The American Girl

No.1 bestseller

From a storyteller who combines the warmth of Maeve Binchy with the elegance of Maggie O'Farrell comes an unforgettable novel . . .

Boston 1968. Rose Moroney is seventeen, smart, spirited - and pregnant. She wants to marry her boyfriend. Her ambitious parents have other plans. She is sent to Ireland, their birthplace, to deliver her daughter in a Mother and Baby home - and part with her against her will.

Dublin 2013. Martha Sheeran's life has come undone. Her marriage is over, and her husband has moved on with unsettling speed. Under pressure from her teenage daughter, she starts looking for the woman who gave her up for adoption more than forty years before.

As her search leads her to the heart of long-buried family secrets, old flame Paudie Carmody - now a well-known broadcaster - re-enters the frame.

From Boston to rural Ireland; from Dublin back to Boston, The American Girl is a heart-warming and enthralling story of mothers and daughters, love and cruelty and, ultimately, the embrace of new horizons.

“A wonderful portrait of modern families from a true storyteller who keeps you turning the pages - Cathy KellyA thoroughly enjoyable novel about being young and in love and about life coming full circle. Rachael English paints a vivid portrait of what it was to be Irish in America in the 1980s and what it is to be Irish now. Witty and perceptive, she has a voice that is all her own - Kathleen McMahon, authorRichly imagined and searingly empathetic, The American Girl makes for compelling reading - Sunday Business Post[English] weaves a tale with the natural ease of a born story-teller ... I couldn't help but be reminded of Maeve Binchy for her warm style and distinctly Irish voice ... heart-breaking and uplifting all at once and I highly recommend it - RTE CultureAn evocative read ... powerful ... If you read authors such as Diane Chamberlain, Sheila O'Flanagan or Maeve Binchy then you should also check this out - Between My LinesEnchanting, emotional, heart-breaking, ultimately uplifting and just perfect ... Rachael English is a wonderful story-teller - Being AnneSubtle and delicate, it is a passionate and intense family drama ... Filled with sorrow, joy and tenderness and highly recommended by me - Random Things Through My LetterboxA remarkable read with a very captivating story at its core - Swirl and Thread”

A wonderful portrait of modern families from a true storyteller who keeps you turning the pages - Cathy Kelly

A thoroughly enjoyable novel about being young and in love and about life coming full circle. Rachael English paints a vivid portrait of what it was to be Irish in America in the 1980s and what it is to be Irish now. Witty and perceptive, she has a voice that is all her own - Kathleen McMahon, author

Richly imagined and searingly empathetic, The American Girl makes for compelling reading - Sunday Business Post

[English] weaves a tale with the natural ease of a born story-teller ... I couldn't help but be reminded of Maeve Binchy for her warm style and distinctly Irish voice ... heart-breaking and uplifting all at once and I highly recommend it - RTE Culture

An evocative read ... powerful ... If you read authors such as Diane Chamberlain, Sheila O'Flanagan or Maeve Binchy then you should also check this out - Between My Lines

Enchanting, emotional, heart-breaking, ultimately uplifting and just perfect ... Rachael English is a wonderful story-teller - Being Anne

Subtle and delicate, it is a passionate and intense family drama ... Filled with sorrow, joy and tenderness and highly recommended by me - Random Things Through My Letterbox

A remarkable read with a very captivating story at its core - Swirl and Thread

Rachael English is a bestselling novelist and presenter on Ireland's most popular radio show, Morning Ireland. During more than twenty years as a journalist, she has worked on most of RTE Radio's leading current affairs programmes, covering a huge range of national and international stories.

In recent years Rachael has gained a loyal readership at home and abroad, with her six much-loved novels: Going Back, Each and Every One, The American Girl, The Night of the Party, The Paper Bracelet and The Letter Home.

No.1 bestseller From a storyteller who combines the warmth of Maeve Binchy with the elegance of Maggie O'Farrell comes an unforgettable novel . . .Boston 1968. Rose Moroney is seventeen, smart, spirited - and pregnant. She wants to marry her boyfriend. Her ambitious parents have other plans. She is sent to Ireland, their birthplace, to deliver her daughter in a Mother and Baby home - and part with her against her will.Dublin 2013. Martha Sheeran's life has come undone. Her marriage is over, and her husband has moved on with unsettling speed. Under pressure from her teenage daughter, she starts looking for the woman who gave her up for adoption more than forty years before.As her search leads her to the heart of long-buried family secrets, old flame Paudie Carmody - now a well-known broadcaster - re-enters the frame. From Boston to rural Ireland; from Dublin back to Boston, The American Girl is a heart-warming and enthralling story of mothers and daughters, love and cruelty and, ultimately, the embrace of new horizons.

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