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The Killing Snows: The Defining Novel of the Great Irish Famine (The Irish Famine Series, Book 1 of 3) Kindle Edition

by Charles Egan (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.3 4,345 ratings

Book 1 of 3: The Irish Famine Series

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This book is fiction. The story that inspired it was not. In 1846, a young couple met during the worst days of the Great Irish Famine. 'The Killing Snows' is a way to imagine what led to their meeting and what followed from it. In 1990, a box of very old documents was found on a small farm in the west of Ireland. They had been stored for well over a hundred years and told an incredible story of suffering, of love and of courage. The story of how one family survived. The story of two young people who defied their fate. The story of The Killing Snows.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Press Reviews"Famine Novel likened to Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath." Connaught Telegraph."A vital reminder of the fragility of life, love and survival." Irish Post.Reader ReviewsBangorstyle. So beautifully written.
Barbara. Brilliant and harrowing.
Bridgid. Absolutely terrific trilogy.
Colin. Best books I have ever read.
Heather. Raw beauty that holds such tragedy.
CrowMother. Profound, intelligent and factual. Best read in years.
Devonia. This is a Homerun!
Anna. Captures the beauty of love in all its aspects in every single word.

From the Author

10 years of research.15 years in the writing.The Killing Snows. The Exile Breed. Cold is the Dawn.The defining novels of the Great Irish Famine.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07RTZY9CH
Publisher ‏ : ‎ (May 12, 2019)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 12, 2019
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 2221 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 421 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #24,070 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #33 in Historical Irish Fiction
- #95 in Cultural Heritage Fiction

Customer Reviews:
4.3 4,345 ratings

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Charles Egan
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10 years of research.15 years in the writing.
The Killing Snows. The Exile Breed. Cold is the Dawn.
The defining novels of the Great Irish Famine.
Charles Egan was born in Nottingham, England of Irish parents.
When he was five, the family returned to Ireland, as his father had been appointed Resident Medical Superintendant of St. Lukes, a psychiatric hospital in Clonmel, in County Tipperary.
Every summer they visited his father’s family’s farm, outside Kiltimagh in County Mayo for a month. Charles’ grandmother and uncles spent many evenings, talking about family and local history. It was probably from this, that he became so interested in history.
The family subsequently moved to County Wicklow, where he initially attended the De La Salle Brothers school in Wicklow town. He then went to Clongowes Wood College (James Joyce’s alma mater) where he sat his Intermediate and Leaving Certificate examinations.
He studied Commerce in University College Dublin, graduating in 1973.
After an initial career in the private sector, including Marubeni Dublin, (where he met his future wife, Carmel), he joined the Industrial Development Authority (IDA) in Dublin. After a few years, the desire to be his own boss, led him to resign and set up his own business, which has now been running for 30 years.
Apart from business, his main interests are history and international travel, both of which he has covered extensively.
See more on the author's page
Charles Egan
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Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.
CHARLES EGAN was born in Nottingham, England of Irish parents.
When he was five, the family returned to Ireland, as his father had been appointed Resident Medical Superintendent of St. Luke’s, a psychiatric hospital in Clonmel, in County Tipperary.
Every summer they visited his father’s family’s farm, outside Kiltimagh in County Mayo for a month. Charles’ grandmother and uncles spent many evenings, talking about family and local history. It was probably from this, that he became so interested in history.
The family subsequently moved to County Wicklow, where he initially attended the De La Salle Brothers school in Wicklow town. He then went to Clongowes Wood College (James Joyce’s alma mater) where he sat his Intermediate and Leaving Certificate examinations.
He studied Commerce in University College Dublin, graduating in 1973.
After an initial career in the private sector, including Marubeni Dublin, (where he met his future wife, Carmel), he joined the Industrial Development Authority (IDA) in Dublin. After a few years, the desire to be his own boss, led him to resign and set up his own business in London, which he ran for 40 years, before returning to Ireland in 2015.
Apart from business, his main interests are history and international travel, both of which he has covered extensively.
See more on the author's page

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4.3 out of 5

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J. Kenny

a good read.

Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2024

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A good read, aligns well with the history of the genocide. It could have added a character on the ascendancy side to provide a view of their experience.

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Jan Trieschman

The Killing Snow review

Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2024

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I really enjoyed this book and will continue to read the series. I am of Irish descent and wanted to know more about the famine and this book was certainly enlightening.

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Patsy Chastang

A Sad But True Fiction Story

Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2021

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The Killing Snow -This is a fiction story although there was a great potato Blight Famine and families suffer greatly. This book tells us about the great Irish Famine that the Irish people had to suffer in 1846 -1847 and beyond as the families were getting their lives back together. This follows the Ryan family throughout the book. All across the country people suffer. So many died of hunger, no food, potatoes were their main source of food. The potatoes rotted in the ground, none could be saved. Everyone's fields were the same. Many died from Black Fever. Mothers, fathers and children of all age couldn't escape this disease. People were sick and couldn't work, there were thousands that died in these two years.

This was a good history lesson for all adults, it's not for children. It pulled at my heart all the way through the story. The first few chapters were hard to read then the story picked up. As I read the story came alive. The characters begin to have strong personalities of their own. Once I started reading I couldn't put it down. A very sad story but one I will remember for a long time.

10 people found this helpful

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CMack

Boring

Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2019

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This is a great book if you are looking for history. It will give you a detailed, intricate look at the horrors of the Irish famines. It is not a novel, though. There is little plot, the characters are flat and can be described totally in a couple of words. There is no depth to them and it seems like they are there just as vehicles to make the history more readable. Unfortunately, that doesn't work. I kept wanting to skip pages but I made myself finish it. I won't be reading any more of this author.

2 people found this helpful

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Maira B

great book

Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2024

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Great read. I read them out of order. I need to find book 3 now. Can not wait to finish the series.

Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2019

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This book is a well written account of an awful period in time. I found the book compelling reading but it is dark, daunting and, at times, hard to read. Having said that the writer does a godd job of creating solid characters and engaging events that illustrate how life goes on, even in the face of enormous adversity. Many elements of this story are still sadly reflected in the world to day.

Reviewed in the United States on December 24, 2023

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A heartbreaking story of the Great Hunger in Ireland . Factual, detailed account of Irish resilience, determination under gruesome odds .

3 people found this helpful

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Lorrie A

Heartbreaking and unforgettable

Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2019

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I never knew how sorrowful it must have been for my remaining ancestors in mid 1800s in Ireland. The graphic detail of poverty, hunger, and fever were chilling especially when all of this was in the face of the coldest winter ever. These poor but hard working people were left to starve to death or died of fever and it must have seemed that nobody in the world care. The brutality these Irish suffered at the hands of the English a n d shamefully their own Irish brothers and sisters was sickening and heartbreaking. It's absolutely amazing that this fierce race of people could and did survive. I'm proud of my Irish blood but have even more respect for my people than ever before. When you read this novel keep a tissue nearby because it's truth is overwhelming

20 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Theresa Marie Wall

A vital reminder of love and survival

Reviewed in Spain on August 15, 2021

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A harrowing tale of famine but with a positive view of the future

Amazon Customer

This should never happen to People again.

Reviewed in Canada on July 3, 2020

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This was a very interesting novel, the author kept us with him all the time. This time in our history was told in such a way that you came to realize the hardships that were indured by the Irish were real and tragic with a vast amount of lives lost. You knew of this period in history, but just not how brutal it was.

Heather Croft

Extensively researched, a valuable social history with a great story.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 21, 2020

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This book and it’s follow ons have been amazingly well written and the research undertaken so well done. I have an extensive Irish family across Canada and the States and reviewing my genealogy I have realised what an impact the railways had on where they all landed and the hard life that they had. However it’s been very useful for my Scottish family as well. In the third book is also a great account of Bradford. This trilogy is good in a number of ways. One it teaches you about the famine, Two it gives you huge insight into the Industrial Revolution and the injustices to humans at that time and three it’s just a good read with nothing held back.

4 people found this helpful

Jack Long

Deep Dive into the Irish Famine

Reviewed in Australia on May 29, 2019

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I knew of the Irish potato famine, but only in broad brush terms. I picked this book primarily to learn more of the famine. I learnt a lot, and particularly two things - the impossible suffering of the Irish people and diaspora the famine caused. This aspect alone had a big impact on nascent America and Britain, among other countries. However, while I initially bought in for the historical information, I was also treated to a humanising of the famine, credible characters, the nature of Irish culture and religion and a humming story. It is among the best books I have read in the past five years or so. A corker.

Mary Costello

Another Great Famine Book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 17, 2021

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Have read many books about the Famine in the 19th century, and am aware of what the score is,this book is very, very long. The descriptions of the deaths from famine and fever are hard reading, making it quite gruesome. Still a great read.

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The Killing Snows: The Defining Novel of the Great Irish Famine (The Irish Famine Series, Book 1 of 3) Kindle Edition

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