Ellis Island by Kate Kerrigan

June 28, 2011 by Harper Collins

Paperback, 400 Pages

Review Copy

Rural Irish girl Ellie loves living in New York, working as a lady's maid for a wealthy socialite. She tries to persuade her husband, John, to join her but he is embroiled in his affairs in Ireland, and caught up in the civil war. Nevertheless Ellie is extremely happy and fully embraces her sophisticated new life. When her father dies she must return home, but she intends to sort her affairs quickly and then return to her beloved America. But once home her sense of duty kicks in and she decides, painfully, that she must stay to look after her mother and resume her marriage. Ellie is suddenly thrown into the simple, rural life she believed she had grown out of...

Review

Ellie and John have always been friends, friends as children and best friends as teenagers. Ellie who grew up living with distant parents, naturally bonded with John's, who paid more attention to and smothered her with much needed love. The two spend time together with his parents as a family and doing what bff’s always do, they capture and save small animals, they climb trees and spend the afternoons running and playing and learn more about each other as hormones begin to fly. As the two grow up and become incredibly close, the friendship turns into love which naturally having only known each other, turns to marriage. Years of bonds and mature love unite Ellie and John in a firm foundation and while John's parents gave the relationship blessings, Ellie’s family doesnt support her. After Ellie marries John, she loses all ties to her parents and begins the marriage with love but tremendous financial troubles. 

Ellie trys to make ends meet by going to college while Johns go's off to war, but everything seems to be falling apart. After John comes home, he is injured and cant work, although surgery will help, they have no money to pay to for it. Stress and fear take a toll on the couple and when an opportunity arises to travel to America for a job, Ellie is excited to work and gather the funds for Johns surgery, but John isn’t happy about letting Ellie go. Against Johns will, Ellie decides to go anyways and has no clue that this choice, this journey to another land will change her life and her heart forever…..

Karrigans dramatic and honest look into what many immigrants in the 20's could have went through, was smartly done in the voice of a young Ireland woman, Ellie. With a rather slow moving, but interesting plot line, Karrigan details life in Ireland verses life in America, once again reminding me of how blessed I am to have been born in the USA. Seeing America through Ellie's eyes was refreshing and at times very powerful. At the same time though,  Ellie brought a great longing to my heart for Ireland, as I felt her natural desire to return the land she loved with less opportunities. I couldn't help but be torn into different directions just like the character over the development of her circumstances. On one hand I could understand the dazzle of America and her status with all the temptation that money holds, especially for a person who was going without. On the other hand though, I found myself frustrated with Ellie for placing her true love on the chopping block in the name of fancy party's and a millionaire, completely over looking why she was there in the first place. She truly did face a hard choice, not one that was presented or chosen lightly.

Money can buy happiness for a season, but truly only to a certain extent, some of the most lonely and miserable people Ive known have been wealthy beyond means. Sometimes the life of luxury cant compare to that of a lifetime of friendship and love. Although sometimes want and need will take the lonely road and bypass the things that make a person who they were.

Rating

Ellis Island is recommended to adult readers and for those who enjoy contemporary/historical fiction. Contains: Immigration themes, marriage issues, tempted infidelity, poverty, childhood neglect and mild language, mild sexuality.

3/5- Historical- (1920's-Contemporary)

Thanks to Harper and Tlc book tours for copy