#Irish Historical Fiction

[chantireviews]

A LONG WAY From CLARE by Robert W. Smith - Historical Fiction, Conspiracy Mystery, Irish-American History

Conor Dolan must face the corruption of Chicago, especially the mistreatment of Irish immigrants, to uncover his brother's murder in A Long Way from Clare. Highly recommended!

  Twenty-four-year-old Conor Dolan had intended to surprise his older brother and catch up after years apart. However, what he finds when he arrives in Chicago will spark a harrowing mystery, in A Long Way from Clare by Robert W. Smith. Kevin, a beat cop in twentieth-century Chicago’s worst neighborhood, was found six weeks before Conor’s visit, in what the police have dubbed a suicide. However,…

[theatsthetic]

The Birds of Ballygáire.

thank you so much for reading. i appreciate it.

Special thanks to @terastrialbean for script editing & @junkohanhero for their wonderful typewriter fonts.

[lets-get-lit]

Partings are strange. It seems so simple: one minute ago, four, five, he was here, at her side; now, he is gone. She was with him; she is alone. She feels exposed, chill, peeled like an onion.

- Maggie O'Farrell, Hamnet

[revoltedstates]

My debut Civil War novel, Year of Crows, is now available in paperback and ebook via Lulu.com, Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and wherever fine books are sold. Or "name your price" via PayPal (brendanchamilton@gmail.com) and I'll email you an epub doc directly.

Cover design by Robert L. Kroening.

[nejjcollectsbooks]

thrifted bookish finds 26/feb/24

Three books and one postcard that i found inside one of them:

The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry. A Ghost in the Throat by Doireann ni Ghriofa. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Shwab.

Was not ever interested in reading 'The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue' right up until I came across the sexiest copy of a novel I've ever seen. it looks like some Fairy Crate edition or something. Very pretty, and a pretty book always makes it easier to read regardless of the whole 'never judge a book by its cover' thing.

[werewolfetone]

Do you have any book/writings you would recommend that you think do a good job depicting life in 17th-18th C. Ireland, (whether incidentally or by design)?

Off the top of my head the best works of fiction abt 18th century Ireland I've read are Castle Rackrent by Maria Edgeworth + The Knight of Gwynne by Charles Lever + The Year of the French by Thomas Flanagan. Regrettably I haven't rlly read any fiction abt the 17th century :/ so I can't recommend any

[haveyoureadthispoll]

It is 1985 in a small Irish town. During the weeks leading up to Christmas, Bill Furlong, a coal merchant and family man faces into his busiest season. Early one morning, while delivering an order to the local convent, Bill makes a discovery which forces him to confront both his past and the complicit silences of a town controlled by the church.

[partlyironic]

so so so normal to go onto tumblr to unwind only to get overstimulated and exhausted in two minutes flat. deeply normal and indicative of a restful mind ✌️

[lakecountylibrary]

Read -> Reading -> To-Read

Here's what's been in Beth's TBR pile lately!

✅ Just Finished:

The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods

This magical novel is a love letter to books, readers, authors, libraries and bookshops. Traveling between 1922 and a modern timeline, Woods captivates the reader by weaving magic with reality. She builds extremely strong, passionate and complex women in Opaline, Martha and Madame Bowden while keeping in line with the events evolving around them. Small but special appearances by James Joyce and Ernest Hemingway will delight readers, as will locations in France, England and Ireland.

Last Call at the Local by Sarah Grunder Ruiz

A charming rom-com, especially perfect for March (set in Cobh)! Raine and Jack's charisma and connection will have readers chuckling and cheering. Jack has OCD and runs the LOCAL pub. Raine has recently dropped out of medical school, copes with ADHD and travels the world playing music. Full of lovable characters, readers will breeze through this novel and feel full-hearted after.

♾️ Currently Listening: Factory Girls by Michelle Gallen

Perfect match for viewers of series Derry Girls. Maeve Murray and her friends work in the local factory as they await the results of their exams and what they hope will be the start of their new lives—away from their small town and The Troubles.

🔮 To Read: We Don't Know Ourselves: A Personal History of Modern Ireland by Fintan O'Toole

I'm looking forward to reading this author's viewpoints on growing up in a changing Ireland. The prelude indicates a promising journey through his experiences.

See more of Beth's recs

[courseyoulovemeyoudontknowme]

Rudy (1993, David Anspaugh)

30/11/2023

Rudy is a 1993 film directed by David Anspaugh and based on the true story of Rudy Ruettiger, motivator and former college football player in the NCAA American football college championship - Division I FBS.

Rudy Ruettiger is a boy who is passionate about American football and, having an athletic physique, becomes a good player, but he must overcome many obstacles to achieve his goals in football and in his daily life. Rudy, after many sacrifices, manages to join the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team, which is the University of Notre Dame team.

[cupofteajones]

"Tell Us The Craic" Books To Read After Watching Derry Girls

“Tell Us The Craic” Books To Read After Watching Derry Girls

I LOVE the Netflix show Derry Girls. Derry Girls was added something a wee bit different to the comedy genre. It not only talked about a difficult but vital time period of a country’s history, but it also didn’t make the Troubles the overlying plot of the show’s plot. With humor and realism, it captured the ups and downs of growing up, even if there is an internal conflict going on. You couldn’t…

[theatsthetic]

The Birds of Ballygáire

A short film. (the comic format can be found here) (Watch it on Youtube)

Written & Illustrated by Aydin T. Sarami (that's me) Voice Acted by Elijah Jagne Script Edited by Tera Virgin @terastrialbean

Tox Typewriter font by Junkohanhero The End Credits Theme is Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out by Bessie Smith

[revoltedstates]

My American Civil War novel, Year of Crows, now has a release date! It will be available both in ebook and paperback on Tuesday, May 14th, 2024.

[chantireviews]

AFTER The RISING And BEFORE The FALL by Orna Ross - Historical Fiction, Irish Civil War, Family Saga

AFTER The RISING And BEFORE The FALL by Orna Ross – Historical Fiction, Irish Civil War, Family Saga

  Award-winning Irish author Orna Ross has created a volume comprising the first two novels of The Irish Trilogy, drawing from her Irish birth and upbringing for a special grasp of the country’s history, how its wars and political strivings have affected its people directly, personally, over multiple generations. Her two books take on a span of time rooted in the early 1920s and delve deeply into…

[chocsbookblog]

Book Review: A kid from Marlboro Road

Title: A Kid from Marlboro Road

Author: Edward Burns

Narrator: Edward Burns

Rating: 4/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and RBmedia for allowing me a copy of this audio book in return for an honest review.

This coming of age story follows twelve year old Kneenie through the ups and downs of his Irish American childhood in the late 1970’s. Peppered with the family tales passed down from his parents, Kneenie starts to realise his family may not be as solid as he once thought.

Edward Burns narrated his own novel, as he’s an actor he obviously knows how to bring the characters to life. I did occasionally forget we were supposed to be listening to a twelve year old tell the story in present tense and not an adult reminiscing, but for the most part it worked well.

What I liked: So confession time, I originally requested this book as I thought it was an autobiography by the Irish comedian Ed Byrne (I didn’t read the description beyond Irish and childhood), but as mistakes go, this was a good one. I immediately loved the first person, present tense narrative. Kneenie, is a sweet, perceptive boy trying to hide all signs of  softness from his friends. His oft times naive observations cleverly allow the reader to see deeper into the family dynamics without losing the innocence of our narrator.  All the characters were brilliantly developed and the stories that tied the plot together were all entertaining, some funny, others heart-rending.

What didn’t work for me: Occasionally I lost my sense of time, in fact I didn’t realise the beginning scene was a flash forward to later in the summer until the chapter where it happens. This may have been due to me missing an obvious clue, but it happened a bit throughout the book. I did find the ending abrupt but I see on Goodreads that this is the first of a trilogy so I’m assuming the book concluding how it did will work for the overall story. 

Final thoughts: A beautifully told coming of age story filled with heart, humour and a slight sense of trepidation.

Who would enjoy this: It reminded me a bit of a cross between “The Wonder Years”, and “Angela’s Ashes” for some reason, so fans of nostalgic childhood stories. I would say it’s for adults even though the narrator is a kid.

[haveyoureadthispoll]

Cyril Avery is not a real Avery--or at least that's what his adoptive parents tell him. And he never will be. But if he isn't a real Avery, then who is he? Born out of wedlock to a teenage girl cast out from her rural Irish community, and adopted by a well-to-do if eccentric Dublin couple via the intervention of a hunchbacked Redemptorist nun, Cyril is adrift in the world, anchored only tenuously by his heartfelt friendship with the infinitely more glamorous and dangerous Julian Woodbead. At the mercy of fortune and coincidence, he will spend a lifetime coming to know himself and where he came from and--over his many years--will struggle to discover an identity, a home, a country and much more. In this, Boyne's most transcendent work to date, we are shown the story of Ireland from the 1940s to today through the eyes of one ordinary man. The Heart's Invisible Furies is a novel to make you laugh and cry while reminding us all of the redemptive power of the human spirit.