Sara Hely’s THE LEGEND OF THE GREEN MAN – Superb Storytelling in this Irish Classic

 

Set at the dawn of the Regency period (years after the defeat of the Irish Rebellion in 1798), this is the story of an aristocratic young English widow, Lady Kitty Harcomb, who fleeing the scandal-ridden ton in London, decides to pay a visit to her Irish suitor, Sir William Fossick. Perhaps she would even marry him and settle down at last. Of course, she does not love him, but love played no part in her plans. So, she sets off with her young son and his nanny for Ireland.

 

On a stormy night in Ireland as her coachman refuses to continue, she is saved from the elements by a local hero, Luke Denny, who is the head of the poor Dennys, a family whose other branch sided with the English and gained an earldom. Luke and Kitty meet in a ruined Irish castle, where he holds her at gunpoint. But he soon realizes she is not the person he thought her to be. He takes her and her young son to his home where she becomes involved in the Denny family and a world of danger, not to mention her own attraction to Luke Denny.

 

This story reminded me of Victoria Holt’s tales. It’s told mostly from the heroine’s perspective. I was immediately drawn in and could not stop turning pages as the plot thickened and the past came to haunt the present. I had to know what happened to the beautiful Lady Kitty and the mysterious Luke Denny. Irish politics abound as old stories rise to affect the present.

 

Luke is a clever, noble hero and Lady Kitty is a heroine with spunk. I could not help but love them. And, I loved this story. Written in the 1970s it is still fresh today. I only wish Hely had written more.