In the winter of 1951, a storyteller, the last practitioner of an honored, centuries-old tradition, arrives at the home of nine-year-old Ronan O'Mara in the Irish countryside. For three wonderful evenings, the old gentleman enthralls his assembled local audience with narratives of foolish kings, fabled saints, and Ireland's enduring accomplishments before moving on. But these nights change young Ronan forever, setting him on a years-long pursuit of the elusive, itinerant storyteller and the glorious tales that are no less than the saga of his tenacious and extraordinary isle.
“A remarkable achievement....Frank Delaney has written a beautiful book.”
“An absolute masterpiece. With this extraordinary novel Frank Delaney joins the ranks of the greatest of Irish writers.”
“A sprawling, riveting read ... the stories utterly captivate ...in this rich and satisfying book.”
“A vivid rendering of Irish history.. reminiscent of the best of James Michener in scope and sheer crowd-pleasing potential.”
“Highly recommended … fans of Edward Rutherford’s historical sagas will love it.”
“Dramatic, adventurous, heroic, romantic, slyly comic ... imaginatively [tells] the history of Ireland.”
“In the end, IRELAND is, as the Irish themselves are fond of saying about everything from cabbage to castles, brilliant.”
“An epic novel of history and storytelling.”
“Delaney gracefully collects essential myths—and invents a few, too—in his heartfelt ode to the oral tradition.”
“Delaney has written an epic novel on the history of Ireland....He’s a born storyteller.”
“History, legend, memory and myth come seamlessly together in Frank Delaney’s wonderfully engaging new novel, Ireland.”
“If you’re a lover of Irish myths and history, there are rich pickings here.”
“Miraculous ... As befits its title, IRELAND touches the heart and moves the soul.”
“Extraordinary … Delaney is such a fabulous storyteller that the 560 pages fly by.”
Frank Delaney was born in Tipperary, Ireland. A career in broadcasting earned him fame across the United Kingdom. A judge for the Booker Prize, several of his nonfiction books were bestsellers in the UK, and he writes frequently for American and British publications. He now lives with his wife, Diane Meier, in New York and Connecticut. Ireland is his first novel to be published in the United States.
Distributor: HarperCollins Publishers
Publication Date: 02-05-2008
Pages: 576
Measurements: 8in X 5.3125in X 0.923077in X 16.32oz
