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The Linen Queen: A Novel Hardcover – March 2, 2011

by Patricia Falvey (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 467 ratings
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Abandoned by her father and neglected by her self-centered, unstable mother, Sheila McGee cannot wait to escape the drudgery of her mill village life in Northern Ireland. Her classic Irish beauty helps her win the 1941 Linen Queen competition, and the prize money that goes with it finally gives her the opportunity she's been dreaming of. But Sheila does not count on the impact of the Belfast blitz which brings World War II to her doorstep. Now even her good looks are useless in the face of travel restrictions, and her earlier resolve is eroded by her ma's fear of being left alone.
When American troops set up base in her village, some see them as occupiers but Sheila sees them as saviors--one of them may be her ticket out. Despite objections from her childhood friend, Gavin O'Rourke, she sets her sights on an attractive Jewish-American army officer named Joel Solomon, but her plans are interrupted by the arrival of a street-wise young evacuee from Belfast.
Frustrated, Sheila fights to hold on to her dream but slowly her priorities change as the people of Northern Ireland put old divisions aside and bond together in a common purpose to fight the Germans. Sheila's affection for Joel grows as she and Gavin are driven farther apart. As the war moves steadily closer to those she has grown to love, Sheila confronts more abandonment and loss, and finds true strength, compassion, and a meaning for life outside of herself.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    320 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Center Street
  4. Publication date
    March 2, 2011
  5. Dimensions
    6.25 x 1 x 9.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1599952009
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1599952000
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Maintaining the Northern Ireland setting and nationalistic themes of her debut novel, The Yellow House, Falvey jumps from WWI to WWII. The full scope of the war unfolds through the eyes of Sheila McGee, a mill girl who's grown up with a mercurial mother and an absent father. Now 18, Sheila is the loveliest girl at the mill, a shoo-in to win the annual Linen Queen beauty pageant. She plans to use her winnings to leave her small town, and her mother, forever, but the outbreak of war complicates her plans, as do the two men she finds herself torn between: Joel Solomon, a melancholy Jewish-American army officer, and the moody and possessive Gavin O'Rourke, her best friend. Sheila's pendulum swing from a mildly unlikable self-centered girl with a "beauty is power" guiding philosophy into an idealistic young woman driven into action by the plight of child war evacuees is less than convincing, and extreme characterizations and lapses into melodrama reduce the impact of a novel that otherwise deftly rides the line between a fervently romantic love story and a heartfelt love letter to Northern Ireland. (Mar.)
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From Booklist

Abandoned by her father and neglected by her self-absorbed mother, Sheila McGee longs to escape from her small Irish village, where her destiny seems already to be written: forever consigned to working at the mill, forced to hand over her paycheck to her mother. When she gets the opportunity to compete for the title of 1941 Linen Queen, she finally sees a way out, for the prize money will fund her dream of escaping to England. But WWII intervenes, bringing with it travel restrictions and a base set up for American soldiers. She intends to snag American officer Joel Solomon, much to the distress of her childhood friend, Gavin O�Rourke. Joel turns out to be a Jewish soldier of conscience and schools her in the deeper meaning of the fight against Hitler. Falvey well captures the frustrations of a small-town girl with big ambitions, making rueful comedy out of Sheila�s rivalries with her fellow millworkers. She also smoothly traces Sheila�s transformation from self-interested party girl to concerned citizen. A lively read for fans of historical fiction. --Joanne Wilkinson

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Center Street; First Edition (March 2, 2011)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1599952009
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1599952000
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.08 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.25 x 1 x 9.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 467 ratings

About the author

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Patricia Falvey

Patricia Falvey

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Patricia Falvey is an Irish-born writer living in Dallas, Texas. She is the author of the critically acclaimed The Yellow House, and The Linen Queen. Both are historical novels set in Northern Ireland. Her third novel, The Girls of Ennismore, set in the west of Ireland and focusing on the Easter Uprising of 1916, was published in 2017. Her most recent novel, The Titanic Sisters, featuring two Donegal sisters who make their way to America on the ill-fated Titanic, was published in 2021.

Patricia immigrated alone to the U.S. at the age of 20 and forged a long and successful career in the financial services industry, rising to a Managing Director for a major consulting firm where she oversaw a national tax practice. However, she never lost sight of her dream of becoming a published author and in 2008 walked away from her old career to give her dream a chance. In 2010 her courage was rewarded with the publication of The Yellow House. She views this phase of her life as her “Second Act” and strongly encourages anyone with a dream to pursue it no matter what their age. It’s never too late!

When not traveling around the scenic backroads of her beloved Ireland doing research and visiting friends and family, Patricia likes hanging out with good friends in Texas and enjoying the “craic” - which loosely translated from the Gaelic means lively conversation, storytelling, laughter and good times. She also enjoys teaching and mentoring fledgling writers, speaking to book clubs, watching PBS British television programs, and attending the theater.

For more on Patricia and her books, visit her website at : www.patriciafalveybooks.com

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
467 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Amy E. Bourne
5.0 out of 5 stars The perfect blend of entertainment, pathos and depth
Reviewed in the United States on September 17, 2013
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I loved going along for the ride with the plucky protagonist Sheila during the monumental years of her early adulthood in Northern Ireland, coinciding with the start of World War II. Sheila is immediately palatable as a fierce and ambitious but also flawed and vulnerable young beauty who is itching to flee the shackles of small town Ireland, in great part because her father was a seaman who finally left for good because of her mother's intractability (and then disappeared at sea), leaving Sheila broken-hearted and wander-lusting.

Falvey perfectly balances Sheila's capriciousness with her moments of real growth and depth as a person as she begins to look beyond herself at the suffering of others (when she learns to really care about another person, and finds out about Hitler's atrocities, etc.). She also interweaves the historical intricacies of the period--the politics of war, of Northern Ireland's forced cooperation with England, etc.--naturally and painlessly. I felt like I grew along with Sheila, both by learning more WWII history and by witnessing her gradual change from selfish to self-actualized.

Falvey deftly avoids the pre-packaged characters and triteness you might find in more solidly genre-based historical or romantic selections. A fast-moving and worthwhile read!
3 people found this helpful
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crandisi
4.0 out of 5 stars good read
Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2023
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bought used -great price and good condition
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jellybean55
5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't Put It Down!
Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2011
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After having read The Yellow House, I purchased The Linen Queen with the intent of saving it to read during an upcoming flight. Unfortunately, I ended up reading the entire book within 24 hours!
Ms. Falvey's wonderful descriptions and interesting character development really make the book. Although other reviewers commented on not liking the main character (Sheila), I loved how she evolved from selfish to selfless. The speech patterns used are so typical of the area, and left me wanting to call the cousins in County Down!
And her description of the mill village is spot on. Although the name was changed, I'd know that village just from the description (and the fact that my husband was born in that village). Now I'm planning my next trip to the North of Ireland!
Keep up the great work, Patricia; can't wait for the next novel!
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H. McCubbin
3.0 out of 5 stars A bit disappointed after reading The Yellow House
Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2013
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I was very excited to read this one after "The Yellow House" but from the first few chapters, I knew it was going to be drastically different. The similarities between the books are the location, the occupation of the main character (Sheila) and the fact that Eileen, from the previous book, makes an appearance.
I didn't like the main character. At all. She was vain, stuck up, self centered and self righteous. I rarely have read books where that is the main character throughout the entire book. Here, it was. The men she crossed paths with were well written, came to life vividly and I enjoyed reading the book when they were around.
As this book takes place a few years before DDay to a few years after, I found the the transitions between the scenes could be very jarring. All of a sudden, the main character talks about "it was two years since I was last up here with..." and I wonder where those two years went. No one seemed to mature or age when the years passed by, so sometimes I had to remind myself that it had been awhile since she had done or seen so-and-so.
However, with all this said...there was enough angst, character development and history within this book that towards the end, I could see this becoming a movie. I did, finally, begin to like Sheila because she finally grew up/matured. But that didn't happen until the last 1/4 of the book.
4 people found this helpful
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Christine Barratt
5.0 out of 5 stars Love this book!! Highly recommened!
Reviewed in the United States on December 23, 2013
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A wonderful story that I did not want to end! Gave me wonder, as I thought of my grandmother as I read this, as she was a young girl herself in the time this story takes off and she also worked in the Linen Mills. A time of young ladies coming of age in the time of war, friendships,love,hardship, it hits and pulls at all the emotions. Well done! I wish there were more stories like this in this time error.
2 people found this helpful
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Beverly Donato
4.0 out of 5 stars She wore a light weight crown in heavy times
Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2014
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Written with an interesting cultural vision ,at an unusual time. The war was affecting people all over differetly in places we never imagined. The young lady in the story grow up as the story grows. Peoples lives changed forever in so many ways . It was a pleasent read ,none the less. Her details take you so many places ,without overwhelming you with details
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Margaret G. Irwin
5.0 out of 5 stars The Linen Queen
Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2011
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I am still reading this book. It is excellent. I ordered it in the first place because it is about the part of Northern Ireland that my husband was from and we visited there in 1995 staying in Portadown with his sister. My husband died this past May so there is a bitter sweetness to reading this book. I relate to Sheila, the main character - the linen queen. I would like to have the opportunity to give a review after I have finished reading the book, My husband had told me about the bombing of Belfast. Ask me to do a review in about two week's time, then I will for sure have finished reading the book.
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Maureen O'Donnell
5.0 out of 5 stars Bravo
Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2017
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The first book I read by Patricia Falvey, and I can't wait to read the other two. I hope she continues writing more books. I have an avid interest in Irish history, particularly during the "troubling" times, but anyone would enjoy this book. The writing brings you into the story, and at heart, it is a story of people--their character and how it was made, their wants and desires, what makes us happy or sad, how some people are just good, others not so good, and the reasons people make their choices, for better or worse. Many people have said that good people have a love of God, love of country and love for each other; it does seem that those are the happiest people.
Patricia Falvey's writing is entertaining, intelligent and humanizing. Bravo
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

margaret quinn
5.0 out of 5 stars amazon delivers
Reviewed in Canada on September 28, 2018
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excellent and fast delivery
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Tony
5.0 out of 5 stars Good story
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 21, 2020
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Enjoyed from start to finish.
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Kindle Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Questions
Reviewed in Canada on July 16, 2015
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What happened to Sheila and Gavin. Did they marry. Did Sheila stay at the mill. Many unanswered questions. Not acceptable.
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Mandy
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Story
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 9, 2013
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Its a great tale - would make a great film. If you like recent historical stories about believable people this is a book worth reading.
One person found this helpful
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Bridget Mc Glynn
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 2, 2017
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