Dublin - Softcover

Rutherfurd, Edward

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0099279088 ISBN 13: 9780099279082

Publisher: Arrow, 2005

Synopsis

Edward Rutherfurd's great Irish epic reveals the story of the people of Ireland through the focal point of the island's capital city. The epic begins in pre-Christian Ireland during the reign of the fierce and powerful High Kings at Tara, with the tale of two lovers, the princely Conall and the ravishing Deirdre, whose travails echo the ancient Celtic legend of Cuchulainn. From this stirring beginning, Rutherfurd takes the reader on a graphically realised journey through the centuries., Through the interlocking stories of a powerfully-imagined cast of characters - druids and chieftains, monks and smugglers, merchants and mercenaries, noblewomen, rebels and cowards - we see Ireland through the lens of its greatest city.

About this title

Review:

Few authors are as ambitious as Edward Rutherford. And Dublin: Foundation, the first of a massive two-part epic, is possibly Rutherford's most challenging undertaking yet--and (on the evidence of this first book) could well be his most considerable achievement. Rutherford's sheer readability belies his obvious seriousness. His arm-straining volumes may cover every possible variety of human experience (couched in historical backgrounds of immense detail and authenticity), but he remains a storyteller of no mean skills. From the early books that made his name (notably the much-acclaimed Sarum), through to the more recent blockbuster London, the author has combined a panoramic, Homeric vision with a James-Joyce like concentration on the minutiae of everyday life; the results of this synthesis are brought to perfectly honed effect in Dublin: Foundation.

Parallels with Joyce's Dublin are not appropriate here, though. The scope is far wider and stretches back into history. Beginning in Pre-Christian Ireland as the Kings of Tara reigned autocratically, we encounter the lovers Prince Conall and the beautiful Deidre. An army sized dramatis personae surround the lovers, representing every player in a turbulent era. We are shown many of the key events in Irish history, with parts for Saint Patrick, the Nordic savagery of the Vikings and the battles with the cunning Henry VIII. As this operatic volume ends with the approach of the Reformation, the orchestration of narrative commands total respect. --Barry Forshaw

Review:

"Expertly researched, full, undemanding and highly readable account of a place he has grown to know well" (Maeve Binchy Ireland on Sunday)

"The author writes with a charm and an authority that comes from considerable research this is a really handsome book" (Irish Independent)

"The author bounds excitedly through Irish history, interweaving narrative with historical encounters. . . Rutherfurd keeps racing through the pages" (Daily Express)

"Sublime talent. . . this is history with a human face and a fanciful soul" (Good Book Guide)

About this edition

• Publisher: Arrow
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0099279088
• ISBN 13: 9780099279082
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 832