Title: Tipperary Pdf A Novel of Ireland
Born into a respected Irish-Anglo family in 1860, Charles loves his native land and its long-suffering but irrepressible people. As a healer, he travels the countryside dispensing traditional cures while soaking up stories and legends of bygone times–and witnessing the painful, often violent birth of land-reform measures destined to lead to Irish independence.
At the age of forty, summoned to Paris to treat his dying countryman–the infamous Oscar Wilde–Charles experiences the fateful moment of his life. In a chance encounter with a beautiful and determined young Englishwoman, eighteen-year-old April Burke, he is instantly and passionately smitten–but callously rejected. Vowing to improve himself, Charles returns to Ireland, where he undertakes the preservation of the great and abandoned estate of Tipperary, in whose shadow he has lived his whole life–and which, he discovers, may belong to April and her father.
As Charles pursues his obsession, he writes the “History” of his own life and country. While doing so, he meets the great figures of the day, including Charles Parnell, William Butler Yeats, and George Bernard Shaw. And he also falls victim to less well-known characters–who prove far more dangerous. Tipperary also features a second “historian:” a present-day commentator, a retired and obscure history teacher who suddenly discovers that he has much at stake in the telling of Charles’s story.
In this gloriously absorbing and utterly satisfying novel, a man’ s passion for the woman he loves is twinned with his country’s emergence as a nation. With storytelling as sweeping and dramatic as the land itself, myth, fact, and fiction are all woven together with the power of the great nineteenth-century novelists. Tipperary once again proves Frank Delaney’s unrivaled mastery at bringing Irish history to life.
Praise for Tipperary
“The narrative moves swiftly and surely. . . . A sort of Irish Gone With the Wind, marked by sly humor, historical awareness and plenty of staying power.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Another meticulously researched journey…Delaney’s careful scholarship and compelling storytelling bring it uniquely alive. Highly recommended.”—Library Journal (starred)
Treasure trove of history, myth, fable, story-telling... Ronan O’Mara is a nine-year old boy who lives in rural Ireland with his mother, father, and aunt. The year is 1951. One day, a mysterious stranger – an older man – appears at the doorstep. Who is he? We don’t know. We know his visit is expected. Neighbors come over, and the stranger tells the family and their neighbors a story. Several stories actually. It seems this is the gift of the stranger. A storyteller. Ronan wishes the man could stay forever, but his impatient mother feels he’s outstayed his welcome after a few days, and the stranger leaves. There’s something about this man that has touched Ronan’s soul though, and Ronan can’t rest easy with the stranger no longer in his life. So Ronan begins a twelve year quest to find the stranger.Now, before I go further, let’s go back to the stories that the old man told Ronan and company. These stories are quite a pleasant diversion from our “main” story. The stories that the stranger tells are about the people’s homeland and history -the history of Ireland. True, there’s a lot of myth, fable, and tradition within these yarns, but the storyteller knows how to enrapture an audience. It doesn’t surprise us in the least that Ronan can’t rest until he finds out where the man is after he leaves. At the very least, it would be nice to find out who he is.Reading this wonderful novel allows you to suspend any sort of disbelief you may have. Is it really common to invite a complete stranger into your house for a week simply because he can tell stories? Is this man even real? Or is he a figment of young Ronan’s imagination? Does the existence of this character serve only to aid Ronan discover his destiny? Good stories really are rare, and Frank Delaney simply entertains us to the point that we simply don’t want to add too much logic within the pages we’re reading. These stories of Ireland that are juxtaposed through the pages are simply wonderful tales, and many times altogether too brief.As Ronan embarks on his journey, he seems to be forever one or two steps behind the storyteller. But this doesn’t stop Ronan from hearing more of the stranger’s stories. Wherever Ronan goes, it seems he’s allowed to hear more stories from the stranger in many different forms. Sometimes, he hears the stories secondhand. Other times, the story teller leaves Ronan written tales that the storyteller composed for him to enjoy. It seems the stranger knows Ronan might be searching for him.What makes this novel more pleasurable as that we also get to know Ronan and his family quite well. Had these extra tales not been thrown into the main storyline, this still would have been a terrific book. Ronan, like all of us, has his own life to live, and as the story progresses, we learn more about his own personal history and the events that shape his character. So maybe a great way to describe this book is “several wonderful stories told within a story”.Although this book takes place in Ireland and all of the stories are about Ireland’s history, the overall feel is quite light. This isn’t a densely packed James Michener type of book. I feel that had author Frank Delaney wanted to write such a book, he could have easily done so, however. But overall, this book is rather light on the historical narratives of the country. The main objective here is Ronan, and his quest to find his calling.I loved this book. As someone who reads quite a bit of fiction, I never take great writing for granted. The story is the point of a good book, but more important is how the author tells the story. How else could John Grisham become so popular? On the surface, dozens of books about the law profession don’t sound very exciting, but Grisham is a great storyteller.And so is Frank Delaney. After reading this book (Summer 2018) I was sad to discover that Mr. Delaney passed away about a year ago. Fortunately, he has several other books that he penned (all seem to be somewhat related to Ireland), and I’m eagerly looking forward to reading more by this author.A Beautiful Blend of Fact and Fiction My wife and I just returned from a wonderful visit to the Emerald Isle. What a wonderful 2 weeks! Reading this wonderful book, both before and after our visit, was monumentally useful for us. In the magnificent flow of the storyteller, Frank Delaney takes you on a magical trip through both fact and fiction in this novel come alive. I found that my understanding of what I experienced was so much enhanced using the book as a sort of accompaniment piece. I encourage you to read it for the simple pleasure of doing so, but also as an enticement to visit the country if you've not already done so; or as a wonderful refreshing of your memories if you have.You don't have to be Irish ... I was fortunate to be able to take a trip to Ireland this February and absolutely fell in love with the country and the people. Since then I've been reading everything I can get my hands on about the country and found this charming book. Mr. Delaney is an incredible writer and he weaves the history of Ireland with 1960s Cork using the vehicle of the last Storyteller, even managing to toss in a mystery. I'm half Irish so I was predisposed to like the book, but still. It's one of the best books I've ever read and I highly recommend it.
Russian Treasures pdf
The Girl Who Lived pdf
Yankee Heir pdf
Alone (The Girl in the Box Book 1) pdf
The Gospel of Adara pdf
The Girl in the Box Series, Books 1-3 pdf
The Sanctuary Series, Books 1-3 pdf
Bath Bombs & pdf
The Homecoming of Bubbles O& pdf
The Tour Box Set pdf
Cuckoo Clock - New York (Unbroken Bonds Book 3) pdf
Shadow of a Century pdf
The Story of Grenville King pdf
After The Rising pdf
House of Darken (Secret Keepers Series Book 1) pdf
KATYN pdf
Jean Grainger Box Set pdf
Tags: B000W917DI pdf,Tipperary pdf,A Novel of Ireland pdf,ebook,Frank Delaney,Tipperary: A Novel of Ireland,Random House,Sagas,Fiction,Fiction - Historical,Fiction / General,Fiction / Sagas,Historical - General,Ireland;Fiction.,Irish Novel And Short Story,Land tenure,Land tenure;Fiction.,Landowners,Landowners;Fiction.,Love stories,Sagas,Fiction / General,Fiction / Sagas,Historical - General,Fiction - Historical,Irish Novel And Short Story,Land tenure,Landowners,Love stories,Fiction
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.