Synopsis "Angels on a Tombstone"
Devoted to free Ireland from British dominance, Jeremiah Knox joined the Fenian Brotherhood in the late 1880s committed to remove the British by military insurrection. Realizing the limits of armed rebellion, he enrolled at Edinburg University to study law in the belief that political persuasion coupled with military action would be the most effective course to remove the oppressors. During a summer break in his studies he planned an ambush of a British munitions train. Snitches in the Fenian Brotherhood revealed the plot to the British exposing Jeremiah and his fellow conspirators. The majority of the Fenian prisoners were sentenced to long jail terms. A first time offender, Jeremiah's sentence was immediate deportation, exiled to the United States where a family member had sponsored him. On arriving in Boston, Jeremiah learned that his family, opposed to his politics and in concert with the court in Dublin, had him dispatched to a stone quarry in Central Massachusetts. Alone and isolated in quiet region of the country, he was far away from his political connections in Ireland as well as from the Fenians active in cities along the East Coast. There, sentenced to back-breaking labor cutting stones for graveyards, he knew he must find a new platform in life to replace his career in law. Angels on a Tombstone is a sweeping novel that traces one man's life from exile to the search for meaning and involvement in the New World. It tracks his evolution from stoic acceptance of his condition to a life full of opportunity, love and, inevitably, loss. From Midwest Book Review: Critique: A deftly crafted novel with impressive attention to historical detail, "Angels on a Tombstone" by J. F. Foran is an inherently engaging and unfailingly entertaining read that showcases the author's genuine flair as a novelist for character and narrative driven storytelling. While very highly recommended, especially for community library Historical Fiction collections, From California Book Watch: Angels on a Tombstone tells of 19-year-old Jeremiah, an Irish lad who is studying law in Scotland, and who is personally committed to the idea of removing the British from his homeland and pursing his legal career with this purpose in mind. All his efforts don't involve legal process, however, as he becomes a leader in the Brotherhood and creates a plan that lands him in jail and then on a ship to Boston to live with his lawyer uncle. Even banishment cannot quell his desire for justice and change in this moving story, based on research into the Irish-American immigration experience during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Readers interested in learning more about the immigrant experience through the compelling story provided in fiction will find Angels on a Tombstone a vivid blend of coming of age, political and social changes, and a young man's journey to a strange land and new purposes.
