Dimensions
161 x 48 x 241mm
An enthralling epic tale of the American gold rush . . .
In 1869 Tom Walsh and his sister Maria abandon an Ireland ravaged by famine and exploitation. Their mother's death and their father's shattered health are the cruel legacies of the Penal Laws and decades of hardship, and Tom has vowed not to return until he can do so a rich man.
Tom and Maria emigrate to America - the land of opportunity. Together, they begin a journey that will take them across the prairies of the New World towards Ouray, Colorado and, eventually, to a great gold mine that makes Tom rich beyond his wildest dreams.
Thirty years later, he is one of the world's richest men, a friend of Presidents and royalty, a US commissioner to the 1900 World Trade Fair, and lavish host in one of Washington's foremost mansions - but he still returns on a visit to his beloved Ireland in homage to his past.
Fortune, however, has her price. When Tom's daughter, Evalyn, wife of the heir to the 'Washington Post', persuades him to buy the world's most infamous gemstone, the Hope Diamond - thought to be cursed by the Indian goddess, Sita - he learns that tragedy and heartache serve a master far greater than money or stature . . .
Bestselling Irish author Mary Ryan takes us through the misery of famine stricken Ireland, the uphill road to fortune, and the lives of the super-rich in the early 1900s in this passionate and powerful epic saga, based on the true-life story of Thomas F Walsh, her great-granduncle who made his fortune in the goldmines of Colorado.
