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What the Wind Knows edition by Amy Harmon Literature Fiction eBooks

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What the Wind Knows edition by Amy Harmon Literature Fiction eBooks

Let’s get this issue out of the way right now, at the beginning: I loathed Outlander, and could not make it through more than 100 pages even after two separate attempts. So comparisons of this book with Outlander is a definite negative to me. I also thought it was interesting that a couple of reviewers very familiar with Outlander pointed out the suspiciously obvious "borrowings" from what Claire did by Anne Gallagher in this book.

I read a great deal of historical fiction, enough to recognize good research, the author’s immersion in the daily fabric of the particular period, his or her faithfulness to the political, social, economic, and religious attitudes of the day, and the assiduous avoidance of anachronisms. So when historical novels are done well, they are mesmerizing—and informative.

What the Wind Knows is not historical fiction, alas, but a historical romance using the 1921 uprisings in Ireland as a backdrop, and a heavy-handed time-travel trope to get the female protagonist from her 21st century NYC milieu to the required Irish setting so she can act out a rather convoluted and often unbelievable relationship that was apparently crucial to her dying grandfather. Thus the history took a backseat to “Love is the Answer,” although plenty of Yeats quotes were scattered about like birdseed in an attempt to make this tale appear to be on a higher level. I was not misled, however.

I will say that most of the details of the uprisings were accurate, as were descriptions of the various Irish locales. Those details, unfortunately, were shoehorned in, dumped, and stuffed often without appearing natural and usually disrupting the plot’s forward motion. There was a nice mix of historical figures moving briefly through the pages with the fictional ones, for the most part seamlessly.

Many reviewers have practically swooned over the quality of the writing, bestowing all sorts of adjectives on the prose, of which “beautiful” seems to be the most prominent. I agree that occasionally the prose is original, striking, and imaginative. For the most part, however, I thought the author tried too hard to be both literary and unique, and as a result, the prose bordered on mauve, if not outright purple. Several times I felt the writing—and the story itself—was emotionally manipulative, reaching too hard and too far into the reader’s heartstrings to produce a reaction. While it apparently succeeded with the majority of reviewers here, I prefer to have a well-crafted novel produce whatever emotions I might feel when reading honestly, without guile or striving toward a particular goal. Thus all that romance, grief, mourning, fear, love, caring, angst, and everything else tossed at us from the Prologue to the end left me unmoved because of the obviousness of it all.

I almost quit reading after the Prologue because of the already apparent overwriting. Anne and her dying grandfather talk endlessly to each other, but the dialogue tags are never the plain, unobtrusive “said,” letting the words and any action show us what is happening and how these two characters are feeling. No, we get literally one after the other ad infinitum “murmured,” “soothed,” “contended,” “confessed,” “proposed,” “pressed,” and so on. I stopped counting the times in the first chapter that Anne told her grandfather Eoin she didn’t know how she could go on without him, how many times they argued in oddly literary dialogue about going to Ireland, and why. In other words, the central themes that the wind allegedly knows everyone’s story since the beginning of time, the necessity of going to Ireland to right some sort of wrong, and repair an ancient relationship that was apparently doomed were discussed and dissected to death in less than 25 pages. I was bored with it all, which is not good at the beginning of a rather lengthy tale.

Once again I’m in the minority, but then perhaps that is a result of my age, innate cynicism, demand for truth in advertising regarding books, and refusal to be manipulated by purple prose. On the other hand, I can easily see the reasons for all the praise.

By the way, if you’re going to quote Yeats’s poetry at the beginning of your chapters, it is always a good idea to avoid obvious typos in those quotes.


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What the Wind Knows edition by Amy Harmon Literature Fiction eBooks Reviews

This was such a special read... so much more than an exquisite romance... Amy Harmon has weaved a tale intertwining past and present Ireland, mixing historical facts with ordinary people’s lives. It is also a love letter about her ancestors' homeland and the incredible bond of family through the ages.

Thomas and Anne were clearly destined soulmates. The feelings they have for each other were utterly divine. ‘What the Wind Knows’ uses a mix of fictional characters and real historical figures, the reader is given a gripping glimpse of what it would have been like living in such severe times in Ireland in the early 1920’s.

The core of the story is about Anne Gallagher who is unexpectedly given a chance to understand where she came from. Anne has found professional success and acclaim as an author, but her career has dominated her life for far too long. Suddenly however this strong and steady man in front of her is showing her the importance of family.

Thomas is an amazing character, he is soulful and kind and his deep and abiding love for Anne is so passionate in his journal entries it was a delight to read. Together they made such a wonderful couple and I enjoyed getting to know them.

‘What the Wind Knows’ is truly a gem of a book. It shows that love is timeless. It will make your heart want to explode. This story is beautiful, magical and it’s a wonderful experience. A definite must read!
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5+++ Stars!!!!!

This book has ruined me for all other books! I'm still trying to wrap my head around what happened and my poor heart! How can it ache SO GOOD and SO BAD?! This was a beautiful story of love, loss, family and patriotism with one of the most unique storylines and had me feeling EVERYTHING!

The concept of time travel has always fascinated me but it is certainly a difficult topic to get perfectly right, whether in movies or books. Many times there are inconsistencies and plot holes. Not in this book. Amy Harmon got it right. I mean she NAILED it! I honestly had no idea how perfect it was until the very end. The author carries us on a spectacular time travel journey filled with love and loss. It was like a puzzle that you were trying to solve piece by piece and the anticipation of seeing the whole picture will have you thoroughly enthralled.

This book is very rich in history and our heroine Anne gets pulled back to Ireland in 1921 at the cusp of the Irish Civil War. First of all let me just say I am not a history buff. Before reading this book I certainly had no interest in what Ireland went through to gain her Independence. However, you cannot help but be fascinated with Amy's story telling. She weaves the tale of these heroic men and women who fought for Ireland's liberation from Great Britain and I could feel their pride and I wept for what it cost them to achieve their independence. As Anne learns firsthand about the country of her ancestors and lives the events that she only read about in "her time", you can't help but be caught up in the fascination of it all. The details in this book are phenomenal and you cannot help but respect the level of research that must have gone into the writing of this novel.

The love Ann and Thomas discover in each other takes them both by surprise. Ann finds herself in love with a man in the past and is at war with what decisions to make. Their love was gradual but intense and passionate. Thomas was such a great man. He was a kind and generous soul but also smart and brave. He risked his life for his family and his country. He loved Anne with such fervor and their path was so gut wrenching but so beautiful! Their love story was simply epic!

There were so many amazing characters in this book that each played their role in what unfolded in this story. Everything about this book was beautifully complex. It makes you realize we are a part of something so much bigger than ourselves. Time became irrelevant. Love became important. I'll be thinking about this book for a long time to come. I know it's only January but I know this will be one of my favorite reads of 2019. Well done Amy Harmon!
Let’s get this issue out of the way right now, at the beginning I loathed Outlander, and could not make it through more than 100 pages even after two separate attempts. So comparisons of this book with Outlander is a definite negative to me. I also thought it was interesting that a couple of reviewers very familiar with Outlander pointed out the suspiciously obvious "borrowings" from what Claire did by Anne Gallagher in this book.

I read a great deal of historical fiction, enough to recognize good research, the author’s immersion in the daily fabric of the particular period, his or her faithfulness to the political, social, economic, and religious attitudes of the day, and the assiduous avoidance of anachronisms. So when historical novels are done well, they are mesmerizing—and informative.

What the Wind Knows is not historical fiction, alas, but a historical romance using the 1921 uprisings in Ireland as a backdrop, and a heavy-handed time-travel trope to get the female protagonist from her 21st century NYC milieu to the required Irish setting so she can act out a rather convoluted and often unbelievable relationship that was apparently crucial to her dying grandfather. Thus the history took a backseat to “Love is the Answer,” although plenty of Yeats quotes were scattered about like birdseed in an attempt to make this tale appear to be on a higher level. I was not misled, however.

I will say that most of the details of the uprisings were accurate, as were descriptions of the various Irish locales. Those details, unfortunately, were shoehorned in, dumped, and stuffed often without appearing natural and usually disrupting the plot’s forward motion. There was a nice mix of historical figures moving briefly through the pages with the fictional ones, for the most part seamlessly.

Many reviewers have practically swooned over the quality of the writing, bestowing all sorts of adjectives on the prose, of which “beautiful” seems to be the most prominent. I agree that occasionally the prose is original, striking, and imaginative. For the most part, however, I thought the author tried too hard to be both literary and unique, and as a result, the prose bordered on mauve, if not outright purple. Several times I felt the writing—and the story itself—was emotionally manipulative, reaching too hard and too far into the reader’s heartstrings to produce a reaction. While it apparently succeeded with the majority of reviewers here, I prefer to have a well-crafted novel produce whatever emotions I might feel when reading honestly, without guile or striving toward a particular goal. Thus all that romance, grief, mourning, fear, love, caring, angst, and everything else tossed at us from the Prologue to the end left me unmoved because of the obviousness of it all.

I almost quit reading after the Prologue because of the already apparent overwriting. Anne and her dying grandfather talk endlessly to each other, but the dialogue tags are never the plain, unobtrusive “said,” letting the words and any action show us what is happening and how these two characters are feeling. No, we get literally one after the other ad infinitum “murmured,” “soothed,” “contended,” “confessed,” “proposed,” “pressed,” and so on. I stopped counting the times in the first chapter that Anne told her grandfather Eoin she didn’t know how she could go on without him, how many times they argued in oddly literary dialogue about going to Ireland, and why. In other words, the central themes that the wind allegedly knows everyone’s story since the beginning of time, the necessity of going to Ireland to right some sort of wrong, and repair an ancient relationship that was apparently doomed were discussed and dissected to death in less than 25 pages. I was bored with it all, which is not good at the beginning of a rather lengthy tale.

Once again I’m in the minority, but then perhaps that is a result of my age, innate cynicism, demand for truth in advertising regarding books, and refusal to be manipulated by purple prose. On the other hand, I can easily see the reasons for all the praise.

By the way, if you’re going to quote Yeats’s poetry at the beginning of your chapters, it is always a good idea to avoid obvious typos in those quotes.