Synopses & Reviews
Praise for Morgan Llywelyn1921
"Llywelyn continues her magnificent multivolume saga chronicling the twentieth-century struggle for Irish independence. As in 1916, she masterfully interweaves historical figures and events with fictional ones, providing both a panoramic and an intimate view." --Booklist
"It is a seamless and beautiful work that depicts the struggle of the Irish people to form a nation. . . . 1921 is an artful blend of fictional and historical characters that meet and interact with such forcefulness and directness that the reader is convinced that if history didn't happen this way, it should have; for Llywelyn's work is not the skeletal work one normally associates with history, it is fully fleshed and rich with life. . . . This is a wonderful work of history, art, and storytelling." -El Paso Times
1916
"The politics and factionalism behind the Rising are a tangled web indeed, but Llywelyn unravels them skillfully. Even those who know the story well will be surprised and rewarded by the way she brings back to life a group of brave men who went nobly to their deaths."-The Philadelphia Inquirer
"She weaves the tapestry of her story with intelligence and skill, and gives us access to a period when the bullets flew and patriots gave their lives for the ideal of freedom" -San Diego Union-Tribune
"The novel's . . . easy, gripping style will enthrall casual readers with what is Llywelyn's best work yet." -Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Review
Praise for 1972
"As the multi-novel nears our own age, the reader draws more deeply into the flow of events and the characters. The years whistle by with joy and gunpowder."
--Kirkus
"This novel is Irish history brought to thrilling life by the acclaimed Morgan Llywelyn . . .A chronicle of life in Ireland between 1950 and 1972, the novel gives a clear understanding of social changes, pressure points, and vivid movements of historical importance. . . .Morgan Llywelyn is at her storytelling best in 1972."
--Boston Irish Reporter
"[Morgan Llywelyn's] strength comes from her extraordinary ability to place the story in the surrounding politics of the time. . . . Llywelyn's grasp of Northern Ireland history is superb, and the immediacy of her writing is extremely gripping . . . . Llywelyn convincingly describes the bitter disappointment and the worsening violence that would culminate in Bloody Sunday in 1972. This ambitious series proves that Llywelyn is not some naive outsider writing romantic historical novels about Ireland's bloody political past. Her research is accomplished, her narrative style is gripping."
--Irish Voice
"Llywelyn is an astute observer of matters Irish, and understands the passions that move the actors. 1972's ending is as tragic and inevitable as a tombstone, and as memorable as Swift's quip: The Irish have religion enough to hate, but not enough to love."
-Richmond-Times Dispatch
Review
"Llywelyn's deft pen is a creative sword." -
The Irish American Post"Morgan Llywelyn has written a wonderful, exciting book - a great reading pleasure." -Irish American News on 1921
"Llywelyn is unexcelled in her knowledge of Irish history and culture. For twenty years she has been my inspiration when it comes to meticulous research and respect for the people who lived her stories. Now, with considerable powers of description, Llywelyn explores the nooks and quirks and fearful consequences of a tumultuous time in Irish history."-Lucia St. Clair Robson
Review
"As the multi-novel nears our own age, the reader draws more deeply into the flow of events and the characters."
Kirkus
Review
"This novel is Irish history brought to thrilling life. . . .Morgan Llywelyn is at her storytelling best in 1972."
Boston Irish Reporter
Synopsis
The Irish Century series is the narrative of the epic struggle of the Irish people for independence through the tumultuous twentieth century. Morgan Llywelyn's magisterial multi-novel chronicle of that story began with
1916, continued in
1921 and
1949 and now continues with
1972.
In 1972, Morgan Llywelyn tells the story of Ireland from 1950-1972 as seen through the eyes of young Barry Halloran, son and grandson of Irish revolutionaries. Northern Ireland has become a running sore, poisoning life on both sides of the Irish border. Following family tradition, at eighteen Barry joins the Irish Republican Army to help complete what he sees as 'the unfinished revolution'.
But things are no longer as clear cut as they once were. His first experience of violence in Northern Ireland shocks and disturbs him. Yet he has found a sense of family in the Army which is hard to give up. He makes a partial break by becoming a photographer, visually documenting events in the north rather than physically taking part in them. An unhappy early love affair is followed by a tempestuous relationship with Barbara Kavanagh, a professional singer from America. Events lead Barry into a totally different life from the one he expected, yet his allegiance to the ideal of a thirty-two county Irish republic remains undimmed as the problems, and the violence, of Northern Ireland escalate. Then Barry finds himself in the middle of the most horrific event of all: Bloody Sunday in Derry, 1972.
Synopsis
The Irish Century series is the story of the Irish people's epic struggle for independence through the tumultuous course of the 20th century. Morgan Llywelyn's magisterial multi-novel chronicle of that story began with
1916, which was followed by
1921 and
1949. It now continues with
1972, which covers the events and social changes of the mid-century in Ireland through the story of the coming-of-age of Barry Halloran, son of Ursula Halloran (the heroine of
1949). Barry moves from patriotic involvement in the IRA, to an aversion to explosives and guns and a career as a photographer, to a final moment of radicalization in the face of the horrifying injustices in Northern Ireland that crystalized on Bloody Sunday in Derry in 1972.
A chronicle of life in Ireland between 1950 and 1972, through Barry's journey the novel gives a clear understanding of social changes, pressure points, and vivid moments of historical importance. Clear parallels are drawn to the American civil rights movements of the 1960s, which in part motivated the patriotic and oppressed Irish Catholics. At the same time, there is the continuation of the family saga that links all the volumes of this series, and a passionate romance for Barry. Morgan Llywelyn is at her storytelling best in 1972.
About the Author
Since 1980,
Morgan Llywelyn has created an entire body of work chronicling the Celts and Ireland, from the earliest times to the present day. Her critically acclaimed novels, both of history and of mythology, have been translated into many languages. She is an Irish citizen and lives in Dublin.