Land of a Thousand Dreams

BOOK: Land of a Thousand Dreams
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Here's what they're saying about BJ Hoff's The Emerald Ballad

B
OOK
1
S
ONG OF THE
S
ILENT
H
ARP
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“All the color and imagery of a film enliven this story…Rarely has a novel captured so authentically the enduring faith of the Irish peasant…”

E
OIN
M
C
K
IERNAN
, F
OUNDER
, I
RISH
A
MERICAN
C
ULTURAL
I
NSTITUTE

B
OOK
2
H
EART OF THE
L
ONELY
E
XILE
…

“A brilliant picture of the excitement and drama of life in New York City a century ago.”

I
RISH
B
OOKS AND
M
EDIA

 

“These are people to admire and care about, people who have struggled with the demons of sickness, death, and despair, and have survived because of their strong faith and trust in God.”

O
HIOANA
Q
UARTERLY

 

“A captivating, faith-filled saga as exuberant, lyrical, and spirited as the Irish themselves…A historical saga so rich, so vivid, and so riveting you'll feel like you've gone back in time.”

G
UIDEPOSTS
B
OOK
C
LUB

B
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3
L
AND OF A
T
HOUSAND
D
REAMS
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“A big, colorful novel, full of the type of upbeat Christian values to be found in much of Hoff's fiction.”

I
RISH
E
CHO

 

“…captures the melodic vernacular of the Irish world through a myriad of complex characters in a sweeping story of the battle to survive, on both the peasant lands of the Emerald Isle and on the uncertain streets of New York.”

W
EST
C
OAST
R
EVIEW OF
B
OOKS

B
OOK
4
S
ONS OF AN
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NCIENT
G
LORY
…

“Hoff tells a number of striking stories, all involving characters we come to care about immediately. She clearly knows her history, her religion, and her audience, and does a fine job of presenting the first two to the third. This is a series that deserves a lengthy run.”

W
EST
C
OAST
R
EVIEW OF
B
OOKS

R
ECIPIENT OF
C
HRISTIANITY
T
ODAY'S
C
RITIC'S
C
HOICE
B
OOK
A
WARD
, F
ICTION

B
OOK
5
D
AWN OF THE
G
OLDEN
P
ROMISE
…

“These unforgettable characters will capture your heart. Set in the midnineteenth century, many customs and social issues in New York City, America, and Ireland are illuminated as characters both rich and poor, selfish and selfless play their parts in this exciting, romantic, inspiring novel.”

B
OOK
S
HARE

Land
of a
Thousand
Dreams

T
HE
E
MERALD
B
ALLAD

BJ HOFF

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS
EUGENE
,
OREGON

Cover by Koechel Peterson & Associates, Inc. Minneapolis, Minnesota

BJ Hoff: Published in association with the Books & Such Literary Agency, 52 Mission Circle, Suite 122, PMB 170, Santa Rosa, CA 95409-5370,
www.booksandsuch.biz
.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version
®
, NIV
®
. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Verses marked
NKJV
are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

With the exception of recognized historical figures, the characters in this novel are fictional, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

The suffering that took place throughout Ireland during the Great Hunger of the 1840s was all too real, and has been documented in numerous journals. Nevertheless, it is depicted herein by fictional characters.

Previously published in 1992 by Bethany House Publishers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

LAND OF A THOUSAND DREAMS
Copyright © 1992 by BJ Hoff
Published by Harvest House Publishers
Eugene, Oregon 97402
www.harvesthousepublishers.com
ISBN 978-0-7369-2790-1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Hoff, B. J.
Land of a thousand dreams / B.J. Hoff.

p. cm.—(An emerald ballad; 3)

ISBN 978-0-7369-2790-1 (pbk.)
1. Irish Americans—Fiction. 2. Ireland—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3558.034395L36 1992b
813'.54—dc22

2010022835

All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Printed in the United States of America

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 / LB-NI / 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3

A
BOUT
BJ H
OFF

BJ Hoff'
s bestselling historical novels continue to cross the boundaries of religion, language, and culture to capture a worldwide reading audience. In addition to The Emerald Ballad series, her books include such popular titles as
Song of Erin
and
American Anthem
and bestselling series such as The Riverhaven Years and The Mountain Song Legacy. Her stories, although set in the past, are always relevant to the present. Whether her characters move about in Ireland or America, in small country towns or metropolitan areas, reside in Amish settlements or in coal company houses, she creates
communities
where people can form relationships, raise families, pursue their faith, and experience the mountains and valleys of life.

 

A direct descendant of Irish ancestors who came to this country before the Revolutionary War, BJ brings a decade of historical research and strong personal involvement to The Emerald Ballad series. Her understanding of the Irish people—their history, their struggles, their music, their indomitable spirit—lends to her writing all the passion and power of her own Irish heritage. BJ and her husband make their home in Ohio.

For a complete listing of BJ's books published by Harvest House Publishers, turn to page 380.

 

 

 

 

 

 

For Dana and Jessie,

Two very special dreams fulfilled

—My daughters

Contents

Principal Characters

Prologue • The Hanging of Brian Kavanagh

P
ART
O
NE

DREAMS CHERISHED • BRIGHT PROMISES

1  The Five Points Celebration Singers

2  Shadows on the Heart

3  A Radical Nun at Nelson Hall

4  Fergus

5  The Dark Side of the Soul

6  Dark Thoughts and Bright Dreams

7  In the House of the Enemy

8  The Dreams of a Child

9  Finola's Lament

10  Weep for the Innocent

11  The Silent Scream

12  Doing Battle with the Enemy

13  The Folly of Delay

14  Caught in the Net of Love

15  Finbar

16  Dublin Vigil

17  The Singer and the Swan

18  Confrontation

19  Love, the Greatest Gift

P
ART
T
WO

DREAMS ABANDONED • NIGHT SHADOWS

20  The Start of a Quiet Rebellion

21  Pharisees and Sinners

22  Hope for the Hopeless

23  Help in Unexpected Places

24  Quest

25  The Dawn of Darkest Fears

26  The Vanishing Smoke of Dreams

27  Acquainted with Evil

28  For the Victims of Violence

29  Sacrament or Sacrilege?

30  Honorable Ambitions

31  Songs of the City

32  Light of Grace, Wings of Hope

33  An Absence of Conscience

34  Feed My Sheep

P
ART
T
HREE

DREAMS FULFILLED • NEW TOMORROWS

35  The Princess and the Blackbird

36  Distant Dreams and Ancient Burdens

37  Dark Dragons

38  In the Shadow of Five Points

39  The Warehouse

40  Trial by Fire

41  Sons and Heirs

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