A Dance in Donegal

Title: A Dance in Donegal

Author: Jennifer Deibel

Publisher: Revell

Genre: Christian Fiction & Historical Fiction

Synopsis:

To fulfill her mother's dying wish, Moira Doherty moves from Boston to the rolling green hills of 1921 Ireland to teach in a village school. She doesn't expect to fall in love--or to uncover a scandalous family reputation her mother left behind years ago.

My Review: 

When Moira's mother suddenly dies, Moira has a hard time coping and does not want to follow through on her promise to go to Ireland to teach. After agonizing over the decision she finally decides to go. Immediately upon entering Donegal, Moira experiences unexpected harshness before even reaching the guesthouse where she will be staying. Mrs. Martin makes Moira feel welcome and turns into her first friend, even though it is obvious that she is keeping secrets.

Sean is a thatcher and eventually becomes a friend to Moira as well. He wants to help her discover the secrets that the locals in Donegal are keeping from Moira and promises to be her friend no matter what. The people in Donegal are steeped in superstitions and rumors, and it looks like someone has made it a priority to try and scare Moira off. Once all is revealed, will Sean keep his promise to be friends with Moira, no matter what? 

A Dance in Donegal is well-written and the plotline flows seamlessly. The descriptions of Ireland are breath-taking and you can hear the Irish brogue in the conversations. When reading the story you get a sense that you are there. 

The author, Jennifer Deibel, has threaded powerful lessons of forgiveness and redemption throughout the story. Moria grows to be comfortable with herself, even though many residents of Donegal have made it clear they do not like her. She develops into a brave character, strong in her faith and compassion. While there are occasional light moments in the story, there are some extremely sad ones as well. As a trigger warning, there is a scene where a character is sexually assaulted, it is not extremely graphic, but may be hard for some readers.

I would highly recommend A Dance in Donegal, a debut novel by Jennifer Deibel, to anyone who loves historical fiction. Thank you to Revell and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this book. I was not required to give a positive review, but am happy to do so. All thoughts and opinions are my own.