True story-Kevin a former soldier, unable to let go of his memories of the horrors of war travels to Ireland, the land of his parents people, and with a shaggy brown donkey as his companion he sets off on a 1,800 mile trek around the whole of Ireland. Great and easy read that lets you follow along on the journey whiile getting to know the Ireland of the 1979. I had such a hard time putting this book down that I actually brought it to work with me so I could read it during my breaks.
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Unavoidably Detained by the World
"Irishness is not primary a question of birth or blood or language; it is the condition on being involved in the Irish situation, and usually of being mauled by it."-Conor Cruise O'Brien
"On his only prior visit to Ireland, songwriter/comic Tony Hawks had seen a man hitchhiking with a refrigerator. For years, he was wont to tell the tale during late-night drinking matches, and after one particularly heavy-duty night of partying, he awoke to find a bet scrawled pillow-side: a friend wagered 100 pounds that Hawks wouldn't travel Ireland for a month with a refrigerator at his side."
Altough technically not a novel, this is the rest of the story...
Morgan Llywelyn has written several Irish themed books and novels. I'm reading what I call the "Years" series (1916, 1921, 1949, and 1972). All her books would fall under the historical fiction catagory and all seem to do a very good job at captuing the spirit if the times.
Better yet, order the magazine. Then, you can have recipes, interesting places to visit, get to know some of the history and you get some occasional Irish Blarney. But it's all in fun.
Has anyone read Leon Uris' books "Trinity" or "Redemption" ? They are great stories - I have read Trinity twice and Redemption once.
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"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."" Psalm 91:1-2
"Be what you would seem to be--or, if you'd like it put more simply--Never imagine yourself not to be otherwise than what it might appear to others that what you were or might have been was not otherwise than what you had been would have appeared to them to be otherwise." from "Alice in Wonderland"
There are some very witty and deceptively simple Irish writers around - Anne Dunlop is a relatively new author who I really enjoy. Her stories seem so simple but capture the essence of the human condition. You get engrossed in her characters lives before you notice it. Alice Taylor has the same qualities though she writes about Ireland of half a century ago. I love authors who make the characaters come to life.
Dianne
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www.geocities.com/dianne_ascroft
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