MAY THE ROAD RISE UP TO MEET YOU by Peter Troy
Publisher Doubleday, March 1, 2012
An engrossing, epic American drama told from four distinct perspectives,
spanning the first major wave of Irish immigration to New York through the
end of the Civil War.
Four unique voices; two parallel love stories; one sweeping novel rich in
the history of nineteenth-century America. This remarkable debut draws from
the great themes of literature—famine, war, love, and family—as it
introduces four unforgettable characters. Ethan McOwen is an Irish immigrant
whose endurance is tested in Brooklyn and the Five Points at the height of
its urban destitution; he is among the first to join the famed Irish Brigade
and becomes a celebrated war photographer. Marcella, a society girl from
Spain, defies her father to become a passionate abolitionist. Mary and Micah
are slaves of varying circumstances, who form an instant connection and
embark on a tumultuous path to freedom.
All four lives unfold in two beautiful love stories, which eventually
collide. Written in gorgeous language that subtly captures the diverse
backgrounds of the characters, and interspersed with letters, journals, and
dreams, this unforgettable story, rendered in cinematic detail, is about
having faith in life's great meaning amidst its various tangles. 
"The Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War has arrived. Histories
and novels of the now not so recent unpleasantness are popping up all around
us. So many stories, so little time -- What are we to read?
I, for one, would recommend Peter Troy's May the Road Rise Up to Meet You.
Troy weaves an epic tale of triumph and sorrow in the years before and
during the war around the lives and voices of four individuals struggling to
survive a world packed with noble hopes and chaotic events. Through the
lives of Ethan, Marcella, Mary and Micha, Troy reminds us again and again
why The American Civil War remains the single most important moment in our
history. Beautifully told, Troy has given us a story that will be with me
for many years to come."
-- Robert Hicks, New York Times bestselling author of The Widow of
the South and A Separate Country
“To read this book is an enriching, unforgettable experience.It is told in
utterly true and authentic voices that reach the soul and linger in the
heart.The nation needed Peter Troy’s novel to remind us of what we were and
who we can become.”
-- Leila Meacham, New York Times bestselling author of Roses |
