Journalist

A FIRST CLASS DELIVERY FOR ENGLISH’S LETTER HOME

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It’s been a tough week for me, an old friend departed these shores for good, when he and his family decided to emigrate to the North-western United States.  Over two hundred years ago there’d have been a “living wake” at docks, before they boarded a ship, safe in the knowledge we’d never see each other again. Times have changed, emigrants to the US from Ireland don’t have to endure a four-week passage in a “Coffin Ship” but hop across the pond in a journey that can take hours. I don’t know when I’ll see him again, but unlike our predecessors, it will be sometime in the future; he’ll return for a holiday, or I’ll head across to see him. It was quite ironic that while this was happening, I was reading this month’s book review which is all about emigration, lost families and researching your past. The book is The Letter Home by Rachael English and is published by Headline ( http://www.headline.co.uk ) on the 21st July 2022.

When journalist Jessie Daly loses everything she holds dear, she heads home to the West of Ireland, and helps a friend researching life during the famine. She soon unearths the heart-breaking story of a brave young mother, Bridget Moloney and her daughter, Norah. Meanwhile in Boston, Kaitlin Wilson is researching her family tree, in doing so she discovers the fascinating story of a young mother on the West Coast of Ireland who made a difficult decision, to either watch her young daughter perish or set out to make a new life in the new world. All revealed through a letter home.  

From the opening page, this book is a thoroughly enjoyable and at times emotional read. I was spellbound by Bridget’s story and both Jessie and Kaitlin’s journey of discovery from either side of the Atlantic to its amazing conclusion.  What English brings to the table is a story of emigration stretching from the famine era right through the troubled eighties, and even includes the spectre of modern emigration and slavery. Her research opened my eyes to misconception that America or Bostonians welcomed the Irish with open arms.

As well as that she has imbued within the story the modern fascination of genealogy, something we’ve dipped our toes into in this household, and like most people found fascinating with the success of programmes like Who Do You Think You Are.

But overall, this 500-page work from an icon of Irish current affairs radio, is a standout read of the summer, which will be, if not already, a staple of book groups over the coming months. Don’t get put off by the page length, it’s needed for English to weave a thoroughly engrossing and heartfelt story, which as it says on the cover, is inspired by real events. Two million people emigrated from Ireland to America as a result of the famine between 1845-1851, so there’s a lot of material to choose from. In an author’s note at the back of the book Rachael outline’s where she did her research and provides information for anyone willing to follow in Jessie and Kaitlin’s footsteps.

Rachael English (Irish Times)

This is Irish author and RTE Journalist Rachael English’s (@Englishrachael ) sixth book, the others are, Going Back (2013), Each and Everyone (2014), The American Girl (2017), The Night of The Party (2018), The Paper Bracelet (2020). She is one of the main presenters on Ireland’s most popular radio programme “Morning Ireland”, during more than twenty years as a journalist, she has worked on most of Ireland’s national broadcaster, RTE’s current affairs programmes.

As I was waking up this morning and thinking of what to say in this piece, Rachael’s dulcet tones came over my alarm clock radio, as they do on a regular basis. Also, my research revealed she was born in Lincolnshire in the UK, where I was married, and my mother-in-law resides. I also worked with her husband, when he was a manager for his family’s chain of Irish retail stores.

So, if you’re stuck for a book club choice, join me in putting it on the list, then write a note to your local book shop to reserve a number of copies, download them, or order online, and settle in for a lovely story of courage and discovery from the pen of one of Ireland’s leading broadcasters.

Reviewed by Adrian Murphy

This book review is part of a Random Things blog tour, to see what the others thought of the book, visit their blogs listed below. Then, if you get a copy, comeback and tell us what you thought, we’d really appreciate the feedback.

SIMMONDS GOES ALL FEATURES GREAT AND SMALL IN THE VALLEYS

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Jakes Progress CoverAs of 2018 there were 71 countries on the Global Peace Index, generated annually by the Institute for Economics & Peace, who are seen as being peaceful. The United Kingdom ranks near the lower end of that number, being seen as moderately peaceful, Wales would be higher up the 71 if it weren’t lumped in with England.

The Welsh aren’t really known for being a very aggressive race. Who could have any really beef with a people who really just sing very well, eat leeks like they are going out of fashion and whose main export after coal has been great actors, singers and a footballer?  There have been calls for independence from England in the past. This political ideology has mainly been proffered by the small Welsh Nationalist parties, Plaid Cymru and Yes Cymru. This month’s first book review and blog tour follows a young English journalist as he takes his first steps into a career in journalism in a small Welsh newspaper. The book is Jake’s Progress by David Simmonds published by Bethannie Books in 2018.

Jake Nash has left behind his home in London and his deteriorating relationship with Amanda his girlfriend, to take up a job as a trainee journalist with a small group of newspapers in the valleys of south Wales. His first story, a human-interest piece on a local homeless man, gets him noticed by more than just his work colleagues. He is then sent a press release inviting him to witness a so-called military exercise by a local half-baked Welsh Independence faction, which ends up damaging the local main rail link to Cardiff. Before long, he finds himself in the middle of an attempted kidnapping and unknowingly at the centre of an assassination attempt by a local deranged priest , which threatens the life of his ex-girlfriend.

At a little over 230 pages, barely the width of a proud Welsh leek, this is a short book. But if there’s one thing that springs to mind when reading this book, its that if James Herriot had been a journalist instead of a vet , this is the book he would have written.

With that, you get the sense that this is the start of Herriot-esque romp through the welsh valleys seen through the eyes of a young English hack, doing for Wales and its weird and wonderful characters, what the a fore mentioned Scottish vet did for Yorkshire and its animal lovers.

 

The book is an interesting read for anyone studying journalism who wants to get a feel for how life was, far removed from the bright lights of London and the ways of the alcohol fueled lives of the Fleet Street scribes. Even thought alcohol plays a part in the day to day lives of the Welsh journalists on the local paper, you do really get the feel that life has a more sedate pace down among the collieries and valleys of south Wales. You also have to consider the book is set in the late sixties, a million light years from the digitally driven  24/7 news we get shoveled into us these days.

David Simmonds Author Pic 1

David Simmonds

As for the characters, they do come to life from the pages and I could really get the Welsh accent from Simmonds writing. Again, I get the feeling we haven’t really got to know them as well as we would in a stand-alone story, hence the feeling that this is the start of a series. If so, then I’ll definitely look forward to the others. Especially when you consider there is a developing romance between Jake and his colleague called Lotte, which would have been brought to some sort of conclusion if it were a one off story.

This English author David Simmonds first book. After leaving school he considered becoming a teacher , studying at the University of North Wales. He lasted six weeks then went to north America for a year before returning home to train as a journalist on local newspapers in south Wales, before working for most of his life as a reporter for BBC Wales. He now lives in Penarth, just outside Cardiff with his wife and their irascible cat “Mrs Grumpy”. When not running around after his three grandsons he can be found rowing the local river Taff.

Is the book as funny as it claims on the outside? Its humorous as well as an easy and enjoyable read. No, it’s not as laugh out loud funny as ‘All Creatures Great and Small’, but animals and their owners will always provide better material. So, if you are looking for a light and darkly comical journey through life of a young journalist in nineteen sixties Wales, download a copy or order it from your local bookshop.

Reviewed by Adrian Murphy

 

This book is part of a Random Things Blog Tour, to see what the other reviewers thought of it see poster below and go visit their sites. Then if you pick up a copy of the book, comeback and tell us what you thought after you’ve read it. We’d really appreciate the feed back.

Jake's Progress Blog Tour Poster