From Powells.com
Staff Pick
Another blockbuster by Timothy Egan! This time it’s the riveting story of an astonishing figure, Irishman Thomas Meagher, who overcame surprising odds to become a hero in his home country and America. Egan’s dramatic biography is not just a portrait of Meagher; it also illumines the beginnings of the great Irish-American story. Recommended By Michal D., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
From
the National Book Award–winning and best-selling author Timothy Egan
comes the epic story of one of the most fascinating and colorful
Irishman in nineteenth-century America.
The
Irish-American story, with all its twists and triumphs, is told through
the improbable life of one man. A dashing young orator during the Great
Famine of the 1840s, in which a million of his Irish countrymen died,
Thomas Francis Meagher led a failed uprising against British rule, for
which he was banished to a Tasmanian prison colony. He escaped and six
months later was heralded in the streets of New York — the revolutionary
hero, back from the dead, at the dawn of the great Irish immigration to
America.
Meagher’s rebirth in America included his
leading the newly formed Irish Brigade from New York in many of the
fiercest battles of the Civil War — Bull Run, Antietam, Fredericksburg.
Twice shot from his horse while leading charges, left for dead in the
Virginia mud, Meagher’s dream was that Irish-American troops, seasoned
by war, would return to Ireland and liberate their homeland from British
rule.
The hero's last chapter, as territorial governor
of Montana, was a romantic quest for a true home in the far frontier.
His death has long been a mystery to which Egan brings haunting,
colorful new evidence.
Review
"As history, Egan’s book is solid; as storytelling, it’s captivating... An impressive biography." Publishers Weekly
Review
"A fascinating, well-told story by an author fully committed to his subject. Egan's impeccable research, uncomplicated readability, and flowing narrative reflect his deep knowledge of a difficult and complex man." Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Review
"This is marvelous stuff. Thomas F. Meagher strides onto Egan's beautifully wrought pages just as he lived — powerfully larger than life. A fascinating account of an extraordinary life." Daniel James Brown, author of The Boys in the Boat, Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Olympics
About the Author
Timothy Egan is a Pulitzer Prize–winning reporter, a New York Times columnist,
winner of the Andrew Carnegie Medal for excellence in nonfiction, and
the author of seven books, most recently Short Nights of the Shadow
Catcher. His previous books include The Worst Hard Time, which won a
National Book Award, and the national bestseller The Big Burn. He lives
in Seattle, Washington.