B. J. Hoff

"Jack had wondered then, and still wondered, how long it would take--what it would take--before the Irish were accepted instead of despised, respected instead of condemned.
"Sometimes he thought it would take an eternity to right the wrongs that had been done to his people."

An unlikely group of people are essentially tied together from across the ocean in the mid-1800s. Prejudice, poverty, and seemingly impossible dreams are only some of the challenges they face in the first installment of an show more Irish-American saga, Cloth of Heaven by author B.J. Hoff.

As I read American Anthem by this author years ago, and I found it absolutely magnificent, I've had the Song of Erin books on my shelf for quite a while, purposely putting them off, chiefly for anticipation's sake.

Heart-wrenching, fittingly dramatic, and ultimately beautiful as this first novel is, I thought it moved at a cumbersome pace in places, redundant in a way, taking the long way around to some of its points. I didn't really connect with most of the characters until more than halfway through the book--though, excluding maybe one or two of them (who gave me little reason to like or root for them), it might not have been the characters' fault. It just took a while for the story to click for me, and once it did, it mainly seemed like an extended setup for Book Two.

But, to be fair, it doesn't end on a cliffhanger or anything, and as I recall, the American Anthem novels are much the same way: not cliffhangers, but not books that could stand the best on their own, either.

Now, I don't wish to make it sound as if I didn't enjoy this heart-wrenching, fittingly dramatic, and ultimately beautiful novel, because I did. And I don't plan on putting off Book Two for long.

"As for me, I decided a long time ago I didn't want my life to be some old throwaway rag. No, sir, I want my life fashioned right out of the cloth of heaven." show less

An Irish governess has serious reason to distrust her brother-in-law, her employer: a blind, Italian composer with some disturbing secret. An unlikely pair of doctors are determined to make a difference for the disadvantaged. An impoverished family is making the tough choice to emigrate away from their beloved Ireland to America...

This is at least the third time I've read Prelude by author BJ Hoff, Book One from one of my all-time favorite series, American Anthem. There's so much about this show more story of immigrants in nineteenth-century New York.

The emotion. The music! Touches of the supernatural, the divine. Hoff is an excellent writer.

Sure, the novel has its weaknesses. Too many italicized words to force the emphasis where the context would be sufficient to make it clear. A young character whose advanced language seems unrealistic at times, given that she's just turned four. A scene or two that goes around in circles instead of getting on with it, and a couple of aspects to the story that are over the top.

But, my goodness, the characters—particularly the supporting cast! It's the multiple perspectives and layers to the characters, poignant moments with this mix of people, that's done the most to make this read great and memorable to me.

I can't wait to revisit the rest of this historical ChristFic saga. show less

"Wear it to America," Jane had said of the ring. "Wear it...and remember me and the Claddagh... Remember Ireland. For Ireland is not only where you come from, Terese Sheridan—Ireland is what you are."

An unlikely group of people are essentially tied together from across the ocean in the mid-1800s. Prejudice, poverty, and seemingly impossible dreams are only some of the challenges they face in Song of Erin, an Irish-American saga by author BJ Hoff.

As I read American Anthem by this author show more years ago, and I found it absolutely magnificent, I had Song of Erin sitting on my shelf for quite a while, purposely putting it off, chiefly for anticipation's sake.

Heart-wrenching, fittingly dramatic, and ultimately beautiful as the story is, there's a certain redundancy in a lot of it. The author has a way of taking the long way around to ideas and saying much at times while barely saying anything new. Still, she'll say it in such a stirring way that you can't be too bothered by it.

I'll confess that a lot of the reading felt to me like a setup for something else, and I eventually reconciled myself to it in the second half: "This isn't a setup leading to a story. This is the story." It includes a plot theme that I've never much cared for in ChristFic romance: "I'm so in love but can't marry him/her because he/she isn't a Christian." It muddies the characters' emotions and motives so that I never fully trust them. And while characters may need to get down to the nitty-gritty of their inner darkness to show their need for God, casting them in such a compellingly negative light doesn't make them prime romantic characters to me. It makes me feel like they need more time to grow and figure out who they are before they turn their focus toward marrying somebody else.

Still, I did enjoy the richness of this moving saga, and I've every intention of reading more from this author in the future. show less

A months-long span of trials and joys for Irish, Italian, and Scottish immigrants in late nineteenth-century New York culminates in a multifaceted composition involving and exceeding the musical in Jubilee by author BJ Hoff.

It's ironic that the third and final book in this ChristFic saga, with such a celebratory title, is perhaps the roughest read of the series. The people in this familial, medical, romantic, music-driven trilogy go through a lot, and how much of it comes to a head in this show more novel is rather heartbreaking at times. Maybe even depressing.

But none of the novels in this series are too long, which makes it easier to get through the darkest parts, since they don't last forever. While it wasn't my first time reading this book, I'd forgotten some parts, which led to some touching re-surprises for me, and other aspects that I remembered (and will never forget) had me in tears as I read them again. A particular friendship in this book is one of the most beautiful I've ever seen in fiction.

I can't put in a review all the reasons why, despite some flaws its got, the magnificent American Anthem series is one of my all-time favorites. But to describe the personal experience I've had each/every time I've read these novels, I'll borrow a phrase from this closing book: God happened. show less