“A River in the Trees” by Jacqueline O’Mahony is the June 2022 selection for the IrishCentral Book Club.
Each month, we will pick a new Irish book or a great book by an Irish author and celebrate the amazing ability of the Irish to tell a good story for the IrishCentral Book Club.
Throughout June, we’ll be reading “A River in the Trees” by Irish author Jacqueline O’Mahony, published by Riverrun, an imprint of Quercus Books in 2019. O'Mahony was named Young Irish Writer of the Year by the Irish Examiner when she was 14.
Very happy publication day to the wonderful @jacomahony ??? A River in the Trees is a sweeping novel of love, loss, family and history and it will absolutely whisk you away! ? Out today from @riverrunbooks ? pic.twitter.com/LNiLdNXqW3
— Quercus Books (@QuercusBooks) January 10, 2019
Synopsis for “A River in the Trees” by Jacqueline O’Mahony
Two women. Two stories. One hundred years of secrets.
1919
Ireland is about to be torn apart by the War of Independence. Hannah O’Donovan helps her father hide rebel soldiers in the attic, putting her family in great danger from the British soldiers who roam the countryside. An immediate connection between Hannah and O’Riada, the leader of this hidden band of rebels, will change her life and that of her family forever ...
2019
Ellen is at a crossroads: her marriage is in trouble, her career is over and she’s grieving the loss of a baby. After years in London, she decides to come home to Ireland to face the things she’s tried so hard to escape. Reaching into the past, she feels a connection to her ancestor, the mysterious Hannah O’Donovan. But why won’t anyone in her family talk about Hannah? And how can this journey help Ellen put her life back together?
Reviews for “A River in the Trees” by Jacqueline O’Mahony
"A gripping novel about two women, their desires and frustrations, about the wars they find themselves fighting . . . a thrill to discover" - Belinda McKeon
"A fierce, beautifully written story" - Louise O’Neill
"The writing is eloquent and accomplished weaving together the lives of these women in trauma." - Anne Griffin, author of When All Is Said
"Excellent . . . O'Mahony's writing is beautiful and this unsentimental, intelligent book is highly recommended." - Antonia Senior, The Times
"A story about family secrets and lies regarding the War of Independence and one mysterious woman's involvement" - Sunday Independent
"A thrilling, thoughtful, passionate novel full of rich Irish atmosphere" - Wendy Holden, Daily Mail
About Jacqueline O’Mahony
Jacqueline O’Mahony is from, Cork, Ireland. She did her BA at University College Cork, her MA at the University of Bologna, and her PhD in History as a Fulbright Scholar at Duke University, and at Boston College. She has worked as a writer, editor, and stylist at Tatler, Vogue, and the Irish Independent. She lives in Notting Hill with her husband and three young children.
You can follow Jacqueline O'Mahony on Twitter here.
(Synopsis, reviews, and bio provided by Riverrun.)
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