Copyright Page

Copyright © 2018 Rachael English

The right of Rachael English to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

First published in Ireland in 2018 by

Hachette Books Ireland

First published in Great Britain in 2022 by

HEADLINE REVIEW

An imprint of HEADLINE PUBLISHING GROUP

This Ebook edition published in 2022 by Headline Review

Apart from any use permitted under UK copyright law, this publication may only be reproduced, stored, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, with prior permission in writing of the publishers or, in the case of reprographic production, in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency.

All characters in this publication – apart from the obvious historical figures – are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Cataloguing in Publication Data is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978 1 4722 9471 5

Cover images © Olga Sabelnikova/Shutterstock

Cover design by Phil Beresford

Author Photograph © Eoin Rafferty

HEADLINE PUBLISHING GROUP

An Hachette UK Company

Carmelite House

50 Victoria Embankment

London EC4Y 0DZ

About the Author

Rachael English is a bestselling novelist and presenter on Ireland’s most popular radio show, Morning Ireland. During more than twenty years as a journalist, she has worked on most of RTE Radio’s leading current affairs programmes, covering a huge range of national and international stories. The American Girl, The Night of the Party and The Paper Bracelet were all top 5 Irish bestsellers.

Also by

By Rachael English

Going Back
Each & Every One
The American Girl
The Night of the Party
The Paper Bracelet
The Letter Home

Praise

Praise for Rachael English

‘A true storyteller who keeps you turning the pages’

Cathy Kelly

‘A compelling read’

Sheila O’Flanagan

‘Fantastic storytelling looking back at Ireland’s dark past’

Liz Nugent

‘Utterly moving and compelling. That first line...wow! I was hooked’

Patricia Scanlan

‘A powerful, important, beautiful book’

Sinéad Crowley

‘An impressive debut from a skilled novelist . . . English is certainly a force to be reckoned with’

Irish Independent

‘Anyone who has wondered what life might have been like if they’d stayed together with a summer love will be charmed by [Rachael English’s] warm, heartfelt debut novel’

The Irish Times

‘Richly imagined and searingly empathetic, The American Girl makes for compelling reading’

Sunday Business Post

‘An evocative read . . . powerful . . . If you read authors such as Diane Chamberlain, Sheila O’Flanagan or Maeve Binchy then you should also check this out’

Between My Lines

‘Enchanting, emotional, heart-breaking, ultimately uplifting and just perfect . . . Rachael English is a wonderful story-teller’

Being Anne

‘Subtle and delicate, it is a passionate and intense family drama . . . Filled with sorrow, joy and tenderness and highly recommended by me’

Random Things Through My Letterbox

‘A remarkable read with a very captivating story at its core’

Swirl and Thread

About the Book