’d be planning his memorial just three years later. Connor has been lost at sea in the bleak stormy Atlantic, leaving Lily heartbroken.

But as she prepares to say goodbye to Connor for the last time, she is shocked to discover a message to him that he never told her about:

Does your wife know who you really are, Connor Fitzgerald? Don’t ever think you can come home. Because if you do, I swear I’ll kill you.

Unable to bear living in the home she and Connor shared, Lily decides to find out her husband’s secret. She flies to Connor’s home town of Mullaghmore on the west coast of Ireland, a harbour town hugged by golden beaches and emerald-green fields. But when doors are slammed in her face, she begins to realise that she knows nothing about her husband’s past.

Connor’s grandmother, a hermit living on the cliffs of the wild Atlantic, must know the truth about her grandson. But when Lily tries to find her, threatening notes are pushed through her door warning her not to stay. Will Lily leave the darkness of the past where it belongs? Or will she risk everything to find out the truth about the man she married…

A completely heart-breaking story about the lies we tell to protect the ones we love. Fans of The Light Between Oceans, Lisa Wingate and Susanne O’Leary will lose their hearts to The Boatman’s Wife.

What I Thought

You know when you read a book and it leaves you in an emotional state? The Boatman’s Wife did this to me. The author takes you on a heartbreaking story from Maine to the West coast of Ireland that you can’t put down. I was reading it on the Kindle app on my phone every spare second I got until I finished it! Just to let you know the story is told in a dual format from two badass women in different decades who have ties that you can’t imagine.

The story begins with Lily, in 2017 heartbroken that her beloved Connor is lost in a storm at sea. She blames her dad who was in charge on the fishing boat and finds it hard to forgive him for making her a widow at such a young age in her 20’s. Devastated by grief she begins to hunt for information on his Irish family to let them know what’s happened. Then she finds a strange and threatening email to him warning never to come home to Ireland. Of course strong willed Lily won’t let this lie and sets off to Ireland to find out the truth. She’s met with hostility and told to go home. Eventually she finds out the truth and is more brokenhearted than ever.

The other story line playing out alongside Lily’s is of Niamh’s in the early 1990’s. Niamh’s story is set in Ireland. She falls in love with American Jesse a gorgeous boat builder who is only here for the Summer. Her cousin Brendan isn’t happy about this due to the secrets they are hiding.

I’m in awe of this compelling powerful story. The lead characters tug your emotions all over the place, a beautiful setting told so vividly you will believe you are right there by the water or deep inside the Irish countryside. A magnificent 5 star read for me!

Thanks to Bookoutre and Netgalley for the advance copy.

Where Can I Buy The Book?

*Amazon: https://amzn.to/3nV4jvH

Author Bio – Noelle Harrison

I’m an Irish author who’s been writing novels and plays for nearly thirty years. My first novel, Beatrice was published in August 2004 which was a bestseller in Ireland. This was followed by A Small Part Of me in 2005, I Remember in 2008, The Adulteress in 2010, The Secret Loves of Julia in 2012, The Gravity of Love in 2018, and The Island Girls in 2020.

My books have been published in over 12 different countries.
I am also published under the pen name Evie Blake and my Valentina Trilogy hit the Der Spiegel Bestseller List in 2013.
In 2014 I was one of 56 Irish Writers included in the anthology and exhibition Lines of Vision Irish Writers on Art at the National Gallery of Ireland, and published by Thames & Hudson.

I have also written five plays – Northern Landscapes, Black Virgin, Runaway Wife, The Good Sister, and Witches’ Gets, which featured in Cymera and Audacious Women Festivals in Edinburgh to sell out houses.

I currently live in Edinburgh in Scotland, and I am one of the founders of Aurora Writers’ Retreats, and part of the wellness hub The Space To BE.

If you like stories written from the heart, historical with contemporary timeslip, family mysteries and secrets and always always a love story set against evocative landscapes from all over the world, you might like to pick up one of my books. My aim is to tell women’s stories from the past and present and to give voice to those who are rarely heard.