The Emerald Horizon (The Star and the Shamrock Book 2) Kindle Edition

Not surprising that "Emerald Horizon" is able to improve on "The Star and the Shamrock." With the characters and settings already well-established, Grainger is free to devote much more to pure storytelling. Having declared itself neutral, Ireland is rarely mentioned in any telling of WWII except for the occasional suggestion that the ongoing belligerence with Britain left Ireland more sympathetic to the Nazis than the Allies would have liked. Perhaps and likely unfairly, Northern Ireland's contribution to the Allies in WWII is rarely treated as more than a footnote. Grainger has found a rich and largely unexplored backdrop for her historical fiction. The Star and the Shamrock series, at least the first two installments, explores the holocaust by focusing on the unheralded kindness of ordinary Germans doing what they could to protect Jews from extermination by the Nazis. Granted, Grainger may be overly generous in her depiction of the efforts of ordinary German citizens to protect Jews being fairly widespread, but more and more similar and verifiable stories are emerging in more or less documentary formats. (I heartily recommend Mark T. Sullivan's "Beneath a Scarlet Sky.")As for Grainger's treatment of historical fiction, she builds a richly layered story depicting a highly integrated and mutually supportive mixed-faith community. While there are multiple romantic relationships woven into this series, they come off as logical and genuine. Anyone familiar with some of my other reviews may know that I have a strong disdain for the romance genre. I assure you this book is not merely another romance novel masquerading as historical fiction. It is also much more than a strong story well-told. It is highly nuanced and well structured. For example, the tale builds on the premise of a small Jewish community in the village of Ballycreggan taking it upon themselves to receive and support Kindertransport Jews escaping persecution in their German homeland. Grainger doesn't even attempt to get into military details, relying on her reader's existing knowledge to underpin the motivations of Catholics and Protestants to set aside their differences and take up the yoke in support of Jewish refugees. By adding characters across a broad spectrum of devoutness, from ultra-orthodox to agnostic, Ballycreggan is depicted as a community motivated by shared threats and united by common decency. By contrast, the slow, steady, and complete destruction of Berlin is characterized as a tragic but logical consequence of a society continually doubling-down on communities separating from one another based on racial, social, economic, and ideological differences. Grainger's obvious adherence to relentless WWII chronology as her story is carried along with the east-west ebb and flow of various civilian and military populations demonstrates her commitment to historical accuracy. Sure, there are some inconsistencies, but none so glaring as to be overly distracting and unforgivable. I look forward to following post-war era Ballycreggans in "The Hard Way Home."

Such a wonderful book and so exciting but heartbreaking to hear how things were after the War. Beautiful story! It was a good continuation and I can’t wait to read the final book!

Good heartfelt story. Abrupt end but good. The inside prospective of the Jews trapped in Germany during and end of war has 😢

Two Jewish children sent out of Germany to be raised by a cousin in Ireland. The years have gone by and love has grown between the children and their surrogate parents. What will happen when the war ends? Will any of the parents be alive and will the Jewish people have a home to return to?The Mother who put her children on a train to safety, whose husband was killed and she was hidden in the small confines of an attic crawl space for years. The only thing that kept her alive was knowing her children were safe and cared for and that someday the war would be over and she would see them again. This story was beautifully written and the characters are so rich and detailed. To see what war is like when it is fought in your homeland and the devastating impact it has on lives. The horror of what was done to the Jewish people and anyone who did not agree with the Nazis is tragic. The insights into the goodness of people of all races and religions and the fact that their are good people who fight evil and injustice regardless of the cost is heartwarming. This is a series I will definitely read again.

I love this book, second of the serie. I got already the next one. Love the way is written. It really transport you to those times, and the struggle people live through. As well as the realization of their dreams.

This series covered love,family,horrors of War and humanity's resilience . Excellent read.

This is a wonderful historical fiction book giving you another glimpse into WW2 and the effects of the Holocaust. Follow the story of Liels and her brother Erich after they take the last Kindertransport from Berlin. Meet the other characters and how their lives, too, are affected by the war. This is an amazing series and one I could not put down.

Such a nice human story about a tough time in history. A reader can't help but fall in love with the characters.

Daniel, Elizabeth and "Mutti" makes for an interesting story of survival, through the complexities of war. I enjoy the continued history of this Irish communities response to meeting the needs of everyone. The horrors of war then and today saddens me. As a baby coming to Canada from Nederland, I know everyone has a story. Much resonates with me, as I read of the bravery of people living in war torn countries and the stories shared by those who have survived. So thankful to Jean for bringing her characters to life.

I was able to learn more about how WWll effected Ireland and the Jews who sheltered there.

I have just finished this new book - The Emerald Horizon - and just wanted to say how much I enjoyed it. I have read all Jean Grainger's books and have enjoyed them all but the best by far to me are those that are based on a period of time and involve significant research - obviously this book is one.I admire anyone that can bring history to life by putting it an historically accurate but fictional context that enables the reader to relate more easily to past events.

Loved the 4 books - had to read all of them!Love Nora Roberts books....

I loved this book. I read the first book and it was so good. This picked up where the first one left off.I wanted to know if the mother found her children she sent off to be safe. It was so exciting to find out what the mother had to do to save herself and find her children . Would they remember her. Good reading