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Title: A Cruel Harvest

Author: Paul Reid

Narrator: Sarah Coomes

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 52 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-18-12

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 19 votes

Genres: Romance, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Ireland, 1790: In the midst of a violent storm, the small fishing village of Dromkeen comes under attack by Moorish pirates. Dromkeen is a poor settlement, but it is rich in what the pirates are hunting: slaves. Among those captured in the surprise raid is the young farmer Brannon Ryan, whose strength and fortitude make him a valuable commodity in the slave markets of North Africa. He is sold into servitude, forced to become a soldier of the sadistic sultan of Morocco. All the while, his heart remains in Ireland, where he can only hope that his beloved Orlaith has met a better fate.

Back in Dromkeen, Orlaith has indeed survived, but she now faces a new nightmare. Widowed with an infant son and unable to manage her farm without Brannons help, Orlaith is forced to choose between watching her child starve to death or consenting to marry a man she does not love. With her farm in destitution, Orlaith must make a terrible decision and suffer its consequences.

Stretching from the windswept coast of Ireland to the sun-baked hills of Morocco, A Cruel Harvest chronicles the adventures and heartbreaks that tie Brannon and Orlaith, no matter how distant their separation.

Members Reviews:

A good story, well told, and a bit of escapism for a jaded reader like me

This is an adventure novel. Set in 1790, it begins in Ireland, where Orlaith, a young widow with a child, and Brannon a local man, fall in love. But suddenly, the land is invaded by pirates, who whisk Brannon off on a slave ship to be sold into the marketplace in Morocco. Orlaith, in the meantime is left poverty stricken and hungry and that is why she accepts the marriage proposal of a rich and cruel man. Detailed descriptions of all of this made me wince but the story moved so fast that it was hard to take my eyes of the page.

Adventures abound for this couple. After a horrific ocean voyage and the horrors or slavery, Brannon eventually becomes a soldier and is soon engaged in a war to topple the cruel ruler of the land. Orlaith, in the meantime tries to escape her cruel husband but is brought back, put on trial and sentenced to a horrible fate.

The book is 350 pages long but a very fast read because every page is filled with adventure and there is never a dull moment. Of course it is predictable and that was both the strength and weakness of the book. There are really no surprises. The good guys are good: the bad guys are bad. And there is no doubt that the good guys will live happily ever after. That said, it was a fun read. Yes, the characters were stereotyped and I knew they would get out of their many dilemmas, but it was the author's craft that made we wonder how this was going to happen and I just couldn't stop reading.

This is certainly not a literary masterpiece, but it never pretended to be. It was just a good story, well told, and a bit of escapism for a jaded reader like me.

A very entertaining read

Mr Reid delivers on his first novel. I look forward to reading his future work. I thought the story line incorporating historical elements of the social conditions prevalent in two cultures helps paint a better understanding of the period in which this story takes place. The cruelty of man and the attempt to break free of tyranny is a very messy affair that few seem to successfully achieve. Personal determination is shown as both punishing and rewarding.

Spoiler Alert

The story was certainly well written, and it was certainly a great story.