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by Cynthia G. Neale
by Cynthia G. Neale
The American dream and the immigrant reality collide for Norah McCabe as her adventure continues.
Fourteen-year-old Norah and her family have settled into life in New York City's notorious Five Point neighborhood. The family does what it can to make due, from sweeping at a bank to doing laundry and sewing for rich people and working in a factory. Norah misses the fresh air and green countryside of Ireland and dreams of going back. To make money for a ship's ticket, she disguises herself as a boy to sell newspapers and then learns how to hawk wares on the streets.
Even as she dreams of returning to Ireland, Norah is drawn into the magic of New York City—from riding in a fancy carriage to visiting Barnum's American Museum where she has a conversation with Walt Whitman. She meets new friends and is introduced to the theatre and other entertainment, where fate may have different plans for her.
Roam the streets of 1840s New York City as Norah begins her journey to becoming an American. Where hope is more than just a word if you can dream big and work hard.
“The novel is full of convincing historical detail. Young readers should enjoy getting to know a courageous and engaging teenaged heroine, and they will learn a great deal about the Irish immigrant experience” — Historical Novel Society
“Irish immigrant life in 1840s New York lives and breathes through these pages. Cynthia Neale’s writing is vivid and lively—so much so that we forget we are reading history and, instead just snuggle up for another well told tale about Norah McCabe.” — Aine Greaney, Author of the The Sheepherders Dance and The Big House
“A story of triumph over adversity that teaches the importance of love, history, and unity” — Haywod Fennell, Sr., author/playwright
Details
Details
Bink Books
154 pp. ● 6x9
$13.95 (pb) ● $7.99 (eb)
ISBN 978-1-960373-63-2 (pb)
YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Coming of Age
YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Historical / United States / 19th Century
Publication date: April 2025
Cynthia G. Neale is a native of the Finger Lakes region of New York and currently resides in New Hampshire. Ms. Neale is the author of The Irish Milliner; Norah: The Making of an Irish-American Woman in 19th-Century New York; The Irish Dresser, A Story of Hope during The Great Hunger (An Gorta Mor, 1845-1850 and Hope in New York City, The Continuing Story of The Irish Dresser. She has created The Irish Dresser Series screenplay that is adapted from her four novels. Ms. Neale has also written a dessert and essay book, Pavlova in a Hat Box, Sweet Memories & Desserts. Her recent novel, Catharine, Queen of the Tumbling Waters is set in colonial times during the French and Indian War and the American Revolution. In addition to these works, Ms. Neale writes plays, screenplays, short stories, and essays. She holds a B.A. in Writing and Literature from Vermont College and enjoys Irish set dancing, ballroom dancing, reading, painting, travel, hiking, and kayaking. An accomplished baker, she also enjoys creating events for food, dance, and fund raising events.
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