Peter Brennan has researched the effects of changes on Ireland of the near future. I found the first two books absorbing and at times, stressful. The final act of the trilogy about a flooded, frozen Ireland of the future starts a climatic swing back to temperate. The citizens of new Iceapelago however are in shrinking, isolated groups, with a small young population who don’t have prospective marriages. Two brave young people decide to travel to meet other island communities rather than spend the rest of their lives trying to get enough crops stored for winter. These are natural, understandable decisions. These are not the only ones, as the beleaguered populace of Portugal, with a hostile climate and not enough food, are sending out a navy to claim new homes. Iceapelago is prime for occupation, and they are armed and ready. The tension is real. As I am Irish this series really hits me hard, with landmarks I know well and possibilities which seem all too genuine. The ice falling off Greenland, one of the triggers for the sea level rise, serves as a warning to do what we can to prevent further climate change.
A decade after the Big Storm climatic conditions improved gradually in Iceapelago. The third generation of survivors faced a different set of challenges as improving temperate weather prevailed. The sea ice melted. Crops thrived. Food was plentiful. The ageing island communities were more settled and self-sufficient but isolated. Word spread abroad that Iceapelago had recovered well unlike other less-fortunate regions affected by the extremes of Mother Nature. The leaders of the Principality of Ria Formosa in Portugal target Malahide Castle Island and the other communities around Dublin Bay as their new home. Rory, the Iceapelago Commander, has to confront the…
This tender and beautifully described memoir shows us a woman isolating herself during Covid lockdowns in a country cottage. We all used lockdown time as best we could – I wrote books and completed college. Nature came to Chloe in the form of a baby hare, a leveret, huddled on a lane. Afraid the hare would be killed by a dog, Chloe took it in and learned how to raise it. The hare grew up and repaid her kindness. I love the human-animal connection which might not have been possible in a year of coming and going, regular visitors and tourism. Hares have suffered terribly from mechanised farming, Chloe learned, and pesticide use, hedgerow clearance and land use change have removed its habitats. If we want to have hares in the countryside, we must set land aside for their use and corridors for wildlife to let them travel. Recently I saw that Europe has probably lost the slender-billed curlew to extinction, from the same causes. We could, should, and need to do better.
THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER SHORTLISTED FOR WATERSTONES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024 A TIMES and SPECTATOR BEST BOOK OF 2024 A WATERSTONES BEST NATURE WRITING BOOK OF 2024 A BOOKSHOP.ORG NATURAL HISTORY GIFT BOOK 2024
'A beautiful book' - ANGELINA JOLIE 'A glorious book - for its warmth, its precision, its joy' - KATHERINE RUNDELL 'I will be recommending this to everyone' - MATT HAIG
__
Imagine you could hold a baby hare and bottle-feed it. Imagine that it lived under your roof and lolloped around your bedroom at night, drumming on the duvet cover when it wanted your…
I like the dual time periods, as a student in an English college learns to cope with life away from home, while taking on a history project. She discovers that her relative was a woman rebel during 1916’s Easter Rising in Ireland. We follow that rebellion unusually, through a woman’s eyes, the city of Dublin coming to life with well-drawn characters, hope, terror and sadness. While the rebellion was not an immediate success, it paved the way to independence for the nation and drew international attention. The focus on women is important for me, and extremely well accomplished. Our student learns that some rebels in her life are in it for what they can gain, and different rebels are in it to help other people. These are strong lessons for impressionable young persons.
Don't miss this gripping historical novel from the USA Today bestselling author of The Girl From Bletchley Park.
A country rebelling It's 1916 and, as war rages in Europe, Grainne leaves her job in a department store to join Countess Markiewicz's revolutionary efforts. It is a decision which will change her life forever. A rebellion is brewing, and as Dublin's streets become a battleground, Grainne soon discovers the personal cost of fighting for what you believe in...
A forgotten sacrifice Decades on, student Nicky is recovering from a break-up when a research project leads her to her great-grandmother's experiences in…
Moya O’Leary is thirteen when the Coronavirus Pandemic reaches Ireland. Her class is sent home, to take lessons on line, and her family has to adapt to the quarantine situation.
Moya is blessed with a lively young Connemara pony which she was hoping to enter in jumping competitions. That seems less likely as the country enters strict lockdown. Her mum and dad are more concerned about her little brother Michael, who is on the autism spectrum. If Moya can find a way to keep training, she will be ready to ride when competitions start again. But the rising tensions produce challenges, and life may never go back to normal.
This informative, positive thinking story for young people mixes fact with fiction, horsey lore and a recipe. Illustrated with photos by the author.
