Ellie Hogan an Irish immigrant is living the American
dream! She's living in peace and comfort on Fire Island,
New York, painting art for the very wealthy. She believes
that her life on Fire Island will last forever, especially
after losing the two men in her life she loved with all of
her heart. Through Ellie's life she has two adopted sons
who are her world, but one day she gets news that her
eldest son Leo has run away to Hollywood to follow his
dreams and she will not break up her family over what she
thinks will be just a short stay, or will it not? When
Ellie realizes she will not return to Fire Island as fast
as she'd hoped for, she has her younger son Tom and her
long time friend Bridie come to the west coast. Bridie is
a
very funny character who is way up in age, but has more
energy then most!
Ellie sets up home in a classy neighborhood among the
celebrities. She also starts a very close friendship with
Stan, also an immigrant, but from Poland. Stan is a famous
composer for the movie film industry and as time passes,
they become very close, but Ellie finds herself pulling
herself back from Stan many times. Ellie has lost two men
in her life she had loved and fears to lose another. Will
Ellie ever let Stan into her heart? Or as time passes,
will
they break apart?
With World War II on going, Ellie makes friends with Suri,
a very pretty Japanese young woman and in doing so, Ellie
see's for herself the terrible things her new country is
doing to the Japanese people who have lived in America for
many years. The way they were rounded up like cattle and
put into camps with terrible living conditions. She tries
to help Suri and her family, but only causes her friend
more pain. A lesson well learned when you care so much for
a friend and think your doing the right thing, but in the
end, your heart only causes more damage. Will Suri and her
family ever be released from the camps? When will this
terrible war end? So many lives lost all over the world,
so
many tortured far worse in other countries that the
American camps seem like heaven to live in.
Ellie tries her best to keep her family from getting hurt
from the pitfalls in life, but with a war going on, she
finds many obstacles in her way. LAND OF DREAMS has great
characters and a bit
of history I had never known about.
My heart went out to Ellie, for I've raised my two sons,
but with my husband by my side and of course in a much
different era. I could not imagine how tough it had been
back then, during World War II to raise two boys,
especially during a World War, with no husband. LAND OF
DREAMS by Kate Kerrigan drew me in from page one as Ms.
Kerrigan is an author one does not want to miss! Easily a
recommend read!
Irish immigrant Ellie Hogan has finally achieved the
American Dream. But her comfortable bohemian life on Fire
Island, New York, is shattered when her eldest adopted
son, Leo, runs away, lured by the promise of fortune and
fame in Hollywood. Determined to keep her family intact,
Ellie follows him west, uprooting her youngest son and
long-time friend Bridie. In Los Angeles, Ellie creates a
fashionable new home among the city's celebrities,
artists, and movie moguls. She is also drawn into intense
new friendships, including talented film composer Stan, a
man far different from any she has ever met, and Suri, a
beautiful Japanese woman and kindred spirit, who opens
Ellie\'s eyes to the injustices of her country. While Leo
is dazzled by Hollywood's glitz, Ellie quickly sees that
the golden glamour masks a world of vanity and greed.
Though she tries to navigate the family around the dangers
of their new home, she will not be able to protect them
from an even more terrifying threat: war.