Draft:Jean Grainger

• Comment: showing multiple reviews of more than one of her works would help with establishing notability Sulfurboy (talk) 04:59, 11 August 2026 (UTC)

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Jean Grainger is an Irish author from Cork who writes historical and contemporary fiction. A former teacher and tour guide, she published her first novel, The Tour, in 2013. Her work has appeared on the USA Today bestseller list, and she has developed a substantial readership in the United States, particularly among the Irish diaspora.

Career

Before becoming a teacher and then a full-time writer, Grainger worked as a tour guide showing mainly American tourists around Ireland. She later studied as a mature student and taught English and history at De La Salle College in Macroom, County Cork.

Her first novel, The Tour, was inspired by her experiences as a tour guide and follows a group of people travelling around Ireland on a tour bus. She initially sent her book to traditional publishers but did not secure a deal. She attended a course on self-publishing and consequently published her work independently. The Irish Times reported that The Tour was published in 2013.

Grainger subsequently focused more on Irish historical fiction. Her second novel, So Much Owed, developed from research she had undertaken for a doctoral thesis on Irish women's involvement in the Second World War. As part of the research, she interviewed women in Ireland who had served with the British forces during the war.

In 2018, Grainger contributed the novella Catriona's War to The Darkest Hour: WWII Tales of Resistance, an anthology of ten novellas by historical-fiction writers. A 2019 profile in Echo Live described Grainger as a USA Today bestselling author.

By 2022, Grainger had published 31 novels, including historical fiction, contemporary fiction and mysteries. Echo Live reported that year that her books had been downloaded more than two million times.

In 2026, The Irish Times reported that Grainger's catalogue comprised approximately 50 books and had generated between three and four million purchases, downloads, borrows and listens. The newspaper reported approximately €10 million in book sales since 2013 and described the figures as unusual in the Irish book market, particularly for an independently published author.

Grainger established Gold Harp Media Ltd to publish her books, which she runs with her husband and two of her sisters.

Writing and reception

Much of Grainger's historical fiction is set against periods of conflict in Irish and European history, including the First World War, the Second World War and the Irish War of Independence. Her fiction generally uses historical events as a framework for stories about the experiences of ordinary people rather than focusing primarily on political or military figures.

Her experience working with American tourists influenced her understanding of an Irish-American readership. The Irish Times reported that her books have developed a significant audience among readers in the United States and the wider Irish diaspora, with readers also in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

In 2013, Catherine Ketch reviewed The Tour in The Southern Star, describing it as a light but clever read and highlighting the quality of Grainger's writing, strong storyline, humour and dialogue. In a profile later that month, the Irish Examiner described the novel as entertaining and noted its large cast of disparate characters.

In 2021, Jerry Zwick reviewed The Star and the Shamrock in the newsletter of Tri-Valley Cultural Jews. He described its characters as believable and the novel as a "real page-turner", noting its combination of mystery, drama, romance and suspense.

In January 2023, When Irish Eyes Are Lying was the first book featured that year in Mary Crowley's The Munster Bookshelf column in The Munster Express.

In 2026, Historical Novels Review, published by the Historical Novel Society, reviewed If Walls Could Talk, the first book in Grainger's Dunmara series. Reviewer Samantha Ward-Smith described the novel as engaging and absorbing, highlighting Grainger's creation of believable, well-rounded characters and the gentle humour running through the story.

Kirkus Reviews also reviewed If Walls Could Talk, praising Grainger's character work and describing the novel as an inspiring story of strong female friendships. BookLife described the novel as entertaining, highlighting its portrayal of Irish cultural nuances and its blending of past and present.

Selected works

• The Tour
• So Much Owed
• "Catriona's War", in The Darkest Hour: WWII Tales of Resistance
• The Star and the Shamrock
• When Irish Eyes Are Lying
• If Walls Could Talk
• The Rector's Daughter

External links

• Official website