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Lion Of Ireland (2002)

Lion of Ireland (2002)

Book Info

Genre
Series
Rating
4.12 of 5 Votes: 5
Your rating
ISBN
0765302578 (ISBN13: 9780765302571)
Language
English
Publisher
tor books

About book Lion Of Ireland (2002)

Outstanding Historical Fiction!Morgan Llywelyn has done a fantastic job in this novel. She does outstanding research and builds a framework that will have you walk away from this book having a very good understanding of the history of Ireland in terms of its small kingdoms constantly warring with each other to where outside invaders can waltz in and mop up. The greatest king who accomplished what no other could was Brian Boru, Ard Ri (High King) and unfortunately his descendents proved incapable of maintaining what was created. If history had been different then, perhaps today's situation and recent past of continued fighting and occupation would have been different.If that was all there was to offer in this situation, however, then Llywelyn's book would not stand out from much of the common fare in historical fiction. Far too often, characters are developed but left somewhat lacking and no real story develops and stands out.This is not the case here. The characters are rich and personal and capture the spirit of the ages in a way that few historical fictional works ever do.Llywelywn explores the conflict between druidic and Christian culture and religion and personifies it within her characters to where the discerning reader will pick up a lot that is caught more than told.Be aware that some of the scenes are fairly adult in nature. It is not gratuitous. It does add to the story line, but some readers with sensitivities in this area will want to know that in advance.Overall an excellent read with much to recommend it!

I enjoyed this book somewhat more than I have some of Ms. Llywelyn's other works. She managed to "hue" slightly closer to the historical bone in this one than in some others and still deliver a good fantasy adventure.Brian Boru is a favorite "character" of mine. Or historical figure? To be honest yes, but I hesitate to go that route as he's one of the people in history who's myth is so closely entwined with his history that we need to be very careful. It's much like the line from The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence, "when the myth becomes fact, print the myth".Just enjoy this larger than life story of Brian and Gormlaith (not to mention Deirdre and Fiona.....and Ireland). I don't know how much of Boru's legend as we know it is true...but I like heroes. Like many I find Celtic and Irish myth and history touches me somewhere in my heart. They speak to me. Maybe growing up in green hills and valleys of the Appalachian Mountains has something to do with it. For whatever reason this book and others like it appeal to me. This is another tragic Irish tale where love and evil intertwine to strike down a larger than life heroic figure leaving us with a sense of the "might have been".I recommend it.

Do You like book Lion Of Ireland (2002)?

This is by far the best historical fiction book I've read in the past year. The author is also an accomplished writer of non-fiction, and thus has done her research on the 10th and early 11th century in Irish history and the Colossus remembered as Brian Boru. The story of how this man was able to bring much of Ireland's warring tribes together to rout the Northmen and Vikings after being plundered and pillaged for generations is an early look at coalition building. All the elements of a well-paced story unfold with the excitement of battle, allegiances, betrayals, parent-child relationships, greed, lust, and revenge. Some of the battle scenes left me a bit queasy, but after all, we're talking Viking axes, daggers, swords and clubs. It is a story about a man who was larger than life, who challenged many warring tribes and their kinds to a unified Ireland, who inspired great sacrifices, and who refused to give up that left a lasting impact on Irish history--and he lived 1000 years. This book had me so thoroughly hooked that I took it to read in my car (while I was parked) and in the Dentists' chair.
—Cathy0584

Lion of Ireland tells the story of Brian Boru, the great High King of Ireland. I’m not at all familiar with Irish history and learned a lot while reading this. I found Brian’s history, and that of Ireland, to be so interesting. I especially loved the beginning of the book where we saw Brian in his youth and watched him become one heck of a warrior - a force to be reckoned with. The battle scenes were intense and described so well and in such detail that I felt like I was there on the battlefield. I was head-over-heels in love with the story at this point. However, as the story progressed I found myself losing some of that enthusiasm. Llywelyn started to move us through the story at a quicker pace, jumping through the years and only just touching on certain events and battles. I understand there was a lot of ground to cover, but I missed being able to be fully immersed in the moment, the battles. This in turn pulled me up and out of the story a bit and my interest started to wan. This is why I decided on a 4-star rating instead of 5. All-in-all, though, this was a wonderful read and a fantastic history lesson. I’d pick up another of Llywelyn's books in a heartbeat.
—Heather

che si può dire di questo romanzo se non FA-VO-LO-SO!!!! anch'io come è già stato detto da olio&rucola sono stata un pò restia ad iniziare la lettura per le 544 pagine continuando a preferire letture più "veloci",ma una volta iniziato non sono stata più in grado di fermarmi! la lettura non va in discesa, è una vera e propria caduta libera nella storia di Erin che ti avvolge, ti travolge e ti abbaglia! la Llywelyn è incredibile; riesce a rendere viva e splendente una storia che ormai ha più di mille anni! ho davvero sofferto e gioito con Brian in ogni passo della sua vita tanto che alla fine avevo quasi timore a leggere il finale del libro per paura di separarmi da questo irlandese gigantesco dalla rossa chioma. mi ha affascinata con le sue idee innovative per l'epoca in cui viveva e per la sua intelligenza, mi ha ispirato tenerezza quando aveva a che fare con Deirdre (e mi dispiace che non sia riuscito a comprendere fino in fondo la sua anima tormentata),mi sono arrabbiata e anche un pò stupita quando ha sposato Gormlaith (altro che spirito d'Irlanda, quella era una vera e propria megera vipera isterica!)e ho sofferto tantissimo leggendo di Murrough, figlio trovato troppo tardi e perso troppo presto... è così che deve essere un libro:risucchiarti tra le sue pagine,farti vivere la storia che racconta e sospirare,anche di dispiacere,una volta terminato...e Morgan Llywelyn c'è riuscita alla perfezione!
—Methos

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