Eliza Lynch: Queen of Paraguay - Softcover

Ronan Fanning; Michael Lillis

4.3

37 ratings by Goodreads

9780717162468: Eliza Lynch: Queen of Paraguay

Softcover

ISBN 10: 071716246X ISBN 13: 9780717162468

Publisher: Gill & Macmillan Ltd, 2014

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Eliza Lynch: Queen of Paraguay is one of the most intriguing, and yet one of the least-known stories of modern history. Escaping a desperate marriage at the age of 20, Eliza fled Ireland to Paris where her extraordinary beauty and intelligence won the attention of the soon-to-be dictator of Paraguay, Francisco Solano Lopez. Although the couple never married, Eliza bore him seven children and was seen as the queen of Paraguay, adored by the public and admired for her glamour and sophistication. But Eliza and Francisco's love was damned with the outbreak of the infamous War of the Triple Alliance (1864-70), the bloodiest in South America's history. This is a unique love story, chronicling a romance that endured a desperate turn of fortunes, taking them from a life of royalty to a life on the run, and culminating with the now iconic image of Lynch burying both Lopez and their eldest son in a shallow grave with her bare hands after they had been killed by Brazilian troops. Dubbed 'The Irish Evita', Eliza Lynch (born in Charleville, County Cork) was the most famous woman in all of South America in the nineteenth century. Her reputation was destroyed by the opposition in the wake of the War of the Triple Alliance; but in this story of wealth, war, love, loyalty, loss and, above all, survival, Eliza is revealed as a woman who showed extraordinary courage in the face a series of unspeakable horrors. This book restores her to her rightful place among the most remarkable and brave women in modern history.

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Review:

'Takes a puzzle with many missing pieces, a tantalisingly incomplete study of a fascinating woman, and fills in the blanks to deliver a brilliant and unexpected picture' --Sunday Independent

'History, particularly in South America, is written by the victors and Lillis and Fanning have done a good job to sift through the half-truths and revisions that make Eliza Lynch's story something of a rollercoaster ride. Written in an accessible, no-nonsense, style, it's refreshing to read a book on Lynch that refuses to pander to gossip. --Sunday Tribune

'This book is a fascinating account, meticulously researched.' --The Irish Times

About the Author:

Michael Lillis is a former diplomat who played a leading role in negotiating the Anglo-Irish Agreement on Northern Ireland of 1985. For the past two decades he has pursued business interests in South America. Ronan Fanning is a Member of the Royal Irish Academy, and Professor Emeritus of Modern History at University College Dublin. Among his books are the definitive history of the Irish Department of Finance and Fatal Path: British Government and Irish Revolution 1919-1922, which was shortlisted for an Irish Book Award. He is also one of the chief editors of the Dictionary of Irish Biography.

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