This book ties in several main themes. It is a story about the immigration of Greta and Johanna Cahill, and their friend Michael Ward, from Ireland to America. Johanna and Greta grew up in an isolated region of Ireland. Johanna was always the leader and Greta was more of an awkward dreamer. Michael is a “tinker” a part of a family who travels around Ireland with no real routes. His mother dies in a field near the Cahill’s home and when Michael decides to put down roots he is drawn back to the place where his mother was buried.
Johanna wants to explore and convinces Michael to go to America with her. Johanna’s mother decides that Greta will go with them. They take a boat to New York and soon are living a new life. Greta is unexpectedly thriving in a new place. Johanna gets pregnant with Michael’s baby and soon after having the baby decides to leave, leaving her baby in care of Greta. Greta and Michael become partners, a team, raising the baby as there own and falling in love themselves. They have more children and weather through many years together, both good and bad.
Johanna comes back into contact with them and it is a dividing decision that Greta has made to never tell her daughter that Johanna was her birth mother. This keeps the sisters and the family apart for many years, eating at a relationship that was once very strong. This book has a nice resolution in the end and I felt like it was a good easy read. The characters were well developed and the relationships were strong.
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