A BEST BOOK OF 2024 - IRISH TIMES

"A potent blend of excitement, suspense and intrigue... A gripping World War II-set drama featuring the unlikeliest of heroes, one whom the reader roots for every step of the way... hugely satisfying."--Malcolm Forbes, Washington Post

"My Father's House is primarily--and triumphantly--an intimate drama that illuminates both the fragility and the wonder of unlikely human connections forged in adversity and, in some cases, enduring for a lifetime."--Anna Mundow, Wall Street Journal

"Sometimes a novel's setting looms so large it becomes a crucial element of the plot. That's certainly true of the dangerous streets of World War II Rome, which Joseph O'Connor explores in his historical thriller My Father's House."--Alida Becker, The New York Times Book Review

★ "O'Connor is a masterful storyteller, weaving a violent, terrifying, suspenseful, yet ultimately uplifting story of one man's courage and determination to fight back against Nazi brutality, whatever the risk. Superb!"--Booklist (Starred Review)

★ "Riveting... A storytelling tour de force. This is top-drawer WWII fiction."--Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

★ "If the story were told in typical thriller style, emphasizing action over language, it would still be good, but O'Connor's phrasings are a special joy . . . A deeply emotional read."--Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)

"Joseph O'Connor's writing draws me into the pages . . . enthralling."--Riley Chance, The Post

"O'Connor swaps between cracking dialogue scenes with wonderfully vivid characters and proper edge-of-the-seat thriller moments. One of his best, and that's saying something, obviously."--Rick O'Shea, MSN

"My Father's House is a skillful portrayal of the evils of fascism and the fortitude demanded of those who would oppose it . . . O'Connor is an excellent writer, and the story is compelling."--The Catholic Spirit

"With mastery, Joseph O'Connor turns this true episode of the Second World War into fiction, mixing real and invented characters...An intelligent thriller, which thrills and lifts the veil on a fascinating intertwining of gray areas, hideouts, secret passages, false identities, legends and disguises used by these unusual heroes."--Actual News Magazine

"A riveting tale about the power of community in the face of unfathomable evil... A seamless blend of fact and fiction by a master of the genre; a brisk, polyphonic narrative that brings the heroism of ordinary people thrillingly to life."--Irish Times

"The diverse ventriloquism of O'Connor's novel evokes a city in peril with wonderful vitality."--Financial Times (UK)

"The novel's evocative scene-setting, its propulsive narration and its powerful depiction of bravery and unity in extremis, all make for an engrossing read."--The Telegraph (UK)

"A spectacular, thrilling novel... the novel offers much more than tensely plotted thrills. O'Flaherty's deep and impressively detailed love of Rome is emphasised and handsomely conveyed by O'Connor... My Father's House celebrates triumphant against-the-odds camaraderie. It would require a present-day Puccini to do operatic justice to its tremendous tale."--The Sunday Times (UK)

"This remains a tale worth re-telling, adorned as it is by the brilliance of O'Connor's impressionistic writing."--The Times (UK), A Best New Thriller for January 2023

"There have been many books written and films made about Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty, the Kerry-born Vatican priest who rescued thousands of Jews and Allied Prisoners of War during the Second World War. But his latest incarnation, as the hero of this fast-moving novel by Joseph O'Connor, is surely the most memorable... A novel that triumphantly recreates the extraordinary human being that was Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty and his colourful co-conspirators."--Irish Examiner

"Superb."--Irish Independent

"The master story teller delivers crackling dialogue, tense and thrilling set pieces, and beautiful prose. A bank holiday movie in book form."--Pat Carty, Hot Press