As someone who has watched Forrest Gump at least fourteen times (I had to stop counting at some point), you can imagine the excitement when he appeared in this lovely quote on Through the Barricades by the, very generous, Martina Reilly:
‘Things I look for in a good book – character, plot and the author’s ability to make me care. Denise Deegan does this in spades in Through the Barricades. OK, the historical backdrop lends itself to a pacy narrative – Ireland from 1914 to 1916 – a tumultuous time in her history – but it takes a clever writer to weave the history and not let it get in the way of the plot.I fell in love with Maggie, Daniel and their friend Michael from their first introduction. I loved Maggie’s fire and Daniel’s devotion to her. I loved how their relationship developed and I enjoyed the almost Forrest Gump-ness of the book as Maggie interacted with important Irish figures. The pieces written about the trenches in the First World War were really moving as was the devotion Maggie’s family had to each other. Bravo Denise.’ (Martina Reilly, best-selling author of Proof)
More on Through The Barricades here:
Now I’m off to make it fifteen times. A very happy 2017 to you all.
Denise Deegan 