A Dance in Donegal may be Deibel's debut novel but she has already proven to be a master at pulling her readers alongside for a journey.
Honestly, I was surprised when I scanned the covers to discover that Deibel was new to the world of historical novels. The life and character she pulls into her stories was enchanting. I love how you could feel her time in Ireland helping with the immersion as she crafted her landscapes and villagers. Also, while some may find the way the villagers' accents harder to read I almost squealed with excitement as I spotted the Gaelic popping up throughout the book (it's one of my life goals to learn Gaelic and the glossary made my nerdy heart so happy). It shows Deibel's attention to detail and the effort she spent building an environment for her characters.
Oh the characters, what a ride this story turned out to be.
Moira really is the perfect lead for this narrative bringing readers in as she, herself, discovers her mother's home village for the first time. Her newness in the town really mirrors the readers as both discover the people, traditions, and history of Ballymann. Deibel wrote Moira with some believable flaws that definitely help move the story along yet still feel natural to the character not merely plot device.
Sean feels like a typical male lead but I think part of that is how overshadowed he ends up by Peg and Colm. These two friends/mentors of Sean and Moira were easily the highlight of the book for me with their patient wisdom, deep love, and gentle ways. Honestly, even with how the book ended I would read a book centered on them.
The plot itself was engaging following Moira's move from Boston to her mother's hometown of Ballymann to become the new teacher. The mystery of her mother's past, the arc between Aedach and the town, and obviously Moira's love life keep the story moving at a decent pace.
For those who have issues with stronger subjects there is a scene depicting an assault on a female character that is interrupted and a well developed character in the plot is murdered. Both events are carefully and well written but the plot would be confusing if you tried skipping them.
I really was impressed with this one and would definitely recommend keeping your eyes open for Deibel in the future.
4.5 stars out of 5
This book was provided as part of the #RevellReadsBookTour, all thoughts are my own.
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