Booklist Review

Readers who have been following the story of Gracelin O'Malley ( Gracelin O\lquote Malley, 2001; Leaving Ireland, 2002) will be thrilled with the concluding volume in Moore's trilogy. Displaying her fine descriptive abilities and sense of historical ambience, Moore picks up Gracelin's story after she has left Oregon for San Francisco due to her daughter's grave illness. Ever-resourceful and resilient, Gracelin not only finds a doctor for her daughter but she also finds work as a cook in his home. Set against the backdrop of what is soon to be a golden age in San Francisco, the novel uses Gracelin's position, and her own strong and emotive voice, to explore the lives of people at all levels of society with a decidedly realistic and feminine point of view. With an almost-Dickensian faith that all will turn out right in the end, and with the same convoluted and miraculous plotting, the story is warm, gentle, and comforting and will appeal to fans of romantic historical fiction. --Neal Wyatt Copyright 2005 Booklist