Book Review - The Maid of Ballymacool

“So much death and pain, but mingled throughout a rich, lasting beauty. To try to remove one would destroy the other.“

There’s nothing more effective to sum up Jennifer Deibel’s most recent gift to us than this quote. Brianna Kelly toils perpetually under the relentless demands of the harsh headmistress of Ballymacool. An orphan, thankful for the roof over her head and never questioning her place in the world beyond the grueling demands heaped upon her, Brianna’s world is shaken by the arrival of Michael Wray. Michael’s ideas about a person’s value do not quite fit in with the attitudes of others in the ascendency class. What begins as simply doing the right thing and treating others with respect opens the door for him to see the beauty of Brianna’s character. But his convention-breaking ideals can’t change the fact that she is not of his class and is bound to live an untethered existence in the shadow of the great house.

Deibel’s exploration of identity extends far beyond the illogical romance between a man of means and a woman of none. Growing up without parents or any inkling where they came from and where they went has left Brianna wondering who she is for so long she no longer bothers. When she is brought face to face with the facts of her early life, and what it means for who she is and who she will become, the pain of knowing battles fiercely with the pain of not knowing. Only Brianna can decide what to do with that knowledge.

The Maid of Ballymacool by Jennifer Deibel is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

Baker Book House           Christian Book            Barnes & Noblle            Amazon

Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me a copy to read and review. All opinions expressed here are my own and are completely genuine.