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Of Irish Blood #3
Irish Above All
Mary Pat Kelly showcases the most tumultuous years of the twentieth century through the eyes of an indomitable Irish-American in Irish Above All, a beautiful work of historical fiction.
After ten years in Paris, where she learned photography and became part of the movement that invented modern art, Chicago-born, Irish-American Nora Kelly is at last returning home. Her skill as a photographer will help her cousin Ed Kelly in his rise to Mayor of Chicago (1933-1947). But when she captures the moment an assassin's bullet narrowly misses President-elect Franklin Roosevelt and strikes Anton Cermak i nFebruary 1933, she enters a world of international intrigue and danger. She must balance family obligations against her encounters with larger-than-life historical characters, such as Joseph Kennedy, Big Bill Thompson, Al Capone, Mussolini, and the circle of women who surround F.D.R. Nora moves through the Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression, and World War II, but it's her unexpected trip to Ireland that transforms her life.
After ten years in Paris, where she learned photography and became part of the movement that invented modern art, Chicago-born, Irish-American Nora Kelly is at last returning home. Her skill as a photographer will help her cousin Ed Kelly in his rise to Mayor of Chicago (1933-1947). But when she captures the moment an assassin's bullet narrowly misses President-elect Franklin Roosevelt and strikes Anton Cermak i nFebruary 1933, she enters a world of international intrigue and danger. She must balance family obligations against her encounters with larger-than-life historical characters, such as Joseph Kennedy, Big Bill Thompson, Al Capone, Mussolini, and the circle of women who surround F.D.R. Nora moves through the Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression, and World War II, but it's her unexpected trip to Ireland that transforms her life.
512 pages, Hardcover
First published February 5, 2019
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798 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
March 21, 2025
DNF at 57% then I jumped to the end and what I predicted came true. It was so ridiculous that I don't know if I should be impressed with the fact that I saw it coming in the beginning or depressed that the most cliche ending you can imagine happened.
Now, this is not a truly bad book, but I just didn't have enough care left for Nora and her BIG family. The book is sure well-researched, but much of the time it felt like reading a history book with constant name droppings. Every famous person from the 20 and forward either showed up or was mentioned. There just came a point when I felt that I had enough, and the book is so THICK almost 600 pages and it just went on and on. I couldn't take it anymore. The constant name dropping and Nora constant talked about going back to Irland and visit Peter's grave, but ALWAYS something happens.
I want to thank the publisher for approving me for this ecopy, sadly I was the wrong reader!
Now, this is not a truly bad book, but I just didn't have enough care left for Nora and her BIG family. The book is sure well-researched, but much of the time it felt like reading a history book with constant name droppings. Every famous person from the 20 and forward either showed up or was mentioned. There just came a point when I felt that I had enough, and the book is so THICK almost 600 pages and it just went on and on. I couldn't take it anymore. The constant name dropping and Nora constant talked about going back to Irland and visit Peter's grave, but ALWAYS something happens.
I want to thank the publisher for approving me for this ecopy, sadly I was the wrong reader!
January 14, 2019
Find this and other reviews at: https://historicalfictionreader.blogs...
Before I get too far ahead of myself, I want to note that I tackled Irish Above All: A Novel by Mary Pat Kelly as a buddy read with one of my favorite fellow book bloggers. Magdalena reviews books at A Bookaholic Swede and if you haven’t done so already, I really recommend checking her site out. She’s a prolific reader and has a great catalog of honest reviews spanning a variety of genres.
Getting into the novel at hand, I want to say that I wanted to like Mary Pat Kelly’s Irish Above All, but I am afraid the novel and I proved a poor fit. I managed to read 63% before I resorted to skimming the text and ultimately felt the narrative too much work for too little return.
The novel is the better part of six hundred pages in length, most of which is dedicated to a who’s who of headlining twentieth-century personalities. Al Capone, John F. Kennedy, Nancy Reagan (nee Davis), Eleanor Roosevelt, Sally Rand… Kelly fits so many references that novel felt like nonfiction. I appreciate the attention to detail, but I can’t help feeling the name dropping eclipsed the novel’s heroine and distracted from the story at hand.
The wealth of information often caused me to lose track of the plot and I confess that I had to circle back several times to reacquaint myself with the details of Nora’s relationships and the course of her experiences. Keeping track of the story amid so much superfluous exposition was mentally taxing, but Kelly tends to tell more than she shows and that made it difficult for me to connect with her cast or care how their journeys played out.
At the end of the day, I think Kelly has a great eye for subject matter, but Irish Above All didn’t speak to my tastes.
Before I get too far ahead of myself, I want to note that I tackled Irish Above All: A Novel by Mary Pat Kelly as a buddy read with one of my favorite fellow book bloggers. Magdalena reviews books at A Bookaholic Swede and if you haven’t done so already, I really recommend checking her site out. She’s a prolific reader and has a great catalog of honest reviews spanning a variety of genres.
Getting into the novel at hand, I want to say that I wanted to like Mary Pat Kelly’s Irish Above All, but I am afraid the novel and I proved a poor fit. I managed to read 63% before I resorted to skimming the text and ultimately felt the narrative too much work for too little return.
The novel is the better part of six hundred pages in length, most of which is dedicated to a who’s who of headlining twentieth-century personalities. Al Capone, John F. Kennedy, Nancy Reagan (nee Davis), Eleanor Roosevelt, Sally Rand… Kelly fits so many references that novel felt like nonfiction. I appreciate the attention to detail, but I can’t help feeling the name dropping eclipsed the novel’s heroine and distracted from the story at hand.
The wealth of information often caused me to lose track of the plot and I confess that I had to circle back several times to reacquaint myself with the details of Nora’s relationships and the course of her experiences. Keeping track of the story amid so much superfluous exposition was mentally taxing, but Kelly tends to tell more than she shows and that made it difficult for me to connect with her cast or care how their journeys played out.
At the end of the day, I think Kelly has a great eye for subject matter, but Irish Above All didn’t speak to my tastes.
February 1, 2019
Irish Above All was disappointing. The story is very long. The plot is too many people and names. I got lost and stayed lost. Very dry and complex. Unfortunately, I didn't care for this story. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
February 5, 2019
The first thing to know about this book is that it has a sweeping scope. This isn't that character driven historical fiction that focuses more on the characters and their lives while leaving the history to be interesting window dressing. This is deep, heavily-detailed history, the kind that warms the heart of someone like me who studied it but I could see it being a bit much otherwise. I'd say this is my only real criticism of the book: the details of the history have a tendency to bog down the narrative, making certain sections longer than necessary and/or repetitive. This was the only reason it took me so long to finish it, not the page length but the lack of forward plot movement.
Which is saying something because there is less of a plot as there is just a progression of history from the protagonist's point of view. (Sometimes there doesn't really feel like there's a plot at all and we lose our main character amongst the history. I would've liked less of that and more of Nora.) We watch the Irish, through the Kelly family's 3rd and 4th generations (post-immigration due to the Great Starvation) rise up and take their place as a formative group in American politics and culture.
The protagonist is logically placed where she has personal experiences of WWI, the Great Depression, WWII, and a host of smaller events in between including her meeting several famous individuals. Usually this feels more contrived in historical fiction but it worked for me with this one because of her occupation: as the personal photographer of a very important city at that time, she realistically could have met those people. Am I saying it's likely? Not really, but it is historical *fiction*.
Nora is a perfect main character. She has so much growth during the story but she's never too perfect, as some MCs grow to be over such a long timeline. In the beginning when she's young I like that at times she's petty and overconfident because that gives her the opportunity to realize she was when she's older. But even into her later years, she retains that brashness, that tendency to speak out of turn which gets her into more trouble than not.
Her bravery has moments when it backfires or collapses all together, despite her personal history amidst violence and war, which is endearing and human. She's very lovable. By the end of the book, she truly feels like a friend I could have in the real world with all her foibles and shortcomings but also her intensity, her dedication, and her unwavering support of those she loves.
Was it perfect? No but I did enjoy it and that's good for me.
Note: I received a free Kindle edition of this novel via NetGalley in exchange for the honest review above. I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher Macmillian/Tor-Forge, and the author Mary Pat Kelly for the opportunity to do so.
Which is saying something because there is less of a plot as there is just a progression of history from the protagonist's point of view. (Sometimes there doesn't really feel like there's a plot at all and we lose our main character amongst the history. I would've liked less of that and more of Nora.) We watch the Irish, through the Kelly family's 3rd and 4th generations (post-immigration due to the Great Starvation) rise up and take their place as a formative group in American politics and culture.
The protagonist is logically placed where she has personal experiences of WWI, the Great Depression, WWII, and a host of smaller events in between including her meeting several famous individuals. Usually this feels more contrived in historical fiction but it worked for me with this one because of her occupation: as the personal photographer of a very important city at that time, she realistically could have met those people. Am I saying it's likely? Not really, but it is historical *fiction*.
Nora is a perfect main character. She has so much growth during the story but she's never too perfect, as some MCs grow to be over such a long timeline. In the beginning when she's young I like that at times she's petty and overconfident because that gives her the opportunity to realize she was when she's older. But even into her later years, she retains that brashness, that tendency to speak out of turn which gets her into more trouble than not.
Her bravery has moments when it backfires or collapses all together, despite her personal history amidst violence and war, which is endearing and human. She's very lovable. By the end of the book, she truly feels like a friend I could have in the real world with all her foibles and shortcomings but also her intensity, her dedication, and her unwavering support of those she loves.
Was it perfect? No but I did enjoy it and that's good for me.
Note: I received a free Kindle edition of this novel via NetGalley in exchange for the honest review above. I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher Macmillian/Tor-Forge, and the author Mary Pat Kelly for the opportunity to do so.
January 28, 2019
I was so anxious to read this book as I loved Galway Bay.....however, this novel reads more like a series of historical people and events rather than a novel, hence my rating which is 2.5.
This novel follows Nora Kelly in the 1920s through WWII into the 1960s. Along the way, Nora interacts with historical figures such as Al Capone, Sally Rand, Franklin Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt, Joe Kennedy, John F. Kennedy — all tied to her job as a photographer working for her cousin, Chicago Mayor Ed Kelly. The history is solid, but loses its impact as it becomes the thrust of the “story” rather than the main character. And speaking of characters, there are way too many. It was difficult to keep track of who was who within the Kelly family. (I made a family tree just to keep track of all the Kellys and their relationships.)
As a novel, it lacked a strong thread to really follow, other than Nora lamenting her lost love, sticking by her family (somewhat), her Irish roots, and her determination to live life on her own terms (despite the fact she was dependent on her cousin for a job). And much of that was constantly repeated. Nora, as the main character, was irritating (perhaps all that repetition?) but as the book is based on a real person, perhaps that was who she truly was in life. Then there was the ending which, for me, came from nowhere, and seemed to spring rather fast from reality into fantasy.
Irish Above All failed to deliver as a novel, but as history it delivered. I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review.
This novel follows Nora Kelly in the 1920s through WWII into the 1960s. Along the way, Nora interacts with historical figures such as Al Capone, Sally Rand, Franklin Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt, Joe Kennedy, John F. Kennedy — all tied to her job as a photographer working for her cousin, Chicago Mayor Ed Kelly. The history is solid, but loses its impact as it becomes the thrust of the “story” rather than the main character. And speaking of characters, there are way too many. It was difficult to keep track of who was who within the Kelly family. (I made a family tree just to keep track of all the Kellys and their relationships.)
As a novel, it lacked a strong thread to really follow, other than Nora lamenting her lost love, sticking by her family (somewhat), her Irish roots, and her determination to live life on her own terms (despite the fact she was dependent on her cousin for a job). And much of that was constantly repeated. Nora, as the main character, was irritating (perhaps all that repetition?) but as the book is based on a real person, perhaps that was who she truly was in life. Then there was the ending which, for me, came from nowhere, and seemed to spring rather fast from reality into fantasy.
Irish Above All failed to deliver as a novel, but as history it delivered. I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review.
June 11, 2022
Sitting down with a Mary Pat Kelly book is like settling down with a long lost friend who shares her past with you. Several of the characters are familiar because she has told you about them before, but that doesn’t keep them from actions that surprise you. As time passes, some of your friends leave the story for any of a number of reasons, and some return unexpectedly. Getting an individual point of view to historic events is enlightening, even if it sends you to verify the real or fictional status of the event. Oddly, several of the most unlikely events turn out to be historically accurate except for the addition of a fictional character. Photographer Nora Kelly is a charming, witty narrator. Living through the Depression and World War II with her brings new understanding of those years even to “mature” readers whose exposure is history books and relatives who spoke little of their wartime experiences other than acknowledging their dates and places of service. Nonie Kelly is that special aunt who has a sense of fun and an air of mystery about her. She’s a doer by nature who understands the dance of politics but finds it slightly ridiculous. I hated reaching the end because this is clearly goodby to Nora/Nonie, and I wish her every happiness in her golden years.
January 17, 2019
Way too long , way too many characters and way too many references to how Grandma Honora and the Irish were the only immigrants that shaped Chicago. A lot of the book I skipped as was bogged down with so much detail regarding places, people and events. The story of the Irish and their struggles can be shared by so many other peoples who have left their homeland and succeeded in a new place. The title suited the book as this book certainly personified that the Irish were better and above all . This was referenced to the point it became overpowering. The author chronicled very well the historical component of this time in history but to the determent of her readers.
February 26, 2019
This is the third book in the trilogy about the Kelly family from the 1800's in Ireland to Chicago in the 1960's. The first one, Galway Bay, is one of my all-time favorite novels. The second, Of Irish Blood, is about Nora Kelly, the granddaughter of Honora Kelly who brought her family to America. I didn't enjoy that one nearly as much as the first but I wanted to keep up with the Kelly family. Irish Above All focuses mostly on the Chicago political scene in the 1920's - 40's. This is obviously based on national and family history by a woman who is proud to be American but truly cherishes her Irish heritage.
October 18, 2020
The third in Irish Series from Mary Pat Kelly I think this was my favorite. At the end of "Of Irish Blood" Nora Kelly is headed home to Chicago which is where this book starts. She finds Chicago has changed a great deal since she left but has stayed the same in so many other ways.
As with the other books this is historical fiction and weaves in the likes of Mayor Cermak, John F. Kennedy (as a young man) and many others.
This is the rise and expansion of the Kelly family as they become the movers and shakers of Chicago. Even getting a summer home in Wisconsin.
Still Nora feels a pull back to Ireland. Another well written book by Ms. Kelly and was very happy with the ending.
As with the other books this is historical fiction and weaves in the likes of Mayor Cermak, John F. Kennedy (as a young man) and many others.
This is the rise and expansion of the Kelly family as they become the movers and shakers of Chicago. Even getting a summer home in Wisconsin.
Still Nora feels a pull back to Ireland. Another well written book by Ms. Kelly and was very happy with the ending.
December 14, 2020
This is the third volume of the saga of the Kelly family that starts with the Potato Famine in Ireland. It is now eighty years later, and Nora Kelly has returned to her hometown of Chicago. she only intends to stay a short time before going back to Paris, but instead she ends up remaining there, and experiencing history at the side of her cousin Ed Kelly, who becomes mayor. Based on the author's own family history, this is a fascinating view of nearly forty years of Chicago history. Recommended.
June 15, 2019
Fascinating read with Nora Kelly as the heroine. This is the story of the Irish family, the Kelly's, who live in Chicago. Ed Kelly enters politics and becomes a popular mayor during the 30's and 40's. Nora works as a photographer on his staff and as fate would have it, she takes the photograph of the assassination attempt on Franklin D. Roosevelt and Mayor Anton Cermak in Florida. This novel follows the Kelly family and especially, the life of Nora, as she works to help her family who endure many hardships and heart-breaking losses. All the while, she is longing to return to Ireland to find the grave of her beloved husband Professor Peter Keely, believed to have been shot in a revenge killing. This is a long saga/history of what it is to be to be Irish in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
July 11, 2019
I liked the book because of the Irish American characters of Chicago. It covers from WWI to 1960 through the eyes of and Irish American woman who had been in Europe in WWI but due to family issues moves back to Chicago. Nora wants to return to Europe and find the grave of her husband but events keep her in Chicago where she meets many famous people. She finally gets to return to Europe and finds that what she believed was not true.
February 12, 2021
Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Now I have to read the previous one, especially since I found myself wanting to know more and more about the Kelly's.
I am also very thankful that I ignored some of the reviews as they weren't overly flattering.
This was well written and caught all the nuances of Chicago in the early 1900s.
Go ahead and read it. I do think you're gonna be disappointed whatsoever.
I am also very thankful that I ignored some of the reviews as they weren't overly flattering.
This was well written and caught all the nuances of Chicago in the early 1900s.
Go ahead and read it. I do think you're gonna be disappointed whatsoever.
May 25, 2019
Like a Celtic Forrest Gump Mary Pat Kelly takes you through the 1920’s through JFK’s inauguration in America and the other side of the pond as you bump into historical figures and events both great and small. I skimmed through much of it only reading the first few chapters and the last few. This Irish fairy tale weaves in and out and around and about to led you to a happy ending.
June 1, 2019
I enjoyed the first two books of this trilogy a lot more than the final installment. The first book, Galway Bay, is one of my favorite books so it’s probably not fair to compare the other two books to it.
Irish Above All centers on Chicago Politics during the 20th century. It’s an interesting read but I would have enjoyed more character development sine I love the Kelly Clan.
Irish Above All centers on Chicago Politics during the 20th century. It’s an interesting read but I would have enjoyed more character development sine I love the Kelly Clan.
July 2, 2025
I slogged through it because I had read the other two. I enjoyed the first, the second was ok, but this one was name dropping and so farfetched. And like another reviewer said, I figured out the end long before I got to the end. By this book, Nora is such a bore, with her preaching about Irish history, and her family let her know. I am sorry. I really wanted to like it.
April 21, 2019
Not much of a story...more like a history lesson that conveniently pulled in historical figures to the main character during different time periods. The main character was off-putting...an egotistical know it all...at least that is how I perceived her.
April 23, 2020
Thank you to netgalley for the opportunity to read this. Full of history, interesting characters, and familiar celebs brought to life. It’s a bit on the worst side but an interesting read, nonetheless.
October 27, 2020
I loved Galway Bay so much that I was dying to read this.
Darn it, not nearly as good.
The end was predictable and it took so long to arrive. The facts were piled on and our main gal was the Forrest Gump of Chicago, in on every major event.
I love Irish tales but this one was a bit far fetched.
Darn it, not nearly as good.
The end was predictable and it took so long to arrive. The facts were piled on and our main gal was the Forrest Gump of Chicago, in on every major event.
I love Irish tales but this one was a bit far fetched.
October 14, 2021
I enjoyed this long and somewhat rambling book, because the main character is so likeable and had fun re-learning some history along the way. I probably would have liked it better if I had realized it was number 3 in a trilogy, lol
March 3, 2019
I received a ARC from netgalley in exchange for a honest review.
So much passion, ambition, and loyalty to their family gives this book a mafia vibe. Loved it!
So much passion, ambition, and loyalty to their family gives this book a mafia vibe. Loved it!
March 19, 2019
The story line about this large Irish family got a little too confusing for me. I couldn't keep track of all the relationships. I'm sure it was just me.
April 14, 2019
Disappointing.
June 15, 2019
Way to long and read like a history lesson
September 21, 2019
Very interesting book about Chicago and Ireland history!
September 29, 2019
Loved this book! Learned a lot about Ireland, history of Chicago and politics in the 40s. It was also a family saga and a great love story!
March 7, 2021
A sweeping saga of one family's journey from Ireland to Chicago and back.
April 1, 2021
The final book in Mary Pat Kelly's Irish trilogy. I'm giving this 4 stars the entire series 5+. If you are interested in the Irish these are for you.
June 20, 2021
First book reading disappointment of the year. It seemed to drag on forever. I did something that I rarely ever do. I jumped to the end. Such a predictable ending.
December 17, 2022
enjoyed and of special interest because set in Chicago where I live.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews