Star of the Sea
By Joseph O'Connor
(Mariner Books, Paperback, 9780156029667, 432pp.)
Publication Date: March 2004
Other Editions of This Title: Hardcover
Categories: Historical - General, Sea Stories
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In the bitter winter of 1847, from an Ireland torn by famine and injustice, the Star of the Sea sets sail for NewYork. On board are hundreds of refugees, some optimistic, many more desperate. Among them are a maid with a devastating secret, the bankrupt Lord Merridith, his wife and children, and a killer stalking the decks, hungry for the vengeance that will bring absolution.
This journey will see many lives end, others begin anew. Passionate loves are tenderly recalled, shirked responsibilities regretted too late, and profound relationships shockingly revealed. In this spellbinding tale of tragedy and mercy, love and healing, the farther the ship sails toward the Promised Land, the more her passengers seem moored to a past that will never let them go.
As urgently contemporary as it is historical, this exciting and compassionate novel builds with the pace of a thriller to a stunning conclusion.
Joseph O'Connor is the author of several widely acclaimed novels, including Cowboys & Indians, Desperadoes, and The Salesman. He has also written criticism, plays, and screenplays, and edited Yeats Is Dead! He lives in Dublin.
PRAISE FOR STAR OF THE SEA
“A brave and artful novel.”—THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
“In Star of the Sea, O’Connor has written not only an epic novel, but also a very important one. By deconstructing the most defining moment of Irish history, and breaking down its essential components, he has given a face and a voice to the million who died.”
—IRISH ECHO
“Along the way O’Connor even brings in a thoroughly gripping murder mystery that is all the more affecting for the depth he gives his characters. They add up to a powerfully symbolic microcosm of the time. Bottom Line: Shining Star.”—PEOPLE
By deconstructing the most defining moment of Irish history, and breaking down its essential components, he has given a face and a voice to the million who died.
A powerfully symbolic microcosm of the time. Bottom Line: Shining Star
A brave and artful novel.
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