A Maid on Fifth Avenue
1920s Ballydrynawn, West Kerry. Annie Thornton ties a white lace handkerchief to the Fairy Tree, hoping the magic will cure her mother. But does she really believe in them, fairies? Helpless, she watches her friend May fall into an abusive marriage. Marrying Seánie Lynch is not the happy life she had hoped for.
Annie leaves her home in Ireland for a job as a maid with the Cavendish family in New York. Her workdays are long, but she likes her employers and makes friends. But America has abusive relationships, too, as her Italian friend Elena shows her. She lives for her Thursday afternoons.
A century later, post-pandemic, Emer is also running; she finds a home for the summer with her family in Ballydrynawn. She learns surfboarding, considers whether to flirt with the instructor Rob. There’s something familiar about his wealthy Mam, Siobhán Lynch. The Fairy Tree is on their land. Rob’s assistant Alison turns up some evidence that connects the Thorntons and Lynches, historically, but not everyone in town believes it.
The dual timelines take a few chapters to get into, then you’re hooked. The ties between Kerry and New York bind the girls to their new homes while they miss the old. Emer’s and Annie’s lives entwine, past and present, and long-buried secrets are about to be revealed.
The connection between Annie’s and Emer’s worlds doesn’t become apparent until about halfway through, so be patient. The twist at the end is highly satisfying, and it all comes back to the Fairy Tree.
The novel suffers from having villains (May’s husband Seánie and Elena’s suitor Lorenzo) who are just too horrible to be credible. I believe we don’t have to like our villains, but we do have to understand them.
