"Wear it to America," Jane had said of the ring. "Wear it...and remember me and the Claddagh... Remember Ireland. For Ireland is not only where you come from, Terese Sheridan—Ireland is what you are."

An unlikely group of people are essentially tied together from across the ocean in the mid-1800s. Prejudice, poverty, and seemingly impossible dreams are only some of the challenges they face in Song of Erin, an Irish-American saga by author BJ Hoff.

As I read American Anthem by this author years ago, and I found it absolutely magnificent, I had Song of Erin sitting on my shelf for quite a while, purposely putting it off, chiefly for anticipation's sake.

Heart-wrenching, fittingly dramatic, and ultimately beautiful as the story is, there's a certain redundancy in a lot of it. The author has a way of taking the long way around to ideas and saying much at times while barely saying anything new. Still, she'll say it in such a stirring way that you can't be too bothered by it.

I'll confess that a lot of the reading felt to me like a setup for something else, and I eventually reconciled myself to it in the second half: "This isn't a setup leading to a story. This is the story." It includes a plot theme that I've never much cared for in ChristFic romance: "I'm so in love but can't marry him/her because he/she isn't a Christian." It muddies the characters' emotions and motives so that I never fully trust them. And while characters may need to get down to the nitty-gritty of their inner darkness to show their need for God, casting them in such a compellingly negative light doesn't make them prime romantic characters to me. It makes me feel like they need more time to grow and figure out who they are before they turn their focus toward marrying somebody else.

Still, I did enjoy the richness of this moving saga, and I've every intention of reading more from this author in the future. ( )

I have owned the Song of Erin for years, but every time I’ve tried to pick it up and read it just didn’t hold my attention. The first couple of chapters start off so slowly, the author BJ Hoff, begins the novel right in the middle of one of the stories many conflicts which makes it practically impossible to understand what’s going on. She later remedies these confusions with flashbacks, and supporting characters who emerge from the main characters troubled past. I am sure Hoff, by jumping into the multiple characters plots, meant to create a hook. Instead, I got lost but pushed through to the pieces of the story that fit everything together.
After dissecting and eventually rereading the beginning of the book, I began to really get into it. The characters conflict’s were something that I, and every teenager like me, can relate to; finding yourself, discovering your purpose and overall maturing into adults. I especially enjoyed reading about the main character Brady. He was somewhat of a wild child, but when sent off to Ireland, he discovered the meaning of responsibility and his passion as an Irish landscape painter. It made me feel hopeful that if this crazy party boy could find something he loved to do, and knew it was his passion; I might be able to as well.
After the initial confusion of so many plots intertwining with each other and sorting them out, I saw that they all were a part of a larger plot. Most of the characters never even met each other, some in separate countries. I really enjoyed how Hoff was able to have so many stories going on, while still connecting them back to the initial storyline. The big-picture plot focused mainly on, as I said before, finding yourself and maturing. Within that plot there were several characters that either through immigrating to America, falling in love, or finding a passion accomplished those two things. These characters also intertwined with each other, some directly for example two brothers dealing with two separate plots, or indirectly such as one character being employed by one brother in America, while the other brother is romantically involved with the other characters sister, across the Atlantic in Ireland! I really respect the subtle ways that Hoff connects each character and their plots and I wish to incorporate techniques like his in my own writing.
All in all the Song of Erin was one of the most unique books I have read in a while. Once I came to understand its twisting plots, and intriguing characters I really enjoyed it. Hoff was able to give me helpful lessons that I would have otherwise disregarded had they been brought to my attention through a different source; such as my actions affecting those around me, and lessons in taking proper responsibility for things that I do. I’ve always especially enjoyed books that make me take a second glance at my life and inspire me to make some change or another. If were being honest, is there any other purpose to reading fiction than to learn from the characters trials and mistakes? ( )