"a collection of letters ... that give the reader a vivid insight into the experience of emigration, through the eyes of a young woman who left her native Galway at the turn of the century to follow her sisters to America ... gives a glimpse into the life of a young Irish woman as she strives to better both herself and her prospective husband amid the challenges of a strange environment." Bookview Ireland June 2005 "This is an original and important contribution to the study of the lives of Irishwomen in America. It cannot be classified as a classic yet it may become one." Books Ireland Sept 2005 "These letters will be welcomed by the social historian as well as the general reader as a useful contribution to studies of the lives of Irish emigrants. Thoughtfully edited and introduced by Maureen Murphy, UCD Press are to be congratulated on making [it] available." Irish Democrat 2005 "Irish women have too long been consigned to silence in the history of Irish migration ... Nevertheless, Irish migration history, far more than most other histories of mass migration, is dependent at least as much on the experience of women as of men. To leave the female out of the history ... is to miss the very heart of the subject itself ... Maureen Murphy's new volume is a welcome addition to our understanding of the epic story of the millions of women like Annie O'Donnell who left Ireland for America over the past four centuries. This is an important book in both migration studies and women's history. It is also a love story and a wonderful read." Irish Literary Supplement Spring 2006 "University College Dublin Press has now published over thirty 'Classics of Irish History'. These contemporary accounts by well known personalities of historical events and attitudes have an immediacy that conventional histories do not have. Introductions by modern historians provide additional historical background and, with hindsight, objectivity." Books Ireland Nov 2007 "Scholars of nineteenth-century Irish and Irish-American politics should reacquaint themselves with these classics, part of a long running and immensely useful series from University College Dublin Press." Irish Literary Supplement Fall 2008