May the road rise up to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the sun shine warm upon your face
and the rain fall soft upon your fields
and until we meet again
May God hold you in the palm of His hands.
 

Reviews


"To read this book is an enriching, unforgettable experience. It is told in utterly true and authentic voices that reach the soul and linger in the heart. The nation needed Peter Troy's novel to remind us of what we were and who we can become."

-Leila Meacham, New York Times bestselling author of Roses


“This big tale takes us from the world of the Irish Famine to the American Civil War  -  a wonderful family saga of poignant history, thrilling action and romance.  But what I like best of all is the way Peter Troy writes it : This book is rich, it's warm, it's got heart and it's got guts.  I warmly recommend it." 

- Edward Rutherfurd, NYT bestselling author of The Princes of Ireland, The Rebels of Ireland, and New York: The Novel


"May the Road Rise Up to Meet You is a  generous and sweeping Civil War saga about Southern slaves and newly-arrived immigrants linked by a shared desire for abolition and freedom. Ranging from the clawing hunger of the Irish famine to the abusive captivity of South Carolina, from rough-and-tumble Five Points to the genteel streets of Richmond, Virginia, this affecting and moving tale links disparate lives of impressive integrity, suffering and triumph, and yields a deeply personal portrait of the immigrants who fought the war and the people they fought it for. A hopeful, magnanimous depiction of America at its most vulnerable." 

- Robin Oliveira, author of My Name is Mary Sutter
 


"
Troy weaves an epic tale of triumph and sorrow in the years before and during the war around the lives and voices of four individuals struggling to survive a world packed with noble hopes and chaotic events. Through the lives of Ethan, Marcella, Mary and Micah, Troy reminds us again and again why The American Civil War remains the single most important moment in our history. Beautifully told, Troy has given us a story that will be with me for many years to come."

-Robert Hicks, New York Times bestselling author of The Widow of the South and
A Separate Country

Finding ambition in a first
novel is not a rare thing, but to
find it fulfilled as thoroughly
as it is in “May the Road Rise
Up to Meet You” is indeed
something special
Finding ambition in a first
novel is not a rare thing, but to
find it fulfilled as thoroughly
as it is in “May the Road Rise
Up to Meet You” is indeed
something special
"Finding ambition in a first novel is not a rare thing, but to find it fulfilled as thoroughly as it is in "May the Road Rise Up to Meet You" is indeed something special."

- Drew Gallagher, The Free-Lance Star


"Troy has written a heartfelt and moving saga of America's most fateful hour."

- California Literary Review