In 1848 Kathleen Deacy and her parents despair as blight
rots their potatoes in the field. Ireland is unable to
sustain them as the best land and food are removed by
English overlords. Kathleen's brother and her betrothed
have gone fishing in Newfoundland, but only her brother
returns. Her brother tells her to go to America.
TO RIDE A WHITE HORSE seems an impossible dream. Kathleen
resolutely decides to emigrate on her own terms. She'll go
to Canada hoping to find her love Danny, and send back
money from her housemaid's wages to help her family. The
emigrant ship is overfull and undersupplied, the captain
profiting from each ticket. Falling overboard in a sudden
storm, Kathleen is scooped out of the water by a whaling
boat. This is no great improvement, for the conditions are
hellish and the crew expect to be at sea for months to
come. Jack Montgomery, the captain, is English from an
American port, and knows a woman aboard is bad for
discipline. Too late to throw her back though. Kathleen is
far from happy, but at least she's getting fed.
The bitter start to the tale continues with a graphic
description of the whaling process, even as the men
complain that whales are getting scarce. After this I
enjoyed the contrast of the brilliant sun and colourful
clothes in the Azores islands, where Kathleen has to make
a
decision about her future. From Christmas at sea, to a
wintry Boston where signs everywhere say 'No Irish need
apply' we get all sides of the emigrant story. Historical
detail is good, with a sermon by the Catholic Bishop in
Boston, John Fitzpatrick, and mention of other notables
and
famine relief efforts.
Kathleen, her love Danny and her protector Jack become
enmeshed in a complex situation and I enjoyed watching it
play out, sure of what I wanted to happen but unsure that
it would. The life and times of these families are what
shaped today's society, so today we can read TO RIDE A
WHITE HORSE as a reminder of social history or just as a
splendid romance with characters to cheer. Author Pamela
Ford has worked in various careers and brings a wealth of
experience to her award-winning writing. While the main
cast are invented, several of the names are drawn from her
own family history.
Ireland 1846. The potato crop has failed for the second
year in a row and Ireland is in famine. When Kathleen
Deacey’s fiancé doesn’t return from a summer working in
the
Newfoundland fisheries, she faces a devastating choice—
leave Ireland to find work or risk dying there. Despising
the English for refusing to help Ireland, she crosses the
Atlantic, determined to save her family and find her
fiancé.
But her journey doesn’t go as planned and she ends up in
America, forced to accept the help of an English whaling
captain, Jack Montgomery, to survive. As Jack helps her
search for her fiancé and fight to save her family and
country, she must confront her own prejudices and make
another devastating choice—remain loyal to her country or
follow her heart.
A love story inspired by actual events, To Ride a White
Horse is a historical saga of hope, loyalty, the strength
of the human spirit, and the power of love.
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