Peter Stansky
“I’ve just finished reading Whispers Across A Sea with a great deal of pleasure and interest. I think you succeed admirably in telling a “true” story in fictional form and making the characters come alive. And it is a vivid picture of what it was like to be Anglo-Irish in the late 19th Century. I really cared about what was going to happen to the large cast of engaging characters. And it was nice to have the Author’s Note. But I was curious about the future history of Norah and do you know about her brothers in the US?”
— Peter Stansky, Frances and Charles Field Professor of History, Emeritus, Stanford University
John Perry
“Just finished your book. It’s great. I’d say it’s a great novel, but that only gets at part of it. It is a great novel: good characters, nicely organized short chapters, good sentences, paragraphs, very absorbing. But it adds a whole new dimension to think that these are real people, real events, and conversations and inner thoughts constructed by someone who has clearly spent the time on the documents to have very good ideas about what those conversations and thoughts were about. My maternal grandparents were both children, or grandchildren, of Irish immigrants to Quebec; I don’t know much about them, but I feel I’ve learned something about them from reading your book. Anyway, congratulations and thank you for the super reading experience.”
— John Perry, Henry Waldgrave Stuart Professor of Philosophy, Emeritus, Stanford University
Kathryn M
“I loved the historical fiction element that I was looking for. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and that this had a three generational feel to this family. Christina Holloway writes a great story and I enjoyed how well the characters were in this universe. It had that historical feel that I was looking for and loved the historical idea of this book.” Rating: 5 our of 5 stars
— Kathryn M, NetGalley Reviewer
Scott Pearson
““I’ve just finished reading Whispers Across A Sea. It’s terrific! I especially enjoyed the intricate dynamics within the Young family and the complicated relationships between the Youngs and the Gossetts (the upstairs/downstairs and Anglo Irish/Irish dimensions). The author did a great job of placing the Youngs and their stories within the historical context of Irish-British tensions.” ”
— Scott Pearson, Professor Emeritus, Stanford University and lecturer on Stanford Travel/Study programs
Kimberly Young
“In Christina Holloway’s debut novel, Whispers Across a Sea, a loving Anglo-Irish family living in nineteenth-century Dublin gradually awakens to the uncomfortable truth that their life of privilege is built on the backs of the native Irish who live in poverty and turmoil. This is a beautiful tale of compassion, conflict, and perseverance.”
— Kimberly Young, author of “In The Event of Death”.
Stina Katchadourian
“In this many-facetted and moving historical novel, Christina Holloway shines a light on her beloved grandmother’s life in late Victorian Ireland. Through the microcosm of the author’s Irish forebears, we glimpse a society of increasing political and religious tensions as a result of centuries of oppression under British rule. An intimate snapshot of a time and place in pre-independent Ireland, this book opens up many windows to the fraught history of this fascinating country.”
— Stina Katchadourian, author of “Efronia: An Armenian Love Story” and “The Lapp King’s Daughter”.
Aliya Miah
“I’m a huge fan of family sagas, and “Whispers Across a Sea” totally captured my heart! This sweeping tale of love, family, and growth set in Victorian Ireland is a must-read for anyone who loves getting lost in a good story. The author masterfully weaves together the complex lives of the Anglo-Irish Young family, exploring themes of identity, class, and social change.
As I delved into the world of the Youngs, I was struck by the vivid characters and their intricate relationships. Lucie, the protagonist, is a relatable and endearing heroine who embarks on a journey of self-discovery as she uncovers her family’s secrets and confronts the harsh realities of their privileged lives.
The novel’s historical setting is equally captivating, transporting readers to a tumultuous period in Irish history. The author’s attention to detail and nuanced portrayal of the political and social climate of the time add depth and richness to the story.
What I love most about Whispers Across a Sea is its thoughtful exploration of family dynamics. The author shows how even the closest relationships can be complicated by secrets, misunderstandings, and unspoken truths. Through the Youngs’ experiences, we see how love, loyalty, and forgiveness can heal wounds and bridge divides.
As a fan of family sagas, I loved how this book explored the intricacies of family relationships and the ways that our experiences shape us.”
— Aliya Miah, Reviewer on NetGalley
Kristine Zeigler
“A multigenerational cross-cultural epic that weaves the origin story of one woman with the broader histories of Canadian, Irish, English, and American families. What a gift to be lost in the world of the Young family, like being with Alcott’s little women or Austen’s sisters, the friendships and relationships are the beating heart of this generous novel.”
— Kristine Zeigler, author of Cover This Country Like Snow and Other Stories and cofounder of New Nature Writers and Planet Women
Audrey Gale
“Some stories travel across the sea and through the generations, like a whisper that holds dear the inklings of who we were, are, and may become. Not even the sea can separate us from our individual stories and our universal truths in theendlessly churning narration that bridges us all.”
— Audrey Gale, author of The Human Trial
Sherri Hallgren
“Whispers Across a Sea journeys through time and space to bring nineteenth-century Dublin into vivid life, with its political rumblings and Irish charm. Holloway has the knack for making the past feel present, her working servants, artists, and teachers all fully formed. But most of all, this is a story of family, one with equal inclinations to adventure, freedom, and the powerful bindings of love. Drawing from letters, paintings, and tales of [her] own family’s generational moves, Christy Holloway writes a warm and compelling tale for all of us.”
— Sherri Hallgren, teacher, English Department, Phillips Academy Andover
Hadley Dynak
“Historical novels help us better understand our current world. Whispers Across A Sea offers a moving portrait of one Anglo-Irish family as they courageously confront conflict and change. Absorbing, familiar, and delightful.”
— Hadley Dynak is author of It’s a Good Day to Change the World:
Inspiration and Advice for a Feminist Future.
Kirkus Reviews
“Holloway’s multigenerational novel of a Victorian Anglo-Irish family, based on the author’s family history, tells a story of good people living in difficult, changing times.
The Youngs are among those who emigrated from England to Ireland around the mid-19th century. As English people, they’re considered part of the upper class who hold sway over the indigenous Irish. The widowed Thomas is an artist and teacher, and his three daughters are Frances, Elfie, and the eldest, Lily, who marries Dr. James Niven and immigrates to Canada in 1873.Frances and Elfie establish a young ladies’ school in the family home, RockView, and it prospers. The Youngs’ Irish servants include Biddy Gossett and her cousin, Mary, joined in 1885 by Biddy’s daughter, Norah. The tension in the novel effectively arises from the brutal exploitation of the native Irish, who are now agitating for basic rights in their own land. The Youngs are shown to be decent and sympathetic people, but still clueless about the depth of the rage beneath the surface of daily life. Biddy, for example, truly loves the Youngs, whom she has worked for all her life, and they love her; but back home, she contends with the fury of her sons, despairing of their future and spoiling for a fight against the British occupiers. Then her daughter, Norah, is arrested in a violent demonstration in the west of Ireland. Over the course of this novel, Holloway tells the story of the Youngs and Gossetts with impressive grace and insight, drawing on the story of her grandmother, Lucie Niven Franz, whom she knew before her death in California in 1949, and this personal element enriches the chronicle. Grandpa Thomas provides an apt coda: “Life is never what you expect… and full of the unexpected.”
A well-told immigrant story with fully realized characters.”
— Kirkus Reviews, Kirkus Media