Swirl and Thread Book Corner

The Nun of Ravensbrück by Cathi Fleming is the remarkable story of Sr Marie-Laurence and all the women, and men, who stood alongside her.

Being from Cork I was very surprised to learn that Sr Marie-Laurence, French Resistance fighter, was born Kate McCarthy in Drimoleague in West Cork in 1895. After turning the final page I visited Sr Marie-Laurence’s grave in St Finbarr’s cemetery in Cork city. In the Franciscan Sisters plot, her name is etched into the base of a large cross, having died in her sleep in 1971. 

She was ultimately responsible for saving the lives of many during the Second World War but her path took a treacherous turn when the N***s became aware of her involvement with the French Resistance. Captured, beaten and submitted to fierce interrogation she eventually was imprisoned in the notorious Ravensbrück Concentration Camp, located north of Berlin.

Her experiences there were terrifying and Cathi Fleming paints a very shocking picture, not shying away from the barbaric treatment of all the inmates of that camp. What these women endured was horrendous, but Kate McCarthy always held onto to her belief that good would conquer all.

With this insightful debut novel, Cathi Fleming immerses the reader in the fear and stench of that appalling period of history. The women of the Ravensbrück Concentration Camp were exposed to the most inhumane acts of brutality and cruelty. Their suffering, their pain is exceptionally depicted in this extremely poignant story, highlighting their extraordinary resilience and bravery. Their ability to overcome adversity and push through the most nightmarish scenarios in such horrific circumstances is truly phenomenal. 

An outstanding debut, The Nun of Ravensbrück is a challenging read, but also one packed with many moments of raw courage and determination. I felt a shiver up my spine as I knelt by her grave in St Finbarr’s. I felt proud of this Cork woman who stood up to tyranny when the world, as she knew it, crumbled around her.

Thank you Hachette Ireland for a copy of The Nun of Ravensbrück in exchange for my honest review

Full review 🔗 https://www.swirlandthread.com/the-nun-of-ravensbruck-cathi-fleming/

Land by Maggie O’Farrell

Writing a novel of such magnitude must be an incredibly demanding feat but Maggie O’Farrell stepped up to the challenge. Land is a breathtaking piece of work, one of immense scope, an epic story spanning continents and generations with its roots post famine in Ireland in 1865.

In 1845 the people of Ireland faced a threat to their very civilisation when the potato blight took hold and it is 20 years after this catastrophic period of history, that Maggie O’Farrell sets Land.

Tomás had spent time in the workhouse during the famine but he knew life could offer him much more than that. When his ability to see buildings and land from a different perspective became evident, he found work with the mapping division of the British army.

The British needed his skill alongside his ability to communicate with villagers and he also was more adept at creating suitable names for places that had a more colloquial edge, Even though sometimes it rankled with him to work with the British, he encouraged his son Liam to accompany him on these surveying trips. He hoped that one day Liam would follow in his footsteps as it was a job that provided a sufficient income for a family.

But life for Tomás and his family took a very startling turn one dark and cold day when the pair came upon a copse that had a strange air about it. Ireland’s woodlands are known to be mythical places and Maggie O’Farrell leans into this mysticism taking the reader on a remarkable, tragic, heartbreaking and sublime journey spanning centuries and generations.

Land is an unsettling read. The devastation thrust on a land and its people leaves deep scars that are forever ingrained. Many of us on this island are the progeny of a survivor of The Great Hunger. My family on both sides are from west Cork where the pure horror of the hunger endured hit hard, with rampant starvation and epidemics decimating a rural community.

Reading Land felt personal. It held me in its thrall. Seamlessly written, it is a vast & epic tale, a masterpiece in storytelling, bringing the pain & anguish of a people to the page.

TY Hachette Ire 🙏
🔗 to full blog review via bio

The room was packed to the rafters and the welcome was something very special indeed on a damp Thursday evening in May.

Thanks so much to Katherine O'Reardon for inviting myself & Cónal Creedon to be part of Bealtaine Festival 2026 and an enormous thank you to the Joe Creedon & for a magical evening.

The community here is strong and the sense of being rooted in your home place emanates through every conversation.

The stripy tshirts are getting great wear with our 'Two For the Road' adventure! I'm still restraining his desire to go full Showaddywaddy 😊

Miriam Mulcahy had read about the remarkable true story of Domhnall Cam O’Sullivan Beare and his treacherous fourteen-day flight from the Beara Peninsula in West Cork northward to Blacklion in Cavan in 1603 so she embarked on an extraordinary adventure.

She decided to follow in his footsteps and recount her experiences in a reflective-style memoir, but she had no idea about the impact this adventure would have on her. The journey, approximately 700km, is traditionally a six-week hike but, as a single mother, Miriam was not in a position to leave her children alone for that long so she needed to get creative and approach this ambitious project with a different mindset. Over a period of a few months she broke the hike down into sections and every weekend left her family home to challenge herself unsure of what she would find.

While walking the Beara Breifne Way, Miriam observes how this historic route could be better utilised. Alongside appropriate markings and improved facilities available for hikers, she offers very valid suggestions regarding accommodation and community involvement. But amidst all the practical elements is the story of a woman on a journey, one that would change her in unexpected ways, allowing her momentarily to be that young woman in her twenties with the world at her feet. Her recognition of her own physical and emotional changes over the weeks is truly inspiring as she rediscovers her own personal strength and drive.

Bun na spéire, the Irish word for horizon, is the inspiration behind the gorgeous title of this book, one that transformed its writer Miriam Mulcahy. Walking to the Foot of the Sky is a stunning account of an important piece of Irish history but it is also a life-affirming story of self-discovery and truth, of one woman’s pilgrimage to find herself again.

*Full review via 🔗 in blog

Thank you to Miriam Mulcahy for a copy in exchange for my honest review