Meghan McBride- THE REAL MVP!

Irish linen is a 1996 historical novel that showcases a strong willed and deeply saddened Meghan McBride and successful yet guarded Lucas Ridgely during the mid 1800's. Meghan is an Irishwoman fleeing the famine for a better life with her fiance' Rafferty O'Connor in hopes that she might never struggle to survive ever again. Lucas is a successful textile tycoon who co-owns a mill in a small Delaware town. He has a strong moral compass but cannot grasp his feelings on why he cares for Meghan the way that he does, but knows that she is never going to be out of his life even if he tries to remove her from it.

Initially, the book starts off like your traditional historical read. Girl embarks on some kind of life changing journey, tragedy befalls the character and fate intervenes to provide an out for not only her misery, but for all of the future endeavors that she pursues. Guy chases girl but cannot figure out why he chases the girl. Guy also can't see past his own bachelorhood to see the prize has been in front of his eyes for a good portion of the book. However, this book takes a different stance on the subject.
Meghan loses the one person that she truly had left in the world when her father dies on the voyage over from Ireland, and is accosted by the first mate while blinded with grief after the burial. Lucas comes in and protects her with his name but unwittingly seals his own fate by remaining so close at hand. Though she knows she has feelings for Lucas, she tries to remain spiritually and physically loyal to Raffe, her betrothed/ father's best friend. And while internally you do want her to remain true and keep her promise to the man, it becomes increasingly apparent that America has changed this man for the worst. He has become a philandering borderline rapist who takes pleasure in shagging not only his bosses wife, but any woman who enters his store without the money to afford to feed their children. A once proud Irishman is reduced to a massive heel turn to nothing but a drunken villain. Meanwhile, Meghan settles into America and notices that the Irish are treated as almost less than nothing and she ends up working at Lucas' textile mill. It is here that she realizes the women are almost being forced into trading their bodies in order to keep their jobs by the foreman. She rallies the women and causes a stir that makes the company acknowledge the fact that the foreman is nothing more than a low life. Lucas uses the opportunity not only to get her away from a job that could possibly be dangerous for her, but he also finds her a position with his aunt that will help her do more of what she loves (work as a seamstress.) His love for her pushes him to realize that she should always be the cornerstone of his life, and that he should not be consumed with the fear that all marriages end in misery. After a harrowing incident in Philadelphia the duo confesses their love, and they ride off into married bliss.

While this is a trope that is touched upon quite a bit in the romance realm, this book really shines by making me think of the turmoil that drives all of Meghan's decisions and why they stand out as one of the most character driven pieces of literature that I have read. Meghan in a way is what most modern women strive to be: Independent of the needs of having to have a man provide for her. She over came a famine that killed many of her family and friends, watched them waste away into nothingness due to lack of food. She traveled across the sea in pursuit of the American dream.  Meghan was strong-willed in the fact that she will not be a victim, neither to her past circumstances, or a victim to any man's depravity. And she is a champion for all of the women and friends that are near and dear to her. She manages to give all of herself to ensure that others are able to pursue happiness to the point that she doesn't realize that she deserves her own measure of happiness. Lucas is a champion for any and all things Meghan sets her mind to. When she comes forward about the women being harassed, he takes the investigation into his own hands in order to make the work place much safer for not only Meghan but for all of the women he employs. He also sees the best in all things that Meghan does even when she cannot see it for herself.

At the end of the day, we should all be champions for the things we believe in. We should be secure in the fact that our well being and the well being of those around us is tantamount to any and all things that we do. But we also have to realize that we could all use someone who is able to see the very best in us, even if we cannot. And that is what I believe Candace McCarthy was trying to get across when she gave us this hero and heroine. A couple we could deeply care for and believe in, no matter what the situation was.