What the Wind Knows

I loved this book. Not only could I not put it down, I was as ensnared in its details as Anne’s boat was in the Lough. Although this is unlike Harmon’s other books I’ve read, this historical and fantastical fiction delivers heart, heartache and perspective of a time and history that does not “distract you from the people who lived it.”
Harmon’s use of Yeats to set the emotional scene in each chapter was a brilliant touch. The story told in multiple perspectives of the events in 20th century Irish history, Michael Collins and the political unrest of the era is on point and thought provoking, I’m sure even for those without a background knowledge of Ireland’s historical struggles.
However, through the history of the story, show more the characters, the people, engage you and you will fall in love with them and be held in their grasp throughout the book. Emotions run high as the characters and plot unfold, and just when all hope seems lost, the wind remembers what is most important and delivers that as well.
I have always been a fan of Harmon’s work, yet this novel throws her into a whole new arena for me. I can’t stop thinking about this book and am sure to read it again and again. show less

Lovely story, simply lovely. How it got on my shelf, still boggles my mind. When the MPG of romance shows too near the top, I usually pass on a book. When a book has time traveI as an MPG, that's a sure no for me. This book has both and yet I am happy this book somehow survived my scrutiny.

The writing, the story both beautiful. The research, top-notch, is always important for me. Harmon did her work and the end product is worth all the praise she has gotten for this book. An added bonus is the poetry of Yeats at the beginning of the chapters.

The love story, oh did it grab me in a way that I can only explain by giving you a snippet :

Anne is asleep now, curled on her side, and I can only watch her, my heart so swollen in my chest that show more I'll suffocate if I don't stay upright. The light of the lamp touches her freely, boldly even, brushing her hair and tracing the dip of her waist and the swell of her hip, and I am irrationally jealous of the caress. I can't imagine all men love their women the way I love Anne. If they did, the streets would be empty, and the fields would grow fallow...if all men loved their women the way I love Anne, we would be a useless lot. Or maybe the world would know peace. Maybe the wars would end, and the strife would cease as we centered our lives on loving and being loved.

Fans of Outlander will love this one, I guarantee. show less

(updated with added afterthoughts)
This was the second book by Harmon that I read in as many weeks. Although a romance, I think that the real love story of this novel is Harmon’s love for William Butler Yeats, whose poetry is widely quoted throughout the novel.

I generally would not gravitate toward fantasy or time travel, but What the Wind Knows is a well-written historical fiction covering the Irish struggle for independence in the early part of the 20th century. Not having studied the history of Ireland I have never really understood what seemed like numerous factions pulling the country in different directions, and this book did little to put things in order for me, especially because it seems to me that more than fifty years later show more the fight was still going on. This probably explains why, as a born and bred mid-westerner, it was easier for me to relate to Harmon’s, Where the Lost Wander (WTLW) - which I loved.

Anne Gallagher was orphaned at a young age and was raised by her grandfather Eoin in New York. Eoin, too, was orphaned at a young age and was raised in Ireland by the good friend of his parents, Dr. Thomas Smith. When Anne's beloved grandfather lay dying, he told her to bring him an envelope and book from the desk in his office. The envelope contained photos and the book was a diary. Eoin told his granddaughter that he wished her to travel to Ireland after his death and spread his ashes in the loch near the town where he grew up. Upon his death, Anne took Eoin's ashes and did as her grandfather asked, but as she did so, the boat that she took out on the loch became surrounded by a heavy fog. When she called out for help, three men in a boat, pulled up alongside her and one of the men shot her. When she awoke, she found that she had traveled back 80 years in time, and that's were the plot begins.

The time travel conundrum that prevents star-crossed lovers from remaining together, or threatens to keep them apart was predictable for the most part, with Ladyhawke and Outlander vibes (and probably of a hundred other similar books/movies). The theme, though not very original, was very well-executed, and I’m pretty sure I will love all of Harmon’s novels. I’m currently half-way through Harmon’s From Sand and Ash (FSAA) .

I’m not a huge fan of romance novels, and I didn’t “feel” the heat between Smith and Gallagher, as opposed to the heat between Naomi and John in WTLW. Nor do I feel the heat between Angelo and Eva in FSAA, which is also a well-researched and well-written historical fiction describing the persecution of the Jews in Italy during the Holocaust (WWII).

I really have an issue with Harmon's book titles. None of them are very memorable, despite the fact that she ties the title into the stories that she is telling. Although I love all of the books I have read/am reading by Harmon, I cannot for the life of me remember any of the titles, and had to keep referring back to her bibliography in order to reference here.

This book is available in Kindle Unlimited with audio, if your library subscribes. I listened and read. Both versions were very good.

06/09/2024 (some afterthoughts and questions)
So…why Yeats? Because he was an Irish writer/poet? Because he was a revolutionary? I see he was initially a member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood and post 1922 became a Senator of the Irish Free State. A Nationalist, yes, but I don’t think he was a revolutionary. Certainly not a Michael Collins. But with the focus so heavily on the poetry of Yeats, one has to assume that Chekov’s Gun is there for a purpose. And why, wind? In Yeats’ book of verse, The Wind Among The Reeds, he references the wind approximately 40 times. His references are sometimes religious sometimes mystical. He writes in his notes to the poem (re: A Cradle Song – Michael Robartes asks forgiveness because of his many moods): I use the wind as a symbol of vague desires and hopes, not merely because the Sidhe [fairies] are in the wind, or because the wind bloweth as it listeth, but because wind and spirit and vague desire have been associated everywhere. Is the key then, the communion between the mythical, the corporeal, and the spiritual? I wonder if these are questions that need to be answered, or whether the author did not have a point to make in so heavily referencing the wind and Yeats in her novel. (6/10/24...There I go, rambling again, "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar" show less

Wow. What a read. This book completely takes you and involves you from the beginning in its sweeping epic narrative. History, time travel, poetry, romance, action...this book has it all.

Anne Gallagher travels to Ireland in 2001 to spread the ashes of her grandfather in a place that he had chosen before his death. After doing so, the most surprising thing happens and she finds herself in another time completely: 1921.

The things Anne experiences in 1921 change her completely. She is an active participant in the creation of the Irish Free State, as well as meeting some of the movements key players. Armed with the knowledge of the future, she is seen as an enigma by those around her who marvel at the things she appears to foretell.

This is show more probably one of the most beautifully written books I've ever read. show less

Oh. My. Goodness. That. Ending! The time traveling pulled me in. I was mystified by it. Somehow if you try to overanalyze it, it will just make your head spin. The story was beautiful and unforgettable. This is my first novel with this author and I am pleased to say that I enjoyed it very much.

What the Wind Knows - Harmon
3 stars

I like time travel books. I’m a dedicated Outlander fan. I liked this book, but I wanted to like it more than I did.

Historically the struggle for Irish independence is interesting and heartbreaking. It’s hard to think of a more challenging setting for a 21st century time traveler. It just felt too easy for the time traveling Anne Gallegher. I never managed to believe it. I kept thinking that I could have enjoyed the story more as a straightforward historical tale without the time travel complication. This book made me think of Susanna Kearley’s books. It was more of a love story than historical fiction. The love story was a sweet fairy tale that seemed out of place against the violence of the show more independence struggle.

Nerd that I am, one thing that I really liked were the poetical references to W.B. Yeats. I had to track them all done in The Collected Poems of W.B. Yeats. show less

Find this review and others at Carlene Inspired

5 Stars

A sweeping, romantic tale, Amy Harmon takes readers on the adventure of a lifetime with What the Wind Knows. Anne Gallagher cannot imagine a life without her grandfather; he's been her best friend, the man who raised her, the one who encouraged her writing. Eoin has never taken her to Ireland, to the place he once called home, but his dying wish is that she go, that she discovers the truth of their family's past and that she spread his ashes there. In his last moments he gives her photos and journals, revealing to Anne that she looks so much like her namesake, her great-grandmother Anne. Once in Ireland she finds herself in awe of the country, of those living in the town who still show more remember, and closer to Eoin. The journals do more than make her feel closer to him, they take her back to the 1920's, to a time of political revolution and into the arms of the man who Eoin considered his father. At first alarmed, Anne soon adapts to this new life and finds herself falling for the warm, caring Thomas.

"The church just wants my money, but I hope God will take my soul. What's left of me belongs in Ireland."

Present and past Ireland mold into one as Amy Harmon takes readers through the foggy lough and into the beautiful estate of Eoin's youth. A magical story of time travel, family, and love, What the Wind Knows is one of the most incredible historical romances I have ever had the pleasure of reading. I was immediately caught up in this tale, my own feet placed into the shoes of Anne's as she awoke to a world she didn't recognize. I too felt her resistance to accept her fate, her discomfort at the clothing of the past, her frustration as other's expressed anger and disbelief at her arrival. I also felt her joy as she grasped the opportunity to know a young Eoin, the butterflies as Thomas captured her heart, and her shock when she realized how vital her trip to the past is to the future of Ireland.

"Don't go near the water, love, the lough will take you far from me."

What the Wind Knows isn't your typical historical romance, nor is it your typical fantasy time travel. Anne's trip to the 1920s takes her back into a time of upheaval, distrust, and suffering. Anne must quickly act the part of the previous Anne Gallagher, despite not knowing what happened to her. With the journals missing, Anne learns quickly to dress and act the part and discovers that she must ensure certain events happen properly. Her romance with Thomas isn't the sole focus of the novel, though their coming together is certainly the cherry on top. He is a doctor who is at the center of a group hoping for political change, he isn't young and classically handsome, but he is honest and caring. Anne soon believes in a free Ireland as well, becoming the constant companion to Thomas as they travel to Dublin. I loved how facts mixed with fiction in this novel, Amy really makes the setting, the suspense, the romance come to life.

"I told you. You told me. Only the wind knows which truly comes first."

What the Wind Knows is easily one of my Top 10 for 2019, I so loved the adventure Amy Harmon took us on. The story is romantic and unexpected, a truly beautiful story that I read, with tears dripping down my cheeks, in just one sitting. I highly recommend this fascinating story to historical romance fans and those who love a well-done time travel novel.

ARC provided. show less