Never Call It Loving Author:Dorothy Eden This work of romantic historical fiction is a worthy effort by its noted author. With its title, taken from a poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, setting the stage, the book, based upon a true story, regales the reader with the nineteenth century love affair between Irish politician Charles Stewart Parnell and Katherine O'Shea, wife of one o... more »f his political colleagues.
Often referred to as the "uncrowned King of Ireland" for his passionate partisanship and his advocacy for home rule, Charles Parnell was a man dedicated to the betterment of the lot of the Irish under British rule. He was a fairly single-minded individual, until the day that his path crossed that of beautiful Katherine O'Shea. From the moment that they met, it was love at first sight, and never would they waver from that path of true love, despite the scandal that their affair would one day cause.
Locked into a loveless marriage with the dissolute and impecunious Captain William O'Shea, Katherine was the mother of three children when she first met Charles Parnell. These two star-crossed lovers of the prim and proper Victorian age would eventually risk everything to be together. Their private passion would become a public scandal that would make Katherine O'Shea a notorious woman and cause the "uncrowned King of Ireland" to lose his "crown" and be deposed from his position of power.
This is a well-told story of romantic historical fiction by this notable author. Known for her historical fiction, the author manages to capture the essence of the period, as well as the passion that would cause these two individuals to flout the social mores of their time. Those readers who enjoy romantic historical fiction will enjoy reading about the love affair between Katherine O'Shea and Charles Stewart Parnell that would one day rock the very halls of Parliament.« less