Ring of Salt: Finding home and hope on the Wild Coast of Ireland

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What to expect

On her son's first birthday, Betsy Cornwell fled her home, checking into a hotel under a false name so her husband couldn't find them. In the uncertain months that followed, her fierce determination to give her child what she never had - a safe and stable home - saved them.

In Ring of Salt, Betsy traces her journey from that desperate moment to Ireland's windswept west coast, where the Atlantic Ocean crashes against ancient cliffs. There, nestled beside a quiet lake in the wilds of Connemara, she discovers a long-abandoned knitting factory - forgotten, but full of possibility. She sets out to restore it into a sanctuary for herself and her son - and, eventually, a creative refuge for single mothers.

As she renovates the crumbling house and fights to keep custody of her son, Betsy begins to rebuild something more: a sense of belonging. In the cool mists of the countryside, and with the help of fellow survivors and an unexpected community, she pieces together a new kind of family.

Mixing Maid's gripping portrait of single motherhood with Wintering's wild, romantic sense of place, this is a powerful memoir of survival, new beginnings, and the quiet, everyday magic of finding home on one of the world's most storied and soul-stirring coastlines.

Critics Review

A stunning memoir, intimate and vast at once. This is a very special book
Elske Rahill, author of Between Dog and Wolf
A powerful and deeply empowering book, Ring of Salt is a hymn to the strength of community, a rallying cry against systemic injustice, and a testimony to the resilience of one woman's spirit. Beautifully written, this is an immersive exploration into the joy of finding home in unconventional places
Roisín O’Donnell, author of Nesting
The best memoir I've read in years. As transportive as a fairytale, but as real as the Connemara wind on your face, every page pulses with the wild spirit of Ireland. This memoir is for anyone ready to believe in the power of resilience, reinvention, and the communities that catch us when we fall
Marian Schembari, author of A Little Less Broken
The story of hard-earned triumph for a single mother who forges a path through childhood abuse, domestic violence, penury, and isolation to an abundant life on the wild coast of Ireland. Best of all, Cornwell's story of resilience and hope is beautifully written; each sentence shimmers like the incandescent Irish coastline
Christie Tate, author of Group
A truly beautifully written, heart-wrenching memoir that brings the power of community, and the power of women, to every page. Betsy takes you with her on an incredible journey from the cloying damp of an isolated cottage, chill with her fear, to the warmth and sweetness of sun-ripened wild strawberries and stunning sunsets, her child in her arms every step of the way. Emotional, spellbinding, inspirational, Ring of Salt is a tour-de-force of a book
Sam Blake, author of The Killing Sense
A searingly painful yet stunning and hopeful piece of work. I am in awe of Cornwell's determination and courage and her ability to draw meaning from the darkest times. She has created a profound and beautiful piece of art from these experiences
Sophie White, Shirley Jackson Award-winning author of Where I End
Clear-eyed, open-hearted, and brimming with hope, Betsy Cornwell's Ring of Salt is a beautifully told memoir. As an artist, an ex-pat fleeing family violence, and an immigrant searching for a home in the world, she writes with urgency and candour, pulling readers along on her wild rollercoaster into love and heartbreak and out again
Anonymous, author of Becoming Duchess Goldblatt
When I grow up, I want to write like Betsy Cornwell! She's poetic and gritty and funny and heartbreaking . . . often in the same paragraph. Ring of Salt captures what it's like to rebuild from the ruins, to mother while mourning, and to find a safe home inside yourself when the world hasn't offered one. Cornwell doesn't mistake escape for freedom, and she writes beautifully about what comes after survival - the long, brave, often invisible work of building a new life. It's honest, lyrical, and quietly revolutionary
Lara Love Hardin, New York Times bestselling author of The Many Lives of Mama Love
Wondrous . . . This book renewed something in my own heart. A beautiful tale of love, survival and community
Rachel Louise Snyder, author of No Visible Bruises and Women We Buried, Women We Burned
Ring of Salt was so vast and tender and urgent, it was almost like reading a novel. I couldn't put it down. I haven't cheered for a heroine like Betsy in ages
Jen Hatmaker, bestselling author, podcaster and speaker
I was rapt in anticipation through every turn, feeling every piece of perfect prose, every sweeping onset of emotion, every moment of grit and grace. A lyrical, intimate account of self-empowerment, survival, and the intricate assembling of courage necessary to take your child by the hand and know that where you're going is more powerful than where you came from
Carine McCandless, author of The Wild Truth, the New York Times bestselling follow-up to Into the Wild
Reading Ring of Salt is a profoundly inspiring experience. The memoir eloquently illustrates how the traumas of life can be converted into creativity and magic, enabling beauty and hope to coexist with pain. Cornwell's writing facilitates healing and empowerment, resonating deeply with readers through each meticulously crafted sentence
Senator Lynn Ruane
This is a scary but ultimately heartening story and Cornwell writes with a novelist's energy and eye for drama. Genuinely compelling!
Mike McCormack, winner of the International Dublin Literary Award for Solar Bones
A beautiful and deeply moving memoir. I could not put it down. Cornwell explores with honesty, humour and courage what it takes to start over, and chronicles how she drew strength from female friendship, motherhood, community, and Ireland itself. A must-read
J. Courtney Sullivan, New York Times bestselling author of The Cliffs

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