Fiction
1999 Harper
Finished on August 18, 2001
Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)
Publisher's Blurb:
From the author of the critically acclaimed novel A Brother's Blood, comes a haunting story about an Irish housekeeper who must discover the truth when her friend, the parish priest, is accused of horrible crimes.Maggie Quinn has had her share of misfortune: Having grown up poor and fatherless in Galway, she was forced to quit school early and find work to support her ailing mother and her own child. But when a tragedy of her own making strikes, it is too much for her to bear. Plagued by feelings of guilt and sorrow and by losing her faith in God, she runs from her past; first by fleeing Ireland for America and later by drowning her sorrows with the bottle. Maggie hits rock bottom when she makes an unsuccessful suicide attempt. While recuperating in a hospital bed, she meets the remarkable Father Jack Devlin. With his compassion and love, Maggie once more finds her faith and a reason to live.
For the past eighteen years, Maggie has devoted herself to the man who saved her life. But now Father Jack, the beloved if controversial priest in the small town of Hebron Falls, Massachusetts, is accused of having done terrible things to altar boys many years before. At first Maggie is convinced that the accusations are only lies brought out by Father Jack's enemies. Yet as she sifts through the memories of her life with Father Jack, doubts begin to emerge: Could she have been blind to a darker side of her friend all these years? And when new information surfaces regarding the unsolved murder of a young altar boy with possible links to Father Jack, her faith is once again put to the test. Maggie must search her memory and her heart to help her decide what to believe. The Blind Side of the Heart poignantly captures one woman's struggle to remain loyal to a friend while at the same time she is forced to examine her conscience to arrive at the truth.
My Original Thoughts (2001):
I can't believe it took me so long to finish reading this book, but I had a lot of distractions in the first week or so, and I didn't devote a lot of time to reading. Once I got further into the story, I didn't want to put it down. It's quite a page-turner. I was a little disappointed with the ending, though. There are a lot of unanswered questions. Good mystery! I'm eager to read more by this author.
My Current Thoughts:
I remember enjoying this mystery, but never did go on to read more by the author. Since I enjoy historical novels set during WWII, I've added A Brother's Blood to my library list.
Good luck with transferrring your journal to the blog. A true labor of book love, smile.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Harvee. I began this endeavor at the beginning of 2016, starting with my reading journal for 1996. I have since posted entries up to mid-2001 (almost six year's worth of journal entries!). It's been fun, and I enjoy being able to access those books "reviews" much more quickly than thumbing through dozens of book journals.
DeleteI wonder that about myself: I read a book that is really good, swear I am going to read another book by the author then don't. I should go back and find authors that I enjoyed and look up their more recent books.
ReplyDeleteHelen, I'm tempted to start making a list of those authors that I want to read more of. Of course, I already have plenty of backlist titles waiting to be read from my current shelves, so I really should focus on those first!
DeleteWhat a coincidence! This author and his wife are our newest CT friends. We had dinner with them last month and will see them again when we get back, so I plan to read at least one of his books before summer. This sounds good and is available at my library. I also just downloaded the kindle version of A Brother's Blood. It features a POW camp in Maine that was a potato farm. That somehow came up in a conversation about novel research, which lead us to talk about Elizabeth Strout. William's (Lucy's first husband's) German father was also a POW at the Maine potato farm. Small world.
ReplyDeleteWow! That is an amazing coincidence. And how fun to know a published author! You'll have to let me know what you think of A Brother's Blood.
DeleteI think we've all done this right? Really loved a book and somehow haven't read another. I don't recall hearing about this book before but it sounds like it would be quite sad but well worth a read.
ReplyDeleteIliana, I should compile a list of authors that I read once and had great intentions of reading more of their books, but never did. Maybe that will inspire me to return to their works.
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