What the Wind Knows

By: Amy Harmon

Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld, Will Damron

Length: 12 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

An Amazon Charts, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post bestseller.

In an unforgettable love story, a woman’s impossible journey through the ages could change everything....

Anne Gallagher grew up enchanted by her grandfather’s stories of Ireland. Heartbroken at his death, she travels to his childhood home to spread his ashes. There, overcome with memories of the man she adored and consumed by a history she never knew, she is pulled into another time.

The Ireland of 1921, teetering on the edge of war, is a dangerous place in which to awaken. But there Anne finds herself, hurt, disoriented, and under the care of Dr. Thomas Smith, guardian to a young boy who is oddly familiar. Mistaken for the boy’s long-missing mother, Anne adopts her identity, convinced the woman’s disappearance is connected to her own.

As tensions rise, Thomas joins the struggle for Ireland’s independence and Anne is drawn into the conflict beside him. Caught between history and her heart, she must decide whether she’s willing to let go of the life she knew for a love she never thought she’d find. But in the end, is the choice actually hers to make?

©2019 Amy Harmon. (P)2018 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Beautiful

This book is so amazing. I completely fell for the characters, Thomas's journal and Yates. Every chapter began with a journal entry, a beautiful poem by W. B. Yates, then bounded into the fabric of time itself. Amy Harmon reached into this fabulous, timeless, fabric to grasp individual threads. Amy wove and unwound these threads and created a story of bravery, love, resilience and the human condition. Bravo Amy.
Another imaginative book to hoist onto my coveted bookshelf labeled THE BEST. I Have a sneaking
suspicion that everytime I re-read this book in the future, I will take away new information with every reading- that is the truth.
I sooo love a book that can sweep me away into a story so fully that not only does it feed my huge imagination but also thrills the student in me. My logical side got fed with new appreciation for the likes of Yates. The knife point importance of remembering actual sequential events in history for the part they play in the wider scope of the future.m
I recommend this book. I appreciate the author too.

A timeless love story...

What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon is a time travel romance that takes place between the early 2000s and 1920s Ireland. Many people have compared this to OUtlander, but I personally wouldn't compare them. Yes, there is time travel, and yes, there is romance- there is also political unrest and a movement for independence, but that's about where the similarities end. I think the major difference between the two stories is the tone. "What the Wind Knows" is poetic and lyrical with a focus not just on romantic love but also on fraternal love, which is an important element of the book.

The story follows Anne Galleher, a successful writer who lives in New York. Her grandfather - Owen Galleher- who is an Irish immigrant, raised her after her parents died when she was six years old. The two share an incredible bond; they're are all each other has in the world, and that makes their relationship very strong.

Sadly, Anne's grandfather dies, and she travels to Ireland to spread his ashes. Then something happens, and she's transported to 1921 Ireland, which is in the midst of a revolution as they fight for independence and to establish the Irish Republic. Anne's rescued by Dr. Thomas Smith, who mistakes her for Anne Finnigan Galleher (current Anne's great-grandmother) as the two are identical. Grandma Anne has been missing for five years, and so Anne begins her time in Ireland in a bit of a predicament. But there are also rewards for Anne as she finds herself once again with her grandfather; however, he's just a little boy, and he thinks she's his mother.

The story is more than just a time travel romance; it's historical fiction as well. Harmon clearly did her research in that regard as we get a vivid picture of what it was like in that place and time. We meet prominent historical figures, but it never feels odd or cheap - she imbues these figures with an authenticity that feels genuine and real.

The romance between Anne and Thomas is beautiful; there's a pureness and timeless element to it that borrows into your heart. Here are two people who are made for each other and had to travel through space and time to find each other.

I should mention that the book core element is the poetry of W. B. Yates, so if you're not a dan of his, this might not be the book for you.

Audiobook Note
The narrators were Saskia Maarleveld and Will Damron. I have a love/hate relationship with Saskia Maarleveld, she's narrated some books I really didn't like, and her voice is a rasper, Justine Eyre. She did a fine job, though her Irish accent wasn't the best. I don't think I've ever listed to anything by Will Damron, but I thought he did a great job. His sections - which were minimum, were very good.

Lovely

The performance is so well done that you only think about the content. Loved the historical tone, while getting to know fictional characters. Looking for more titles from this author.

Truely a special book

This book is masterpiece. Beautiful. The ending is satisfying. I bejoyed rhe research the author did in creating it. she words create a wonderful visual picture of people and places.

Must read

truly a remarkable story. do not wait for a rainy day to start this one. this is love, history, and time travel at its finest.

Great story!

This is a great story. I know the female narrator does have a whispering thing she does that is a little annoying, but I’ve heard her narrate before and I just got used to it. She does the accents really well. I didn’t care for the male narrator but he doesn’t really talk as much. The plot is very good and not too Outlander ish despite the similarities. I love the historical aspects and it has prompted me to look into the history of Ireland.

Wistful

beautifully written! I loved every bit of it and found myself wanting to hear more of and not wanting it to end. The ending nonetheless was perfect.

great story

last chapter could be optional. I'd have prefered the second to the last be the last. I liked the story, the love story, the time travel, and the Irish history

historical romance with a twist.

Set in the present and 200 years ago, this romantic tale warms the reader's heart.

Just lovely

This book was beautiful; I loved every minute of it. I’m a historian and love time-travel novels, but have never been much for romance. That said, the love stories in What the Wind Knows - most especially the love for Ireland - had me hooked. I bawled a few times on my commute with this one!

The performers mostly did a great job - but with so many accents, there were a few noticeable slip-ups.