Lara's Story

Shattered by heartbreak...

“When a heart breaks, it does not break evenly, cleaving in half exactly down the middle.” 

Surrounded by her large, boisterous family in 1840s Ireland, Lara Flannigan has never known anything but love and belonging—until the day tragedy strikes, leaving her abandoned and forced into indentured servitude.

Remade in a new world.

Just when all hope seems lost, Lara is discovered by a childless American couple, visiting Ireland to aid in the famine-relief effort. With barely a chance to look back, she’s swept away to a bustling new continent—and a dizzying new reality. One of petticoats, opulent townhouses, and the cold reaches of Philadelphia high society. Desperate for a future, Lara works tirelessly to fit into her new life... while still haunted by a past that won’t let her go.

Set in a fascinating historical period, Lara’s Story is a gripping young adult novel that explores the strength of the human spirit and the power of forgiveness to heal a broken heart.

Book Details

Genre: 

  • Historical Fiction

Age Level: 

  • 12 and up
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It's the 1840s, and Lara can't imagine any life except the one she has where she is surrounded by her big Irish family. That is, until one day, when tragedy strikes. Lara's world is turned upside down. Desperate, afraid, and alone, with no choice but indentured servitude, Lara does something that will haunt her the rest of her life. When it seems that all hope is lost, Lara is discovered by an American couple. Whisked away to a new world, Lara's world changes yet again, but her past won't go away. Will her past ever stop haunting her?

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Lara's Story is a moving tale of a young girl bereft of her mother and everything she knew. Lara is forced into indentured servitude to her father's landlord. After narrowly escaping him, she is found cold, sick, and hungry in the streets of Ennis, Ireland, by a young American couple who are convinced she is the answer to their prayers for children. She is swept away into a whole new world of petticoats, luxury, and love she never imagined possible.

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