The Herring Girl is a complicated family drama of a young woman’s self-determination and a family secret.
#ReadingIrelandMonth26 with @cathy746books
The Herring Girl by Chrissie Walsh
Genre/Categories/Setting: Historical Fiction (1937-1941), Complicated Family Drama, Secrets, Friendship, Slow-burn Romance, Ireland
***This post contains Amazon Affiliate Links
My Summary:
Thanks #NetGalley @BoldwoodBooks for a complimentary eARC of #TheHerringGirl upon my request. All opinions are my own.
Nineteen-year-old Roisin dreams of joining the herring gutter girls. Her family needs the money, and she yearns for independence. At first, her parents forbid her to go, but they finally relent when they realize that their high-spirited, independent daughter will go with or without their blessing. Roisin believes they trust her, but she wonders about the real reason they do not want her to go. Her job is more demanding than she realizes, her landlady is strict, and the landlady’s son, Killian, is glowering, mysterious, and unexpectedly kind. Will she make it as a herring girl? Is there a secret about her family to uncover? Is there a possible romance brewing with Killian?
My Thoughts:
A Difficult Job
A herring girl is one miserable and dangerous job I KNOW I never want! The author’s vivid descriptions establish a strong sense of place and help us feel the hardships, challenges, and dangers of the job.
Friendship
Do you enjoy themes of women supporting women? The developing friendship among the herring girls is a heartwarming story element. As Roisin forges her own path, faces a challenging job, and works to solve a family mystery, she depends on the support of her friends.
Slow-burn Romance
Fans of slow-burn romance will enjoy the sparks that fly between gruff and kind Killian and optimistic and hard-working Roisin. The real focus of the story is on Roisin and her determination in her job and in her quest to uncover a family secret. The sweet romance is an engaging side.
Ireland
Fans of stories set in Ireland will be interested in the depictions of life there in the early 1940s. If you’re Reading Ireland in March, you might enjoy this compelling story.
Content Consideration: difficult work conditions, bullying
Recommending The Herring Girl:
If you love stories set in Ireland with a strong sense of place, complicated family drama, and themes of determination, resilience, friendship, compassion, reconciliation, forgiveness, and adoption, you will want to add The Herring Girl to your TBR.
Related: For more Irish titles, you might enjoy last year’s post about Reading Ireland
My Rating: 4 Stars
Meet the Author of The Herring Girl, Chrissie Walsh
Chrissie Walsh was born and raised in West Yorkshire and is a retired schoolteacher with a passion for history.
She has written several successful sagas documenting feisty women in challenging times.
QOTD:
Are you reading books set in Ireland or Irish authors for #ReadingIrelandMonth26?
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The herring gutting—yes, sounds awful and cold—-reminded me of a series I stumbled on, called The Hardacres, I found it on Britbox, thru Amazon Prime. Set in the 1890s in a coastal town in northern England, where most of the women worked gutting herring, it’s a fun, clean, wholesome drama. Only one season so far, and I heartily recommend it to all!
Interesting! Thanks for the rec!