by Amy Harmon
"Only the wind knows what truly comes first..." As I read this line at the beginning of the book, I knew it would be a special one. And indeed, this novel is beautiful. Ireland, time travel (Outlander-ish), legends, books, and poetry are all rolled up into this special, unique tome. All the characters are noteworthy, especially the main three. The settings are beautifully described in time and place, both the 1920s and the 2000s. Life and death, dark and light - full of dichotomy and meaningful prose. I didn't want it to end. It made me go pull out an old book of W.B. Yeats poetry from my poetry books shelf and after studying it a bit, I wonder - did the author read the collected works and write this story following Yeats' lead?! What an amazing feat!
WHEN YOU ARE OLD by W.B. Yeats
When you are old and grey and full of sleep,
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep,
How many loved your moments of glad grace,
And loved your beauty with love false or true,
But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,
And loved the sorrows of your changing face,
And bending down beside the glowing bars,
Murmur, a little sadly, how Love fled
And paced upon the mountains overhead
And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.