Reviews for A passionate girl

The average rating for A passionate girl based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2015-10-31 00:00:00 Allan Glass I give it five stars as an excellent narrative as well as description of historic events and sites even though some of the events, both fictional and those based on fact, are truly repugnant. The story leads the reader on a trip through the defeated cities of the South soon after the end of the American Civil War and describes their dismal conditions in detail. The author also recreates the streets, neighborhoods and historic buildings of New York City during the same period. I found these details to be as interesting as Bess Fitzmaurice and her fierce and violent association with the American Fenian movement. Tom Fleming, as usual, weaves a number of historical persons and events into an excellent narrative. This one is told in the first person by the female leading character, the Fenian Girl, Bess Fitzmaurice. It is a wonder to me how a male can be successful in portraying the inner thoughts, desires and emotions of a sexually active young lady to include her religious and philosophical thoughts, sexual actions and dreams for a future. But I am a male too. So, what would I know?

Review # 2 was written on 2013-06-29 00:00:00 Peter Rainbow I turned to Flemings book as a supplement to some research I was doing on the time and place (New York circa 1866). Fleming does a great job introducing characters of the period and bringing to harsh focus the realities of turn-of-the-twentieth-century political corruption. I was endeared by the song-like prose early in the novel, the part set in Ireland, but became bored with the matter-of-fact telling of events throughout most of the book's middle portion. I might surmise that Fleming was changing the tenor to reflect an early idealism demonstrated by the protagonist, turned cynical and settling on her eventual journalistic tendencies. All in all, a solid read if not for the dour ending. I'm tempted to think the book unfolds as history dictates, so rarely wrapped up nicely compared to more fantastic fiction. However, through foreshadowing perhaps the ending reflects the plight of the Irish as told throughout their very own folk tales.