The second part of the Irish epic from the bestselling author of Sarum, Russka, London and DUBLIN.
Best-selling author Edward Rutherfurd has lived in Ireland for the past decade; with the help of some of Ireland's leading historians, he has researched this epic and groundbreaking novel of the country. He 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. Following the critically acclaimed success of Dublin, this riveting sequel takes the story of Ireland from the 17th century onwards. Ireland: Awakening picks up where the former left off – at the Reformation, and with it, the devastating arrival of Oliver Cromwell.Cromwell heralds the inauguration of two hundred years of Protestant dominance, throughout which many of the Irish people were impoverished and dispossessed.Dublin is made a Protestant capital, and Catholics become an underclass.Set against the dramatic backdrop of Irish political history, the novel revisits family dynasties such as the Walshes and the Doyles, whose epic voyages through the centuries continue right the way up to the twentieth century's Easter Rising and Independence, passing through turbulent milestones such as The Year of the French and The Independence Movement of Parnell along the way. But literature does not entirely give way to history; the encroaching of the Celtic Dawn and the timeless worlds of W.B. Yeats and James Joyce are also paid rich tribute to, and bring this powerful saga to its conclusion.
About the Author
Edward Rutherfurd was born in Salisbury, Wiltshire, and educated at Cambridge University and Stanford University in California. His first book, Sarum was based on the history of Salisbury. London, Russka,The Forest, Dublin and Ireland Awakening all draw on finely researched details of social history. Edward Rutherford has spent much of the last 30 years living in New York and Conneticut. He has an American wife and two American educated children and has served on a New York co-op board.
Industry Reviews
The author bounds excitingly through Irish history...there is much action, some grinding poverty and violence, and an excitement that Rutherford keeps racing through 863 pages. His fictional characters become as vivid as the real life Irish heroes who stride the plot-cum-history * Daily Express *
This is historical fiction and family saga on a grand scale * The Good Book Guide *
The characters are expertly sketched through the lens of love, loss, rebellion andcommerce...an absorbing and enjoyable read * The Sunday Business Post *
Rutherford delivers on what is promised...(he) handles difficult material accurately and well...his ability to maintain a healthy narrative pace with an engaging popular style distinguishes Ireland Awakening as one of the better epic histprical novels * Evening Herald *
Riveting sequel * The Irish Post *
