I wanted to like this book. The synopsis sounded great. However, the pacing was way too slow for me. Try as I might, I just couldn’t connect to the story or the characters. Every page was a chore to read, and this book would just sit there mocking me. Added to my DNF pile.

(I won this book from a Goodreads Giveaway.) ( )

Bridey and Thom leave Ireland for America, planning to wed once they arrive. Thom dies aboard ship, and Bridey arrives in America pregnant. She considers returning to her family in Ireland, but remains. A young woman who helps Bridey helps her place the child with a Catholic charity and provides Bridey with a job. When the woman's own child dies in birth, she adopts from the charity with Bridey still working for the family. The bond between Bridey and Vincent is strong. Bridey returns to Ireland when the family's patriarch dies. The story follows several more generations in a somewhat chaotic matter. The flow between the older generation and the newer ones does not work well for the reader. Genetic genealogists will love the epilogue. The author provides historical notes and a good bibliography, features unusual for a novel. I really enjoyed Bridey and Thom's story, the story of Bridey's first days in America, and giving up the child for adoption. I even enjoyed some of Bridey's story after that point. Unfortunately, the more the story began to focus on the Hollingworth family, the less interested I became in the story being read. The character development that took place in the early generations did not extend to the later ones. Those generations felt rushed. What started as a good read became just a mediocre one for me. I received an electronic copy from the publishers through NetGalley with the expectation of an honest review. ( )

‘The Latecomers’ is a big family saga that encompasses both the rich Hollingworths and their poor servant Bridey – although *that* fact isn’t widely known. While the book starts with 9/11, the story itself starts much earlier, when Bridey and her fiancé board a ship in Ireland to start a new life in America. Sadly, the fiancé dies on board ship, leaving a broke and pregnant Bridey to find her own way. Bridey spends her life working for the family that adopts her son; in large part, she mothers him more than his rich adoptive mother does.

The story is rich in details through the years. The household adoption of electrical appliances. Halley’s Comet. How housework was done. Out of wedlock childbirth in 1908. Marriage customs. Prohibition. The Great Depression. The Hollingsworth family goes through many changes in the time between 1908 and 2018, but the link between Bridey and her son Vincent is the main thread.

I found the book really interesting to read; the author really did her homework on the eras and the areas that the book takes place in. The cast of characters was interesting; some of them I really liked, while others I wasn’t so fond of. I think the story might have benefitted if the main arc, of the secret of Bridey’s son, had been cut shorter. I had almost lost interest in that arc by the time it was revealed. It’s a grand story, though, so four stars. ( )

The Latecomers by Helen Klein Ross is a multi-generational story of an American family and the Irish immigrant with whom they share a secret. Ross was inspired by a real 1853 Connecticut house, Holleywood.

The novel begins in 1908 when Bridey and Thom plan to secretly marry and immigrant to America because of the feud between their Irish families. The marriage is delayed and Thom dies of ship fever, leaving a pregnant Bridey to fend for herself in America.

Bridey must give her son for adoption and is hired as a maid for the wealthy Hollingsworth family. Their relationship becomes complicated upon the death of the patriarch, causing Bridey to return to Ireland.

The story follows the Hollingsworth family through generations, set against the burgeoning changes in American life, until a long-lost secret is rediscovered through genealogical research.

I had just finished watching Downton Abbey for the first time (yes, I know, years after everyone else saw it.) The early part of the novel reminded me of that series, from the time era to the upstairs/downstairs multigenerational relationships. Except, this story is set in America and continues into contemporary times.

My concern was that the story slowed down in the middle. There is a lot of 'telling' when I would have liked more dialogue and action. I know it is on trend, but I still don't care for a prelude scene with people and a situation not revisited until the end of the book.

Ross's extensive research shows in the period details she includes in the story. Historical fiction fans who enjoy learning about history in a sprawling novel spanning generations will enjoy this book.

I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review. ( )