Tag: Edward Rutherford

  • Ireland: Awakening

    Edward Rutherford

    The second part of Rutherford’s Ireland saga. Starting in 1597 and ending in 1922, it continues to trace the life and times of the six families first presented in Dublin, and adds a few more. It starts with the Reformation, the arrival of Oliver Cromwell and the Ascendancy.

    Rutherford, as usual, combines the lives of fictitious and real characters, like Henry Grattan and Daniel O’Connell, and tackles the famine, Home Rule movement etc to present a picture that justifies what might have been the sentiment of the age, though historians might have a few minor problems with accuracy.

    Towards the end of the book, we can also see the rise of Young Irelanders, the Irish Republican Brotherhood, precursors to the IRA.

    The book is perhaps at a step lower than Dublin, as the author seemed more preoccupied with presenting historical incidents, as opposed to characterisation, which he usually excels at. He might have sensed this too, but what has then happened is a slightly lumpy narrative, with occasional strong characters and at most times, a predominance of history itself. But having said that, it is still a wonderful read, and I particularly liked the author’s use of character names and situations (eg. Conall – Deirdre – MacGowan) to show that the more things changed the more they remained the same.

  • Dublin

    Edward Rutherford

    An epic novel that’s only one part of Rutherford’s Ireland saga. Starting in AD 430 and ending in AD1533, this book traces the story of Ireland using Dublin as a representative. From Dubh Linn to Dyflin to Dublin.

    Through the interwoven stories of six fictional Irish families, we see the transformation of Ireland from the land of druids and Celtic High Kings up to the reign of Henry VIII. The fortunes of these families rise and fall during the Viking invasions, the campaign of Brian Boru, the English annexation of Ireland and the rebellion of Silken Thomas, and possibly serve as a good microcosmic reference point for the rest of their kinsmen too.

    By juxtaposing actual historic events with the intrigues of fictional families, and by creating a set of very interesting and meticulously detailed characters, Rutherford helps us visualise what Eire must have been like in those times long ago.

    PS. ‘Ireland Awakening’ has been on my shelf for almost 3 years now, because ‘Dublin’ was so difficult to get hold of.

  • London

    Edward Rutherford

    This is the second time I’m reading this book. A lot of book descriptions have the words epic, saga, spanning centuries and generations etc. But to truly understand all of that you have to check out this book, for its scale and scope is truly massive.
    The tale starts from the time before the island of Great Britain was formed, ends in 1997 and in its expanse weaves a tapestry that contains the story of generations of families and events in history that they’ve been part of. Its amazing how, throughout history, the same characteristics are brought out – not just of people, but of the city too.
    A lot of cities have a rich history, but very few of them manage to give the visitor or inhabitant a sense of history. I’ve never been to London, possibly never will, but I’m sure it’s one of those places which would give one glimpses of life as it happened centuries before.