Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This exploration of Ireland during the reign of Queen Victoria is an excellent treatment of the topic. Rather than exploring politics or Ireland's relationship with England in depth, Maxwell focuses on the social and cultural life of Ireland during the period. Ireland's complex religious and sectarian dynamics are deftly explained, as is the experience and aftermath of the Great Famine. That said, my favorite aspects of the book are those that convey what might be called the texture everyday life in Victorian Ireland. The colorful—and sometimes confounding—figures who shaped that life make succinct but vivid appearances, as do the huge changes in technology that characterized the era and transformed its work, class system, and landscape. Maxwell, a former officer at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, is an expert on Irish genealogy; Life in Victorian England displays his gift for placing individual lives in a broader context.

NetGalley, Suzanne Fox

A very interesting look at life in Ireland during a period of severe hardship. Fascinating read.

NetGalley, Annette Stauffer

It's well researched and offers a great deal of information.

NetGalley, Andrea Romance

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Very good well written book, I've read many on Victorian England and America but this was the first focusing on Ireland and its somewhat unique take on the Victorian Era.

NetGalley, Heather Bennett

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

There's not a lot of social history books about life in Ireland during Victoria reign. I found it well researched, interesting and made me learn something new.
Highly recommended.

NetGalley, Anna Maria Giacomasso

I found the shift from England to Ireland a refreshing read, and learned a lot of little known facets of daily life.

NetGalley, Spencer Wright