by: Maggie O’Farrell
Goodreads Synopsis:
‘You will never understand how the land remembers, how deep the roots grow’
A spellbinding story of separation, longing, recovery and survival as a family makes a new home in the aftermath of tragedy.
On a windswept peninsula stretching out into the Atlantic, Tomás and his reluctant son, Liam, are working for the great Ordnance Survey project to map the whole of Ireland. The year is 1865, and in a country not long since ravaged and emptied by the Great Hunger, the task is not an easy one. Tomás, however, is determined that his maps will be a record of the disaster.
The British soldiers in charge are due to arrive any day, expecting the work to be completed, but Tomás is sent off course by an unsettling encounter in a copse. His life, and those of his family, will never be the same again. Liam is terrified by the sudden change in his taciturn father. What was it that caused such cracks to open in Tomás and how is Liam, aged only ten, going to finish the mapping, and get them both home?
Land is a story of buried treasure, overlapping lives, ancient woodland, persistent ghosts, a particularly loyal dog, and how, when it comes to both land and history, nothing ever goes away.
Helen says: 🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓
What an incredible story! This is my second favorite book of 2026…behind Yesteryear, and honestly it is probably tied for first because it is hard to compare the two…they are in opposite categories for sure…This was beautifully written…both a sweeping family saga and historical fiction (my two favorite genres combined)…I didn’t want it to end…The description was incredible…It started with a bang and kept my attention the whole ride.
Holly says: 🤓🤓🤓🤓1/2
Let me just say – this book is beautifully written, and let me reiterate, beautiful!! This is a mesmerizing story written by an amazingly talented Irish author. Again, there is some magical realism which is lovely (and very Irish). Warning: the story is very, very sad. I also did not want this book to end – it is an emotional journey. So moving…this is one that will stay with you.
Helen and Holly Hit the Books 