Mary Mehan Awake
Mary Mehan Awake is the poignant sequel to The Dreams of Mairhe Mehan. Mairhe, who was a nurse during the Civil War, now goes by her American name, Mary, and she has left Washington DC to work for a bird photographer in New York. Mary is beginning to emerge from the numbness that was a defense against the horrors of the war. The romance between Mary and Henry, a musician deafened by his stint in the war, is sweet and well done.... The Dreams of Mairhe Mehan
Mairhe Mehan is a young Irish girl living in the slums of Washington DC during the Civil War. Mairhe's family has been separated; her brother is off to fight for the Union, and her father pines for his native Ireland as his mental capacity deteriorates. The story is told through Mairhe's dreams, a poetic mix of Irish lore and the stark (but somehow dreamy) reality of the war....