Select one of the keywords
Irish Above All    by Mary Pat Kelly Amazon.com order for
Irish Above All
by Mary Pat Kelly
Order:  USA  Can
Forge, 2019 (2019)
Hardcover, e-Book
* *   Reviewed by Hilary Williamson

Mary Pat Kelly's Irish Above All continues to tell the story (started in Of Irish Blood) of Irish-American Nora 'Nonie' Kelly, born in Chicago. As this part of her life begins in 1923, she has just returned to her home town after spending ten years in Paris, where she learned the art of photography from a master.

The Prologue introduces the highlight of the story, an event that continues to haunt Nora afterwards. Acting as a photographer in 1933, her words 'Move closer' save the life of Franklin Roosevelt, and result in the assassin's bullet hitting (and eventually killing) the Mayor of Chicago (Anton Cermak) instead.

The story continues to balance family inter-relationships and world events (influenced in surprising ways by Norah, though she's rarely credited). Nonie's cousin Ed Kelly is closely involved in Chicago politics, so she is frequently pulled into his orbit, interacting with dignitaries, from Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor to Joseph and Jack Kennedy.

After the beginning of World War II, Nonie accompanies Eleanor Roosevelt to northern Ireland, with a personal objective as well - to find the grave site of her beloved Peter Keeley, shot many years before. This leads to all sorts of surprising revelations and encounters - and, eventually, a happy ending for Norah Kelly.

Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons.

Find more Historical books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews