Saints for All Occasions

I met Ms. Sullivan at the Writer's Digest Conference in New York City in 2018.  She was part of a 3-women panel who shared their varied approaches with the craft and the process of writing.  Saints for All Occasions is her latest book. It follows two sisters as they leave their families in Ireland to start new lives in Boston.  As Ms. Sullivan talked about the book, her emotional connection to these fictional characters pulled me into the story and I confess that I found the title intriguing.

Nora and Theresa Flynn were 21 & 17 when they ventured off to America.  It's a well known story plot but I wanted to see how the author handled the heartache and the cultural shock that the girls would experience as their world changed. Ms. Sullivan did not disappoint my expectations.  I found the characters well developed and their reactions to the situations they encountered believable.  Each character remained true to her role throughout the book.

I enjoyed the story.  I think the end was a little rushed though.  Much was left unsaid which is often the case when someone has to adjust from one culture to another, but I wanted the last few scenes to last a little longer.

This was a good read and I recommend it especially to people who have Irish immigrants in their family.  There is much Irishness in these pages.