The Kilternan Legacy

by Anne McCaffrey

Irene Teasey came to Ireland to claim an unexpected interitance from an aunt she had never met . . . a legacy of land, a sprawling house, cottages with tenants, and even a horse . . . more than she had dared hope for. Enough to make her independent of her former husband. Enough to start a new life. Together with her children, Simon and Sara, she will find more than escape from an abusive relationship. She will find loyal friends, her extended Irish family . . . and a new love in this beautiful, ancient land.

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Adult, Ireland, Mystery, Fantasy, Historical Fiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1975

About the author

Anne Inez McCaffrey was an American writer known for the Dragonriders of Pern science fiction series. She was the first woman to win a Hugo Award for fiction (Best Novella, Weyr Search, 1968) and the first to win a Nebula Award (Best Novella, Dragonrider, 1969). Her 1978 novel The White Dragon became one of the first science-fiction books to appear on the New York Times Best Seller list.
In 2005 the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America named McCaffrey its 22nd Grand Master, an annual award to living writers of fantasy and science fiction. She was inducted by the Science Fiction Hall of Fame on 17 June 2006. She also received the Robert A. Heinlein Award for her work in 2007.

Reviews

[Marsha Valance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Irene Teasey, a recently divorced former light opera singer, inherits a small estate south of Dublin from her namesake great-aunt, a D'oyly Carte soprano who retired after being injured by a WWII buzzbomb. Irene packs up her teenage twins & flies to Ireland for the summer to settle the estate. In Ireland she connects with family, discovers new reservoirs of strength, makes new friends, & falls in love again.

[Allana]

Like most Anne McCaffrey novels I come back and reread this fairly regularly

[Lael Walters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book many years ago, doesn’t quite hold up but I’ll give it 4 stars for all the times I read it

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This third story by Anne, involves an american divorcee, Irene, known to her friends as Rene, travelling to Ireland with her 14 year old twins, Sara and Simon.

She has been left a property, called Kilternan, by her great aunt, whom she was named for, and she initially goes over to claim the legacy, and enjoy the summer holidays with her children, before school starts again.

But once she reaches Dublin, and starts to get involved with the people, especially those friends of her aunt, who all welcome the three visitors, she starts to see why her aunt surrounded herself with them and, slowly, but surely, she falls in love with the place, and the people, who her aunt has asked her to do well by.

There are many problems, caused mainly by her Irish family, who had never approved of her aunt Irene's lifestyle - but who were expecting to receive everything that Irene had left to Rene.

But, with a few misunderstandings, and then the knowledge that things aren't as they seem, she is helped to discover, not only her own role in life, there in Ireland, but also the help and support that she can give those who need it!

This story is rich in every kind of human emotion and, just as I always expect from Anne's writing, it raised up the normal, and made the extraordinary, shine.

These fictional stories of Anne's all seem to have one thing in common, and that's the archaic, masochistic, thoughts and processes that Irish Law has held, where the rights of Irish women are concerned.

If it wasn't for the fact that women's history has always fascinated me, I would have been shocked at how little rights women had over their own bodies, even before a wedding ring was placed on their fingers.

I know things have improved in Ireland for women's rights, but part of me knows that that kind of generational slavery is probably still alive and well, especially in a Catholic country!

Anne treated these subjects very well - for the times she wrote them in - but all I can say, is that I'm very glad I was brought up in much more modern ways of thinking, and to be proud of being able to stand on my own two feet - and that I had a husband who encouraged me greatly in keeping up with that.

[K Grant · Rating 3 out of 5]

I find it crazy I finished this. The characters had unbelievable characteristics, the romance was so blasé I could barely find it, and the main character was strong until she so completely wasn't. Plus there was weird parentheses statements that completely confused me. I did "have" to know how it ended. I loved the idea of inheriting an Irish"queendom" and battling small minded people.

[Dr. Bookworm · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love McCaffrey's sci-fi books, but this is not one of them. This is a romance-y book from the 70s that honestly didn't age well.

[Sharon Buxton · Rating 3 out of 5]

C. fiction, romance, Ireland; divorced mother and 2 children claim Irish inheritance; from stash, discard

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful story of a mother and her two teen-aged children trying to cope with a new country, a new home, the fallout of a bad marriage, and new relations who aren't much better. I was a little hesitant about Irene falling for another man so soon after her disastrous marriage. Her children are helping her to stand on her own two feet, but she hasn't gotten there yet, so a new relationship might be premature, but Ms. McCaffrey, known for her science fiction/fantasy writing, manages to pull it off to my satisfaction. The renters of her cottages are delightful and bring a note of angst to the story. Like Irene, I was horrified at the backwardness of some of Ireland's laws so late into the 20th century. Hopefully they have changed by now.

[Lbaker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, not much mystery, romance was off kilter, and the kids were kind of obnoxious know it all's, and the dad was evil just because? Really?

Romances are not really my thing, I keep getting them given to me, and it seems rude not to read a gift, however, this was dated, silly, lighter than light - it was made of helium!

This book really had little going for it, and I love books set in Ireland. If this was what Anne McCaffrey thought was romantic, it's amazing she was ever married or even in a relationship.

The saving grace of the book were two elderly twin sisters, Lady Mary and Lady Maud, without them I would never have bothered finishing the book.

[Bruce Reiter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still reading Irish authors and trying to get a feel for the culture. This is a romantic novel with all that implies. That being said, it does a good job of giving the reader a broad brush of the cultural differences between the America of the late 60s and Ireland. It is a quick read and causes one to pause and reflect on the "same sex" issue of today in Ireland versus the issues of divorce, abandoned and unwed mothers of the past.

[Allie McCormack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous fabulous fabulous! This is impossible to find, and every month I scour amazon for it, hoping they will put it out in Kindle format. My own copy is so old and well-read that I'm afraid to read it again for it falling apart!

[Toby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was fun, I liked the lack of dragons. Although I am a huge fan of the Dragonriders of Pern. My first Junior novel as an adult. This novel, The Kilternan Legacy was so well written and I loved the twins!

[Miki · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ridiculously dated, racist, and smug, but I still sort of like it. Mostly.

[Celina and Don · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another contemporary story written by one of the masters of literature. This is a story set in Ireland, showing the dynamic ability of the individual to control the events of their lives

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fabulous old-school romance. Great character work all around.