Dublin: Foundation - Softcover

Rutherfurd, Edward

3.87

16,579 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1844136078 ISBN 13: 9781844136070

Publisher: Century, 2004

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The history of Dublin is that of the whole island of Ireland. Best-selling author Edward Rutherfurd has lived in Dublin for the past decade; with the help of some of Ireland's leading historians, he has researched this epic and groundbreaking novel of the city. Rutherfurd managed to encapsulate the drama of Salisbury, Moscow, London and the New Forest in one volume in his previous best-sellers Sarum, Russka, London and The Forest. But such was the wealth of new material uncovered for this volume, Rutherfurd has taken the unprecedented step of splitting the hardback publication in two. The first of the two books, Dublin: Foundation, will take us from prehistory, the High Kings of Tara, the Viking invasion, the machinations of Henry II and the greed of Henry VIII to the burning of the saint's relics in front of Christchurch cathedral in 1538. At the end of this majestically sweeping narrative Rutherfurd effectively closes the story of the 'Irish' Irish: the descendants of Fingall and Cuchulainn, the princes and Kings of Tara of Brian Boru and the spiritual descendants of Patrick himself. The second novel, Dublin: Ascendancy taking the story of Dublin from the 16th Century will appear next year and in 2005 the two volumes will be combined in a single volume in Arrow paperback.

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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)

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