This was such an intriguing and compelling read. It’s the story of Patrick O’Donnell who was hanged in 1883 in Newgate Prison, London, for the murder of James Carey, perpetrator of the Phoenix Park murders. That’s about all we know of O’Donnell’s life but according to this book he led an extraordinary one. It’s narrated through a series of letters, purportedly written by him in his cell as he awaits execution and smuggled out by his wife, and which remained undiscovered for decades until found by the author, a possible descendant. This I would have liked to know more about as I remain puzzled as to whether these are actual letters or simply invented ones. This didn’t affect my enjoyment of the book but it unsettled me. Be that as it may, the reconstructed life represents an eye-opening slice of history as O’Donnell certainly did a lot during his life, travelling the world involved in various enterprises, achieving some renown and standing and ultimately having both Victor Hugo and US President Arthur A Chester writing to Queen Victoria asking for clemency. His motivation for the murder remains unclear – was it actually an accident? Many unanswered questions remained for me when I finished the book but didn’t spoil my overall enjoyment. The letters are interspersed by short passages of real world events which put the life into context and make for fascinating reading simply by themselves. This is an unexpectedly unusual, enjoyable, entertaining and informative read, and I heartily recommend it.

Patrick O'Donnell is still remembered as an Irish patriot. This self-published account of his life by a descendant paints the picture of the life and times of a remarkable man, warts and all, a man who was so much more than a simple hero to Irish republicans. O'Donnell is best known for killing the man who betrayed the Phoenix Park assassins. The account given here is that no patriotic intention motivated the killing, rather jealousy aroused by an excess of strong drink!

I enjoyed this novel, perhaps 'dramatised biography' might be a better descriptor. I liked the account of the O'Donnell family's experience in the Irish Famine, his emigration to the USA, the fact that he was exploited in America, fought on the Confederate side in the Civil War, despite being opposed to slave ownership, and all the other ups and downs of an eventful life. An easy, straightforward read, interesting throughout, with a fascinating twist at the finish.

Having moved from the UK to Ireland a couple of years ago I’m keen to learn more about the history of this country. Many years ago, when I was at school, we were taught absolutely nothing about our nearest neighbour, in fact the country was never mentioned. It was as though it didn’t exist. So with this in mind, I started this book.

This is an illuminating book, well researched, and totally absorbing. I have learned so much about Ireland, especially about the Great amine which, incidentally, affected the county I now live in more than any other.

Not an easy book to read as the subject matter is both appalling and fascinating.

The book contains letters of Patrick O'Donnell that were written in prison before execution of his death penalty. Patrick travelled to America escaping famine in Ireland and looking for better luck abroad. The book covers interesting years in the American story during civil war showing life of emigrants from different countries. The morale of people wasn't high trying to survive and most of them didn't care about politics and which side to take in the war.
I loved different perspective the story gave about the life of ordinary emigrants who were building America and trying to find themselves in the new world.

This was a perfect chance to branch of out of my normal genres. It is well written and gives an insite to a piece of history that I knew nothing about and made me want to learn more. Thank you for allowing me a chance to broaden my knowledge

This is a truly fascinating insight into not only Irish but British and American history, I wasn’t aware of this story and it really resonates given the legacy of difficulties that remain in relationships between the countries. It makes it easier to understand the deep allegiances felt in America, particularly New York, for Irish roots. The British as effectively an occupying colonial power don’t come out of it well and rightly so.

I found the narrative deeply moving more than once. The research appears to be meticulous and O’Donnell is so unassuming in many of his letters. He expressed the desperation of his situation exceptionally well and I felt enormous sympathy for him.

This title should appeal to many; it’s social history at its best but it’s also a genuinely compelling human interest story, really well written.

Full of interesting facts, one of the most entertaining factual books I have read in a long Time!++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Patrick O'Donnell is sat on death row awaiting his execution for the murder of James Carey. It is 1883 and Newgate prison is a bleak place. The story is a mixture of his letters and the authors interpretation. The letters show just how bleak life was like during these times.
From the Great Hunger in Ireland. The perilous journey over the sea's. Life in Quebec. The way that Patrick made a living and lived his life. At times a brutal reminder of how bad life could be.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to see an ARC

My favourite way to learn new things. I had no idea who Patrick O'Donnell was and to my shame I know very little about the Irish cause, so this was a very enjoyable way to introduce myself to both! Regardless if O'Donnell was the most unlucky man in history or indeed a secret agent, his life has been extraordinary. It never fails to amaze me how people managed to survive and make something of themselves in very challenging life conditions. To have survived famine and then travel to Canada and US at such a young age is in many ways beyond our modern imagination. The rest of his life definitely lived up to his early life, even if in a different way, but he sure had a lot of adventures in his life time!! Now of course I have no idea what to think and I guess it's just one of those cases where we will never know for sure what happened. I did think to myself that the president of the US wouldn't have intervene for just a regular citizen, regardless how unjust his case seemed, so from that point of view I'd say the balance tips toward secret agent, but then history tells us that he was executed, but was he? Tantalising...

The only reason I've rated this 4 stars instead of 5 is because it left me with too many questions. How/Where did the author find this letters? Where they a family heirloom? Are they truly authentic? And so on...I would really loved to know more, and I believe the "behind the scene" insight would have added that extra oomph to the story!

This Is not a book I would normally chosen to read but I am so glad that I have read it and been educated in a very intelligent first story manner that made the person and the times come alive to me. Anyone who reads this book will learn a lot from it as it’s very interesting and very informative and intriguing to read. Such an insightful story told well. This was such a fascinating and very gritty read indeed. It Covers a lot of facts from Irish history and how they integrated and contributed to the history of USA. It’s also a very personal and raw and Honest and interesting story. It certainly has a lot of twists at the end which I did not expect and didn’t see coming at all. I am now interested in Irish history a lot more than I was before I started reading this book. Xx

The annals of history recount that Patrick O'Donnell met his fate at the gallows of Newgate Prison in December 1883. His alleged crime: the slaying of James Carey, the infamous Phoenix Park Killer and renowned Irish informant. Yet, the pages of history remain primarily silent concerning the tapestry of Patrick's extraordinary life. Epistles beseeching leniency sent to his trial by luminaries such as Victor Hugo and U.S. President Chester A. Arthur hint at a life transcending an Irish peasant's boundaries.

Embark on a journey through the intricacies of his existence, skillfully woven into the fabric of this singular work of imaginative fiction. As this narrative navigates the boundary between historical reality and inventive storytelling, it unveils Patrick O'Donnell's life saga. This voyage transports us across a diverse tapestry of events: from the shadows of the Great Hunger to the bleak confines of the typhoid-ridden sheds in Quebec. We tread the path of his service within the Confederate army, his capture at the Battle of Chattanooga in 1863, and the grim account of the O'Donnell massacre at Wiggan's Patch in Pennsylvania. Finally, we arrive at that fateful day off the coast of Port Elizabeth, where three bullets found their mark in Carey.

During the twilight of his existence, Patrick, a condemned man, etched the chronicles of his life onto parchment. A series of letters, concealed from the world for a span of 133 years, now emerges from the shadows, unveiled and presented for the first time within the pages that follow.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

We all read novels to enjoy fine writing, a good story and well defined characters something this O'Donnell novel does in spades! What gives it the edge is that many of the facts are true and so we are also perhaps adding another dimension to our understanding of history.
Patrick O'Donnell murdered James Carey - the man responsible for the notorious Phoenix Park killings - and, as a consequence, was sent to the gallows in Newgate prison on 17th December 1883. In this novel, using the medium of letters he writes to Victor Hugo over 12 days whilst awaiting execution, O'Donnell gives us his life story. And what a story he tells!
He begins with telling us about how he and his brother have to leave Ireland for America due to the potato famine. This, apart from the long walk to Port Sligo, was meant to be straightforward as his uncle in Philadelphia had organised for them to collect tickets there. But nothing goes to plan. Eventually they get on a ship making the transatlantic crossing, but tragedy strikes, and it is just Patrick who makes it to an immigrant camp in Canada. He is only 12 years old. From there, in the company of Honora { a nurse who saved his life in the camp ] he ultimately makes his way to New York where, yet again, good fortune turns to dust. Next, he travels South only to get involved in the Civil War, after the horrors of which he ends up back again in New York. Not finding the success he seeks there he decides to travel, via London to seek his fortune in South Africa. It is on this trip that he meets and kills James Carey. Remembering this novel is based on fact makes his story truly extraordinary and, reverting to my first sentence, the content and quality of writing in his letters will tie you to the page.
Settle back, enjoy the read and learn a little history along the way.

This was a fascinating and gritty read. Cover lots of facts from Irish history and how they integrated and contributed to the history of USA.

Interesting to read into the history of Irish life at the time of the famine and the two boys' attempts to survive with a trip to the USA to stay with relatives.

The book points out the devious things that people did to survive this most dreadful time.

The descriptions that the author has given were well-researched and very well portrayed throughout the book.

What a surprising end. A book that had me in tears a few times due to the facts that were being told.

Thank you for letting me preread this book.

This was a gritty read. Patrick O'Connell escaped Ireland during the potato famine. The book, a series of letters written whilst waiting to be hung for a drunken mistake, chronicles his life and the many crimes he committed through desperation and the need to survive. Full of social history, describing the horrors of life in the mid-late 1800s in Ireland and America, this book kept me enthralled despite not being my normal choice of book. With a belter of a twist at the end, this is well worth a read! Thanks to Gavin O'Donnell for sharing his family history.

What a superb fascinating and amazing book, along the way I have learned so much about Irish, British and American history. The fact that the Irish hated the British during the starvation of their people was expressed o well that during this period the British people were also not treated fairly. Life back then was for the rich to keep the poor even poorer and for the rich to have every luxury that they wanted and not give a care to those lower down the poverty chain. So yes the British were stealing all the food from the Irish but it was only going to the rich in Britain and the rest of the ovulation were suffering just like the Irish. I loved the analysis and clarity that Patrick gave to this situation. The sad thing is that there is still a lot of resentment both sides of the equation often not based on fact but biased stories told down through families.
It was an eye opener to see what Lincoln really believed as I had never seen, or heard, of his feelings about slavery and the black people that it affected. He held a very bigoted view and not what is projected nowadays when you read about him.
The book was so well presented with the authors comments to explain what was going to follow in Patricks letters and then reading what was written itself. This was a book that I read late into the night as it was totally absorbing.

What an interesting and illuminating look at Irish history and the immigration to America.
An unusual life in a very different time period that covers a lot of turbulent times in America.
The mining industry and the civil war are covered in a way that makes it very real to the reader.
Not a book I normally would of chosen but I am glad that I have read it and been educated in a very pleasant first story manner that made the person and the times come alive to me.

A very personal and interesting story.
With a twist at the end which I did not expect!
I'm interested in Irish history, and also know Gweedore well.
Everything rang totally true.