Wow, at utterly absorbing story that towards the end almost had me in tears.

I loved discovering both Tom and Ruth;s stories and seeing how the converged.

I really felt for Ruth as at times it felt like the whole world was against her, and as you get to know her more intimately, you see what a wonderful but misunderstood person she really is.

For attraction to Tom's story was to see if my suspicions as to why he was living the way he was, were correct, and also to see just how his story would connect to Ruth's.

The subject matter and themes dealt with in the book are tough, proper issues, which have been written about in Carmel Harrington's normal, realistic style that draws you in and makes you really feel for her characters.

It did take me a bit of time to get used to, especially the way Ruth spoke, but once I was on-board with what was happening, I was completely hooked and couldn't put the book down.

It's another cracking book from an author that I love.

Thank you to Harper and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily,

A Thousand Roads Home is a heartwarming story of a very topical subject, homelessness. Carmel Harrington writes sensitively about something that can effect anyone at anytime. I will be looking out for more books by this author.

A lovely gentle read. Nothing challenging or earth shattering but warm and uplifting. Ideal as an antidote to a frantic world

Set in Ireland, Ruth and her young son are the main characters in this lovely, thought provoking story about homelessness. Ruth has Aspergers and struggles to fit in socially. She becomes homeless and ends up on social care, in a hotel, sharing a room with her son. The author highlights the stigma of homelessness and the difficulties in turning your life around when it has taken a downturn. Dr O’Grady is her friend, previously helping her with her pregnancy but now, due to very sad circumstances, living on the street.
Although I found some of this a little unbelievable it has a great feel good factor and a sense of how important it is to have hope.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher, Harper Collins for an ARC.

There is a strong message in this book but I found some parts a bit cloying. This is a tale of modern problems, including homelessness, drug addiction and Asperger's Syndrome, set mostly in Dublin. The characters are quite well rounded, with back stories revealed in flash-back sections and chapters. The story is told from two points of view, with the current day action taking place over a fairly short period,

A super book, with great characters that you come to care about deeply. Certainly makes you think a bit harder about the background of homeless people you pass on the street. I wish there could be a sequel of the further adventures of the residents of Silver Sands Lodge.

Heartwarming and humorous. Heartbreaking situations showing how close anyone could be to losing it all. A really lovely read.

A Thousand Roads Home is the first book I have read by Carmel Harrington but coincidentally the second in as many weeks about autism, or more correctly Asperger’s in this instance. This is a story full of charm even though it pulls no punches as it features homelessness and mental health issues and the negative way in which many people are stigmatised and defined. We initially meet Ruth Wilde as a single mum to DJ who is full of hope for a better life in Dublin. She has been cruelly judged all of her life especially by her mother but also by her peers by dint of her little foibles. The other main character is Dr Tom O’Grady who is mostly living on a park bench in Dublin. Ruth’s and the Doc’s paths have crossed before and this tale is told partly in the present and partly as flashbacks. This tale is lovely, warm-hearted yet offers a serious insight into a sudden reversal of fortune which any of us might experience. It is ultimately uplifting. Thanks to HarperCollins for the e book.

Simply Incredible! I have literally just finished reading this and I am somewhat overwhelmed by this story of Ruth a single parent struggling with Asperger’s and the difficulties this made in forming relationships and the trials she underwent when she was evicted from her home by her landlord. The text is revealed through her voice and that of Tom, a homeless man who is just about dealing with his own demons. It is through Ruth and Tom’s voices that we learn all about DJ, Ruth’s son, and the host of supporting characters.

We witness the isolation, desperation, fear and despair of those living on the margins, the homeless and the lonely.

A heart-warming (how I dislike that phrase but in this case it really does fit) read with brilliant characters, sometimes very funny but always thought provoking. I do recommend you to read it, you will not be disappointed.

Thank you to the author, publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

Retain,y not my usual reD but I enjoyed it nevertheless. Lovely characters and very well written. It won’t set the world on fire but worth a read anyway.

really enjoyed this book. great story line and great characters. look forward to reading more from this author.

Tom and Ruth first meet in their hometown of Wexford. The title on his surgery door is Dr Tom O’Grady and Ruth is to be his patient. As soon as he meets her for the first time, wearing a face mask to protect herself from germs, he recognises that she is on the Autistic Spectrum and he is more than happy to have her as his patient and makes it his business to make her visits as stress free as possible. Even if he hadn’t been a doctor he would have treated her as one of his special acquaintances, he is a kind man full of empathy and insight.
Ruth meets her soul mate one day on her favourite beach. Their fortunes are told by two identical cards issued from a machine and each card informs them that on that very day they will meet their soulmates. Her dream has come true because Dean falls in love with her at first sight and accepts her for who she is; a kind, brave and wonderful person. It’s like a magical fairy tale. They spend the night together and Ruth’s future is altered forever. Dean promises he will be back from Dublin the very next weekend and they keep in daily contact. Ruth has met her dream man at last and she relishes her future away from her dismissive and cruel mother who has always despised her and never loved her. At last she is loved and loves back. Her future is sealed there and then.
Ten years later they meet again in Dublin. Both of their lives have changed beyond recognition and the futures that they both looked forward to so eagerly are not now anything like the futures they expected when they had last seen each other. Tom is a gentleman of the road, haunted by his tragic past and without ambition. His only companion is his loyal dog, Bette Davis. He yearns only to sleep and dream about how he wishes his life had turned out. The stars in the sky are his only solace. Ruth is also homeless and without work. She is living in a tiny hotel room that she shares with her son DJ in social care until accommodation can be provided for them. She wants to repay Tom for his kindness to her a decade before and so their story continues within the pages of this spellbinding novel.
I am a huge fan of all of Carmel Harrington’s novels and this one is no exception. Her storytelling is masterful, lyrical, full of empathy and compassion and extremely rewarding to read. I raced through this page-turner because I was absorbed in the story and with the beautiful characters, all skilfully created and developed out of the creative and beautiful mind of the author, although a few of the characters in the story are ‘nods’ to ‘real’ tireless heroes and talented journalists, their names used as a total mark of respect. Her research has been meticulously carried out to make this story authentic, well informed and adding to the richness of the novel. It’s an absolute corker, sad, uplifting, highly original and one of her stories that will stay with my forever. I always love to read fiction that focuses upon social and topical issues, friendship, families and yet also is thought-provoking. What you get with Carmel is the whole deal, even reading notes and the author’s own motives for telling her story. I’m in awe of Carmel’s talent.
Thank you for my copy of this novel received through my membership of NetGalley and from publisher HarperCollins, sent to me in return for an honest unbiased review. I thoroughly enjoyed it and my review reflects this. I am delighted to highly recommend this novel as an excellent, uplifting and heart-warming read with a really lovely, satisfying ending. It’s equally beautiful as its gorgeous front cover!

I would like to thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book. It was a fabulous read that made me laugh out loud at some points but reduced me to tears at others. I loved it and would recommend it.

I always look forward to a new release from Carmel Harrington and this her latest is another winning read with believable characters and a strong storyline that highlights just how easy it is for anyone to succumb to homelessness.

This story shows the struggles single people and families who for whatever reason are in need of help and support and that it is not necessarily easy to seek from the authorities or strangers.

A lovely read that is sad at times but also heart-warming.

My thanks to Net Galley for the ARC this is my own opinion of A Thousand Roads Home.

This is a gem of a book. A beautiful story about life, love and loss and what makes a family. It is an emotional rollercoaster that had me gripped from the start.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I really enjoyed this book, not my usual genre but a very interesting and thought provoking read and I am so glad I decided to read it.

It is a well developed story with good characters and I felt as though I knew them all personally, it is a well written and a very descriptive book and I will read more from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Carmel Harrington's new book A Thousand Roads Home features a theme which is very relevant to today's society - homelessness in all its different forms and the profound impact it has on so many lives. It sounds awful to have to say but it is a hot topic at the moment especially in Ireland where the story is set, as day in day out we hear unimaginable stories of people losing their homes and being forced to find temporary accommodation in hotels. Not to mention the people who have long been forced to live rough on the streets. No doubt about it it is a subject that fuels plenty of debate and there seems to be no long term solution in sight and instead the situation seems to be getting worse. This book provides the reader with plenty of food for thought and I think it would be an ideal read for a book club given the numerous issues it raises.

I feel homelessness has never been written about in a women's fiction book that I have read before and I commend Carmel for taking the risk and bringing this topic even more into the limelight. I thought everything was presented with such an all round view and never at any time did it feel like she was coming down on one side of the argument or the other. Overall, this was no rose tinted view of the situation although at times I did feel certain parts tended to stray down this avenue as some things became too easy for certain characters despite the varying situations they found themselves in. As we venture further forward towards the conclusion, the many strands of the story intertwine and are woven together in the most beautiful and heart-warming of ways. I felt I was there alongside each character as they journeyed through such incredibly tough times and I felt every bit of the maelstrom of emotions that they experienced. Their battle to seek the light and hopefully emerge triumphant on the other side was an emotional one and very well written and researched.

Where is home? Wherever the people who we love are. This statement couldn't be more true but for the main characters Ruth, her son DJ and the man they meet – Tom. They question whether this will ever become a reality again? Together these characters do an extraordinary thing and come together to make a warm and unforgettable novel that will leave a lump in your throat and a range of emotions running through your heart and mind. When Ruth had DJ she moved to Dublin and ran away from everything she had known. From the outset it was evident that Ruth was an anxious person and the many obsessions and strict routines she has to adhere to dominate her life. But her main priority is always for the well being of DJ.

I knew fairly on that there was something not quite right with Ruth and that these obsessions had to have a cause and soon the reader is made aware that Ruth has Asperger's. When herself and DJ are made homeless their world falls apart and despair sets in. Ruth can't cope with change and she needs strict order and stability in her life. She is very matter of fact and blunt in her observations and statements. She is a person who always wants to do the right thing and follow the rules, so her new situation really does test her. So an unknown and precarious future is not what she seeks. Saying this Ruth is a reliable and committed person when it comes to her son and she will always put DJ first ahead of her own needs despite the voices telling her otherwise.

The pair are offered temporary accommodation by the council in The Silver Sands Lodge run by landlady Erica who was just a fabulous and funny character. The hotel is being used to house people who have been placed on the housing waiting list and what unfolds is an extraordinary, special and unique story. Ruth doesn't want to become another statistic in regards to the homeless crisis in Ireland and she is determined to change her fate and that of DJ's but how can she go about this. We meet a wide range of characters in The Silver Sands Hotel and Carmel painted a picture of people from all kinds of backgrounds all connected by one common bond - they have no place to call home, no security and no safety. Ruth finds the entire situation very uncomfortable and all the changes, stress and upheaval go against everything she has previously attempted to create for her son. DJ was a stand out character, a boy older and wiser than his years. I think he felt like he was the one who had to look after Ruth given how vulnerable she was but if Ruth realised that was the way DJ was thinking she wouldn't have wanted this at all.

When Ruth strikes up a conversation with a man she meets on a park bench this is the catalyst for change although to reach the point of acceptance and happiness will not be an easy road by any stretch of the imagination. Tom is a rough sleeper so there are similarities between himself and Ruth although at the moment Ruth does have a roof over her head even if it is not the home she would wish for herself and her child. Tom was a brilliantly written character and in my mind the best in the book. For me Ruth was just a bit too all over the place, and I know this was the way she was meant to be written and we are meant to feel this way about her in particular in the beginning, but Tom was far stronger and wiser in my opinion.

Tom was originally from Wexford but left for reasons unknown to the reader. He escapes into his past on a daily basis and it's what gets him through the long hard days outside in all weathers in the company of his faithful dog. Through his recollections we come to understand a little bit about him. His story is tragic but I only gained a further and even deeper appreciation for him as we near the end of the book. Tom is a remarkable man whose background can help others. He takes on Ruth as almost like a task or a personal mission. If he succeeds it will be like an atonement for what happened to him in what he would term his previous life. There was also another strand to Tom's story when he meets some less than hospitable characters. This element of the book was raw and emotional but sadly I would think an all too common occurrence. Rough sleepers can be invisible, the ignored, the forgotten and often referred to as the dredges of society but as Ruth meets Tom and feels there is a connection between she is determined to bring the sparkle back into his life.

I thoroughly enjoyed the way Tom's story was developed as his life becomes that little bit brighter when he meets Ruth. It's like they formed a bond but more in a family way than anything else. Both are broken in some way and working together they can attempt to heal the cracks in each other's lives. They see qualities in each other that they can bring forth and they need that little bit of sparkle, hope and redemption to keep them going through the times sent to test them. As stronger ties develop between Ruth, DJ and Tom they become hard to break and Tom wonders should he do this given he has become so accustomed to relying on just himself to make it through the pain and hardship of each day.

The story did move along at a good pace and I enjoyed reading about the conversations and interactions between the various residents of the hotel who connect and come to rely on each other. There were one or two incidents where things became just that bit too cushy for certain characters. That certain things seemed to find resolution that little bit too easily and I questioned is this happening to everyone in real life even more so as this book is based on real life themes and issues. Saying that Carmel Harrington has written a remarkable book that will awaken your eyes to the issue of being homeless and perhaps if you haven't already you will give it more thought and be more considerate the next time you see someone sleeping on the streets.

A Thousand Roads Home is a compelling, honest and intense read that deserves to be consumed in one go and is one I would definitely recommend to take away on holidays with you this summer.