The Memory of Music
About this ebook
The Memory of Music ticks all the right boxes - The Independent.
An enjoyable deftly written novel bringing history to life - The Examiner.
The bestselling novel, The Memory of Music One Irish family – One hundred turbulent years: 1916 to 2016 Betty O’Fogarty is proud and clever. Spurred on by her belief in her husband Seamus’s talent as a violin-maker and her desire to escape rural life, they elope to Dublin. She expects life there to fulfil all her dreams. To her horror, she discovers that they can only afford to live in the notorious poverty-stricken tenements. Seamus becomes obsessed with republican politics, neglecting his lucrative craft. And, as Dublin is plunged into chaos and turmoil at Easter 1916, Betty gives birth to her first child to the sound of gunfire and shelling.But Betty vows that she will survive war and want, and move her little family out of the tenements.Nothing will stand in her way.
One hundred years later, secrets churn their way to the surface and Betty’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren uncover both Betty’s ruthlessness and her unique brand of heroism.
Ratings and reviews
About the author
Olive Collins is an award winning and bestselling historical fiction writer. Olive grew up in Tipperary, Ireland. She has travelled extensively and lived abroad for years.
Her first novel, The Memory of Music tells the story of one family during Ireland's most turbulent years, the 1916 uprising and the subsequent War of Independence and Civil War. It is one of the few novels to explore the role of women. It was the winner of the Annie McHale Best Debut and remained in the Bestselling Charts for 3 months.
The Tide Between Us is her critically acclaimed second novel. It retraces Ireland's long history with Jamaica. 25% of Jamaicans' claim Irish ancestry, most were deported during colonial times for committing little to no crimes. The Tide Between Us follows the story of one boy, an indentured servant deported to the cane fields of Jamaica and his subsequent generations. This epic novel spans 170 years.
Olive is currently working on her third novel about the first Irish pioneers who joined the wagon trails of the American West and became the first homesteaders. Her novel, The Weaver's Legacy will be released in December 2020
If you'd like to hear more from Olive, please log onto https://olivecollins.com/