Journal Entry 1 by laura0141 from Glasgow, Scotland United Kingdom on Monday, June 11, 2007

The Back of the Book
In the bitter winter of 1847, from an Ireland torn by injustice and natural disaster, the Star of the Sea sets sail for New York.

On board are hundreds of fleeing refugees. Among them are a maidservant with a devastating secret, bankrupt Lord Merridith and his family, an aspiring novelist, a maker of revolutionary ballads, all braving the Atlantic in search of a new home. All are connected more deeply than they can possibly know. But a camouflaged killer is stalking the decks, hungry for the vengeance that will bring absolution.

The twenty-six-day journey will see many lives end, others begin afresh. In a spellbinding story of tragedy and healing, the further the ship sails towards the Promised Land, the more her passengers seem moored to a past which will never let them go.

Journal Entry 2 by laura0141 from Glasgow, Scotland United Kingdom on Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Reserved for Cassiopaeia 

Journal Entry 3 by laura0141 from Glasgow, Scotland United Kingdom on Monday, August 06, 2007

On way to cassiopaeia 

Journal Entry 4 by Cassiopaeia from Cardiff, Wales United Kingdom on Monday, August 13, 2007

Many thanks laura0141, Star of the Sea arrived safely. Will need to keep this copy for a while but it will be released again to continue its journey.

I really enjoyed the layout and style of this novel. The use of the ship’s log kept the story moving and gave an excellent feeling of the progression of the journey, the prevailing weather conditions as well as the constant and devastating loss of life amongst the steerage passengers on board.

The writer has covered a lot of ground and used his research to really good effect: the characters are varied and interesting, their background details convey much about the social situations of the time. We see life in famine torn Connamara, get some idea of the horrendous conditions on the coffin ships, we glimpse the lives of the Anglo-Irish gentry and their families and in many ways worst of all, the horrendous conditions awaiting the emigrants on arrival in the new world. The many illustrations and quotations also help to give the whole a great sense of authenticity. O’Connor has written an excellent book which informs and intrigues us at the same time
 

Journal Entry 5 by LastEdition on Monday, April 21, 2008

Not that I really need more books .. and I had promised myself not to come back with any books .. I fell by the wayside and this is just one of many that found its way to my holdall .. also many people said to me it is a great read .. so, how could I not take it with me?

Thank you for bringing it, Cassiopaeia!