What do you think?
Rate this book
Daughters of Ireland #1
Brigid of Ireland
In 5th-century pagan-dominated Ireland, Brigid is born a slave to her own father and is separated from her mother. Desperately seeking love and acceptance, Brigid becomes a believer in Christ. Knowing how the Irish people cling to superstitions and fears, can Brigid overcome them? Will her hatred for her father and a scheming evil sorcerer destroy her faith? Set in the era of St. Patrick, this fantasy-filled novel will captivate readers as Brigid must choose between God's will and the desire to save her family.
320 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2006
32 people are currently reading
890 people want to read
About the author
Cindy Thomson
22 books145 followersCindy Thomson is the author of both fiction and nonfiction, including her newest novel, Enya’s Son, third in the Daughters of Ireland series based on ancient legends. Being a genealogy enthusiast, she has also written articles for Internet Genealogy and Your Genealogy Today magazines, and children’s short stories for Clubhouse Magazine. She has also co-authored a baseball biography. Most everything she writes reflects her belief that history has stories to teach. Cindy and her husband live in central Ohio near their three grown sons and their families.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
May 31, 2011
Honestly, the only thing that kept me from bailing was that I am working on a Time Period challenge for a Historical Fiction message board that I participate in, and I didn't feel like finding another book for this time period. I know that good Christian Fiction can be written, but this was not it. Terrible characters, stilted dialogue (including more than one character with the sentence structure of Yoda,) and there was no feel for the time period or historical context.
October 29, 2018
Nice story about a woman known from early Irish Mythology as a Saint, miracle worker and preacher. Brigid of Kildare, who may have been a near contemporary of St Patrick. It was an interesting retelling of Brigid's life and career, especially for people who are not familiar with her.
The novel had some wonderful messages about endurance in faith, as well as forgiveness and hope at the end. So why the lower rating?
First of, because, I'm sorry to say, I just found this novel a bit of a slog. Its not boring, but slow in some places and I just found it did took me a long time to get through it
Second: whilst other readers have said that this novel 'bought the period to life' for them, it did not for me.
It was supposed to set in 5th century Ireland, but I found there was no real sense of period or historical context. The references to Castles: which were unknown in Ireland before the Norman Conquest of the 12th century, and a servant as as someone's 'coach driver' really did not help. Apart from the reference to druids and pagan rituals, the story could just as well have happened in the 17th century.
Finally, there was the language. This I think was another aspect of what I mean by saying there was no real sense of period or context.
There were a number of Irish Gaelic terms used in the story, but otherwise the character's language seemed like an odd mashup of Irish and Lowland Scottish peppered with terms like 'lassie', 'bairn' and 'wee'. The characters just don't 'read' as Irish a lot of the time: more like they're from Dumfries or Edinburgh or something.
Some readers might suggest that makes to difference, and that Irish and Scottish accents are the same because they are all 'Celts' after all- but they are not. Trust me, this native Brit can tell there is a difference: and ultimately the Lowland Scottish dialect is said to have originated in the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Northumbria, which dates to a couple of centuries after Brigid.
Overall, its a nice story, but many of the cultural and historical details seemed a bit contrived and stereotypical. Of course, readers can get past that and its still worth a read. I understand there are now two more books in this series, and I would be interested in reading them.
The novel had some wonderful messages about endurance in faith, as well as forgiveness and hope at the end. So why the lower rating?
First of, because, I'm sorry to say, I just found this novel a bit of a slog. Its not boring, but slow in some places and I just found it did took me a long time to get through it
Second: whilst other readers have said that this novel 'bought the period to life' for them, it did not for me.
It was supposed to set in 5th century Ireland, but I found there was no real sense of period or historical context. The references to Castles: which were unknown in Ireland before the Norman Conquest of the 12th century, and a servant as as someone's 'coach driver' really did not help. Apart from the reference to druids and pagan rituals, the story could just as well have happened in the 17th century.
Finally, there was the language. This I think was another aspect of what I mean by saying there was no real sense of period or context.
There were a number of Irish Gaelic terms used in the story, but otherwise the character's language seemed like an odd mashup of Irish and Lowland Scottish peppered with terms like 'lassie', 'bairn' and 'wee'. The characters just don't 'read' as Irish a lot of the time: more like they're from Dumfries or Edinburgh or something.
Some readers might suggest that makes to difference, and that Irish and Scottish accents are the same because they are all 'Celts' after all- but they are not. Trust me, this native Brit can tell there is a difference: and ultimately the Lowland Scottish dialect is said to have originated in the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Northumbria, which dates to a couple of centuries after Brigid.
Overall, its a nice story, but many of the cultural and historical details seemed a bit contrived and stereotypical. Of course, readers can get past that and its still worth a read. I understand there are now two more books in this series, and I would be interested in reading them.
January 13, 2020
I’m an avid reader of historic fiction, but have read very few books set in Dark/Middle ages, so there is much I don’t know about the time period. I enjoyed Brigid of Ireland as great fiction, but the book is also highly informative (without being textbookish) about Ireland, the era, the culture, belief system (including superstitions), daily life, and the spread of Christianity through Patrick and his followers. The dialog was flavored with Celtic dialect, but not so much to be distracting or difficult to follow. Sometimes it was challenging to keep all the characters straight, but there is a list in the front of the book for reference. The story made me want to learn more about Brigid, and I love books that do that. There were many twists that kept me turning pages. Brigid is a complex character, sometime naïve, other times mature beyond her years. Her mother, Brocca, is wise, and although she is only in the book toward the end, I enjoyed her tremendously. The story tied up quickly, but I liked the way it ended.
I received the book for free in a giveaway, and a review (positive or otherwise) is not required. All opinions are my own.
I received the book for free in a giveaway, and a review (positive or otherwise) is not required. All opinions are my own.
August 24, 2022
I found myself in an interesting mental conundrum while reading this book. I'd catch myself being skeptical of the miracles Brigid performs and questioning her motives. Miracles to feed hungry people are perfectly believable for me, but I found myself agreeing with the monk Cillian about the impracticality of cursing an orchard (for example). Brigid often seems disconnected from reality, and I doubt when Jesus said to share with the poor he meant for a slave to steal valuables from her master and give those away. Those are historic details/legend recorded about Saint Brigid, so I know why they're in the story, but I still reacted to them like the more skeptical characters in the book. It prompted some thinking about my own ideas about how God works.
That's the part of this book I found most interesting. I also enjoyed learning more about Brigid's life and historical context for early Christians in Ireland. By the end of the book, I didn't really like Brigid that much, though. I also found some sections very confusing. Part of this comes from the dialog formatting; it's hard to tell which character is speaking when there's a line break in the middle of a sentence or two characters' dialog appears in the same paragraph. I know getting that formatting right as an indie publisher can be challenging, but it happened enough that I'm surprised no one caught it before publication. There were also a few scenes where I just wasn't sure what was going on or felt like I was missing information which would help make sense of the storyline.
That's the part of this book I found most interesting. I also enjoyed learning more about Brigid's life and historical context for early Christians in Ireland. By the end of the book, I didn't really like Brigid that much, though. I also found some sections very confusing. Part of this comes from the dialog formatting; it's hard to tell which character is speaking when there's a line break in the middle of a sentence or two characters' dialog appears in the same paragraph. I know getting that formatting right as an indie publisher can be challenging, but it happened enough that I'm surprised no one caught it before publication. There were also a few scenes where I just wasn't sure what was going on or felt like I was missing information which would help make sense of the storyline.
September 29, 2023
Learn about the life of Brigid and her love of God and family in Cindy Thompson’s Brigid of Ireland. Stacey Houston’s audiobook narration made me feel like I was in Ireland with Brigid.
Before I listened to this audiobook, I had some knowledge of St. Brigid’s Day and the St. Brigid’s Cross. I was struck by Thompson’s portrayal of Brigid’s kindness with the numerous examples of how she helped others as she searched for her family and ways to share Christ’s love with others. Now, I have a better understanding of why Brigid is honored the way that she is.
Brigid of Ireland is the first book in the Daughters of Ireland series and can be enjoyed as a standalone novel. If you like it, try the others in the series. Brigid of Ireland would be great for readers who like Christian historical fiction from a woman’s point of view that includes a journey of faith and family. I recommend the audiobook. Thank you to the author and the publisher for my review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
Before I listened to this audiobook, I had some knowledge of St. Brigid’s Day and the St. Brigid’s Cross. I was struck by Thompson’s portrayal of Brigid’s kindness with the numerous examples of how she helped others as she searched for her family and ways to share Christ’s love with others. Now, I have a better understanding of why Brigid is honored the way that she is.
Brigid of Ireland is the first book in the Daughters of Ireland series and can be enjoyed as a standalone novel. If you like it, try the others in the series. Brigid of Ireland would be great for readers who like Christian historical fiction from a woman’s point of view that includes a journey of faith and family. I recommend the audiobook. Thank you to the author and the publisher for my review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
November 11, 2023
Audiobook: This was my first experience with Cindy Thomson's work, and it was entertaining. The author wrote a story about Brigid, a historical woman of Ireland. It was obvious that the life of Brigid was well researched. The author incorporated several details about Brigid's life found in multiple sources, even though a lot of Brigid's life was shrouded by myth and mystery. I liked that Brigid was painted so realistically. Stacey Houston's narration was great, and her charming Irish lilt added a touch of authenticity to the story. I was given a free copy of the audiobook, and I have voluntarily posted this review.
February 21, 2023
Learned a lot about Brigid of Ireland. Saint Brigid is sometimes confused with the goddess Brigid, but the author tries to make the difference clear. There was a prophesy about her birth, and from the time she was little, she was able to do special things that were attributed to her as miracle. Forcibly separated from her mother when she was a little girl, Brigid did not have an easy life. She was very generous giving away anything she could. Interesting book.
September 4, 2023
Born the daughter of a slave, and separated at a very young age from her mother, Brigid was herself a slave in her father's household. But her life would take her beyond what she was born as, and her faith and kindness would help bring many into the Christian faith in Ireland.
This was a historical fiction novel about the life of a woman who would come to be known as Saint Brigid. It's an interesting tale and one that I enjoyed reading. It gives great insight into the life of a Christian woman living in what was at the time still as much a pagan country as it was becoming more and more Christian.
I enjoyed reading this, and I think anyone curious about Saint Brigid or what life was like for Christians in a pagan country long ago would enjoy this book. Be aware that religion is, of necessity, a very large part of this book. (You can't really separate religion from the life of someone who was declared a Saint, now can you?) So if you do not enjoy books that are heavy on religion then this book may not be for you. But if you enjoy historical fiction, or books involving someone with a strong religious faith, then you will likely enjoy this book.
This was a historical fiction novel about the life of a woman who would come to be known as Saint Brigid. It's an interesting tale and one that I enjoyed reading. It gives great insight into the life of a Christian woman living in what was at the time still as much a pagan country as it was becoming more and more Christian.
I enjoyed reading this, and I think anyone curious about Saint Brigid or what life was like for Christians in a pagan country long ago would enjoy this book. Be aware that religion is, of necessity, a very large part of this book. (You can't really separate religion from the life of someone who was declared a Saint, now can you?) So if you do not enjoy books that are heavy on religion then this book may not be for you. But if you enjoy historical fiction, or books involving someone with a strong religious faith, then you will likely enjoy this book.
November 24, 2023
I enjoyed listening to the Irish progue, learning some of the history of life in Ireland and Christianity there also. Brigid's life is dedicated to helping the poor and God blesses her actions. It is not easy for her to remain faithful to God as she is confronted with myths and mysteries. Ms. Houston does an excellent job reading the book. I was given a free copy from the author. I choose to write this review.
May 14, 2017
It was an interesting story and I learned a lot about Irish traditions and the Druid beliefs. I was confused a couple times because the plot skipped abruptly over several years. The dialogue was hard to follow sometimes because of the formatting on the Kindle. I enjoyed it - but by the end I was skimming quickly because I just wanted to find out what happened.
June 6, 2024
I really enjoyed learning about the life of Saint Brigid and her love of God and family. Brigid of Ireland is the first book in the Daughters of Ireland series by Cindy Thomson. I listened to the audiobook version of this story narrated by Stacey Houston, who did an admirable job. I look forward to listening to other books in this series!
July 2, 2017
This was a hard book to get into. It took me about 120 pages to be interested in it. Once I got into the book, I found some of the druid practices very disturbing. I'm glad I learned about some of it, because some are similar to things we see in movies, even children's movies. Scary.
July 22, 2021
A Christian story that takes place in the 1400's. Brigid is the messenger of our One True God at a time when so many believed in the Druids of many gods. Interesting, but dragged or a bit confusing at times.
August 31, 2018
Fantastic book! Paints a vivid picture of bringing Christ into a pagan community. Grow with this heroine in this amazing story!
March 9, 2019
I would like to know more about Brigid now that I know she was a real person not just a character in the book.
May 6, 2023
Interesting but felt like preteen book.
September 6, 2021
This is an interesting interpretation of Saint Brigid of Ireland's life and faith. Brigid uses her "gift" to help spread Christianity and convert Pagans in 5th century Ireland. Filled with faith, hope and forgiveness this a compelling tale of the mysterious ways of God.
January 21, 2016
This was an animated retelling of Saint Brigid's story. I didn't know that much about this Irish saint before reading this book, and as such, I don't know the accuracy of the portrayal, but it did make me care about the characters, and the saint.)
There were three things I wished we would have seen in this book: The first was that I wish we'd gotten to see Saint Brigid meet Saint Patrick. We heard a little bit about her previous encounters with him, but by the start of the narrative, he had already died, and that was a bit disappointing. The third thing I wish we could've heard, was what happened to Arden.
That said, in spite of the fact that a few story lines could have come to a slightly more satisfying end, the end of the book was pretty satisfying.
The ebook was formatted extremely poorly, but I don't hold that against the story.
Like Saint Magnus, The Last Viking, I don't know whether to put this book on my Catholic Fiction shelf our my non-fiction shelf, so, contradiction or no, it's going on both.
There were three things I wished we would have seen in this book: The first was that I wish we'd gotten to see Saint Brigid meet Saint Patrick. We heard a little bit about her previous encounters with him, but by the start of the narrative, he had already died, and that was a bit disappointing. The third thing I wish we could've heard, was what happened to Arden.
That said, in spite of the fact that a few story lines could have come to a slightly more satisfying end, the end of the book was pretty satisfying.
The ebook was formatted extremely poorly, but I don't hold that against the story.
Like Saint Magnus, The Last Viking, I don't know whether to put this book on my Catholic Fiction shelf our my non-fiction shelf, so, contradiction or no, it's going on both.
January 16, 2016
This book was just OK for me. It was not the best but it was certainly not the worst. I normally love historical fiction, but I like more American based history and more like the 1600's - 1800's so this was different for me. I did enjoy it, it was interesting but like I said, not really my comfort zone.
"Brigid of Ireland" was a real person, check her out on wiki - HERE. The thing is, I didn't know she was a real person till I was finished and did some research. I previously did not know of any Irish history of any kind. There is nowhere in the book that tells of any research she did for the book or anything saying that it is based on historical facts. It took me a while to figure out that the "Patrick" she was talking about was "St. Patrick", if I known all this ahead of time I think it would have made a difference. She did give a list of characters and terms used, which I liked. Also a map would have been helpful.
Part of the problem, for me, was that this book felt more like fantasy than historical fiction. I don't know why. It just read like a Fantasy book. All the miracles she was performing didn't seem like miracles to me, they seemed magical. Now someone else could read this and get a totally different feel about it! It got pretty good reviews on Amazon.
The story moved right along, it wasn't slow or boring at all. It was also a quick easy read making it also a good teen read.
I didn't really care for the ending. It seemed more of a non-ending to me. There were a few loose ends. And what did end seemed abrupt and confusing.
I liked Brigid and her band of characters. The character development was pretty good.
So all-in-all this was a pretty good read, especially if you like Historical fiction, Ireland history, or Christian history. A very clean read - no swearing, no sex (duh!).
My mom gave me this book to read a while back, so this is one from my shelves.
"Brigid of Ireland" was a real person, check her out on wiki - HERE. The thing is, I didn't know she was a real person till I was finished and did some research. I previously did not know of any Irish history of any kind. There is nowhere in the book that tells of any research she did for the book or anything saying that it is based on historical facts. It took me a while to figure out that the "Patrick" she was talking about was "St. Patrick", if I known all this ahead of time I think it would have made a difference. She did give a list of characters and terms used, which I liked. Also a map would have been helpful.
Part of the problem, for me, was that this book felt more like fantasy than historical fiction. I don't know why. It just read like a Fantasy book. All the miracles she was performing didn't seem like miracles to me, they seemed magical. Now someone else could read this and get a totally different feel about it! It got pretty good reviews on Amazon.
The story moved right along, it wasn't slow or boring at all. It was also a quick easy read making it also a good teen read.
I didn't really care for the ending. It seemed more of a non-ending to me. There were a few loose ends. And what did end seemed abrupt and confusing.
I liked Brigid and her band of characters. The character development was pretty good.
So all-in-all this was a pretty good read, especially if you like Historical fiction, Ireland history, or Christian history. A very clean read - no swearing, no sex (duh!).
My mom gave me this book to read a while back, so this is one from my shelves.
February 9, 2016
As a historical novel this was good for bringing in the terms and talk of the Irish, but as a novel it was not quite my cup of tea. Somewhere toward the last third of the book several years were jumped and there was no clue to the time passing that rapidly before. It was rather choppy to me. One day she was a young girl doing what she felt the Lord wished and missing her mother... while the next she was a selfish woman who didn't understand what she wanted. Things just did not really seem to flow and make sense to me. I do not however regret reading it, I do feel that it was enjoyable, minus the choppiness. The ending however abrupt was really good and appropriate.
August 16, 2013
A young girl has received a gift from the One True God; she has the power to bless and to curse. She uses her power to convert the pagans of Ireland to follow the Truth, Jesus Christ.
I enjoyed the story, but it was not immensely gripping. I could have used some more thrill, but Thomson did throw in the suspense. Reading of the miracles of God performed through Brigid was beautiful and her kindness was touching.
I'm actually at 3.5 stars out of 5, not 4 but not 3...
Brigid of Ireland was a fun little escape into the past and the beginnings of the spread of Christianity.
May 5, 2016
Fascinating story of Druids and early Irish Christianity in the time of St. Patrick.
This book is one of those exciting stories that you just can't turn the pages fast enough!
It was fascinating to read about the Druid's beliefs and the conflict with early Christian beliefs being introduced by St. Patrick in ancient Ireland. I had never heard or read of St. Brigid, and I loved being introduced to her story through this wonderful historical fiction.
A wonderfully entertaining book, that I highly recommend.
This book is one of those exciting stories that you just can't turn the pages fast enough!
It was fascinating to read about the Druid's beliefs and the conflict with early Christian beliefs being introduced by St. Patrick in ancient Ireland. I had never heard or read of St. Brigid, and I loved being introduced to her story through this wonderful historical fiction.
A wonderfully entertaining book, that I highly recommend.
December 1, 2008
A story set in the 5th century in a time of druids and kings and a land of slavery and poverty. A preacher named Patrick is revolutionizing the way people are thinking and Brigid is one of the people converted. She believes in the reality of God and through simple faith and obedience miracles are performed but will the druids just allow that to happen? A beautiful tale of ancient times and places... **** (4 stars) for transporting me to another time and place
February 20, 2014
Brigid of Ireland is a fictional account of the St. Brigid. Cindy Thomson's historical novel is rich in detail of 5th century Ireland. I admire research she did to make this book possible. I thought the story line flowed well. I loved how Brigid was portrayed as being true and faithful to God and how she was constantly thinking of others. This is a great tribute to her life and a great debut of this author. Recommended. 4 1/2 stars
May 25, 2016
A blend of fiction and non fiction I did not know anything about St. Brigid before reading the novel. I throughly enjoyed the story and the knowledge I took away from it. My only problem it seemed to end a bit abruptly, when at other parts it dragged on longer than I felt necessary. Overall a good read and introduction to St. Brigid and the time period in which she lived.
August 14, 2009
I found this book to be a little difficult to follow and quite honestly, it was somewhat boring. I guess that I'm just not into the 15th century. I didn't like the story enough to keep the book. Anyone who is into Ireland lore, would probably like it. Guess that is not me!
Want to read
June 28, 2007Early Christianity British Islands.
July 6, 2011
Good book, a little hard to keep some of the characters straight, but I enjoyed it very much.
August 22, 2016
It is a great book to read
May 26, 2015
Never really grabbed my attention the way I'd hoped, and the ending was rather abrupt.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews