The Linen Queen: A Novel

Abandoned by her father and neglected by her self-centered unstable mother Sheila McGee cannot wait to escape the drudgery of her mill village life in Northern Ireland. Her classic Irish beauty helps her win the 1941 Linen Queen competition and the prize money that goes with it finally gives her the opportunity shes been dreaming of. But Sheila does not count on the impact of the Belfast blitz which brings World War II to her doorstep. Now even her good looks are useless in the face of travel restrictions and her earlier resolve is eroded by her mas fear of being left alone. When American troops set up base in her village some see them as occupiers but Sheila sees them as saviors--one of them may be her ticket out. Despite objections from her childhood friend Gavin ORourke she sets her sights on an attractive Jewish-American army officer named Joel Solomon but her plans are interrupted by the arrival of a street-wise young evacuee from Belfast. Frustrated Sheila fights to hold on to her dream but slowly her priorities change as the people of Northern Ireland put old divisions aside and bond together in a common purpose to fight the Germans. Sheilas affection for Joel grows as she and Gavin are driven farther apart. As the war moves steadily closer to those she has grown to love Sheila confronts more abandonment and loss and finds true strength compassion and a meaning for life outside of herself.