Book description
One evening in 1951, an itinerant storyteller arrives unannounced and mysterious at a house in the Irish countryside. By the November fireside he begins to tell the story of this extraordinary land. One of his listeners, a nine-year-old boy, grows so entranced by the storytelling that, when the old man…
Why read it?
3 authors picked Ireland as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
Nine-year-old Ronan O’Mara was the hero of this story for me. Witnessing his youthful delight in an old storyteller and then developing his own passion to learn the lore and history of his homeland was endearing. Set in the 1950s, itinerant storytellers who once were somewhat commonplace and who combed the country were now becoming a remnant of the past. As custom has it, the old man moves on much to Ronan’s dismay. He spends his years into early adulthood searching for the man and as he does, Ronan becomes quite the storyteller himself.
Rich in both history and that…
Perhaps no book has moved me more than Ireland by Frank Delaney.
Through a series of tales told by an itinerant storyteller the author paints a series of haunting, vivid portraits of Irish history. Each story stands alone, but over the course of three nights of story-telling, the pieces of this mosaic come together, revealing a clearer history than most history books could hope to present.
Delaney reaches deeper historical facts and allows a rare glimpse into how people felt and what they believed. I felt that I was listening to the storyteller, rather than reading words. This presents the…
From Eddie's list on the unquenchable Irish spirit of freedom.
Being Irish, I can’t help but place Ireland, in my best top ten historical fictional novels. The country is famous for its legends and fantasy, but this story is also about the passage of time from the ice age to the 1950s, told by one of the last of the ancient storytellers that used to roam the roads of Ireland, passing on tales and news from the past.
A young boy is hooked by the stories and as he grows to manhood, he is determined to follow the storyteller wherever he travels. He loses him, but he devotes his…
From William's list on time travel and sci-fi/fantasy adventures.
If you love Ireland...
These Blue Mountains
A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.
German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda…
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