Ireland Books

In 1846, the rough beauty of County Clare is 17-year-old Margaret Meehan's whole world -- and it is nearly perfect. Margaret's family is well and thriving, farming Ireland's staple crop. She expects to marry handsome Tom Riordan, raise their children, and live in a cottage across the lane from her best friend, Kitty Dooley. Margaret has found her calling and is apprenticed to the old keener Nuala Lynch. Together they keen for the dead, waling the grief and pain of the bereaved in hopes of healing their sorrow. Margaret's life is full of hope and purpose. Then the potato blight returns. Harvests rot overnight, people are dying, Ireland is dying. Margaret finds that she cannot keen for an entire country. Leaving her decimated family, the tragic Kitty, and the death of her dreams, Margaret flees with her husband (who has become a wanted man) to America. There she finds the heart and soul of Ireland in the community of Irish immigrants, as well as her destiny as the voice of a keener. Author Maura Shaw writes a superbly chronicled story with detailed attention to historical accuracy and background. The Keeners is a deftly woven tale populated with memorably drawn characters and an engaging drama that grips the readers total attention from beginning to end. Highly recommended reading.

In 1846 County Clare, Ireland, seventeen-year-old Margaret Meehan thinks the world is terrific as her family farm has always done well growing potatoes and she anticipates marrying Tom Riordan. Adding to her belief that all is right in her orbit is that she is also apprenticed to the elderly keener Nuala Lynch as they provide solace to those grieving the loss of a loved one.

However, her idyllic life collapses as the potato famine begins with people dying throughout the devastated country. Unable to cope with so much death and demand on the keeners and with her spouse condemned as a criminal, Margaret and Tom flee to Troy, New York, where many Irish have immigrated to start anew. Here Margaret finds her expatriate countrymen in need of a Keener, but can she use her gift after watching her family, friends, and nation die?

THE KEENERS is a superb historical tale that brings to life the blight of the Irish when the crops failed in 1846 and many fled to a new world to begin again. The key to Maura D. Shaw's tale is the historical perspective that comes across with depth whether Margaret struggles with the nightmare of Ireland or the new optimistic beginnings in Troy. Margaret is a terrific center holding the novel together as she never forgets her roots, but wonders if she can return to keening after being overwhelmed with so much death as she suffers from a form of battle fatigue syndrome yet knows she is needed. This is a fabulous mid nineteenth century story that historical fans will cherish.

Harriet Klausner

Seventeen-year-old Margaret Meehan can only reminisce about the contented and peaceful life of her childhood in County Clare. But it is 1846 and now she must cope with the harsh realities of the Irish Famine. While potato crops turn to blighted foul slush in the fields, Margaret studies the vocation of being a keener - one who takes on the burden of grieving for the dead - under the tutelage of the aged Nuala Lynch. Margaret learns her duties quickly. It seems death has touched each family, some several times, in her once idyllic home in Ireland.

There is a bright spot in Margaret's life, however. She knows she will have a future with the handsome Tom Riordan. But the devastation surrounding the two leaves no one untouched and Tom is declared a wanted criminal. Their only escape from the horrific life they are experiencing is to take a ship to America and leave their beloved Ireland behind. The voyage to the land of promise is hellish, but once they reach Troy, New York, things start looking brighter.

Well-researched facts, likeable characters and a compelling story are told between the covers of The Keeners. Competently written, Shaw writes a moving story that takes the reader through the heartaches and joys and the decay and resurrection experienced by the Irish during a time of revolution and turmoil.

Maura D. Shaw gives readers a story rich in history and steeped in tradition in her new novel "The Keeners" from Medallion Press.

All is blooming in County Clare, Ireland in the spring of 1846, including seventeen-year-old Margaret Meehan. She is sure the heart of handsome rebel Tom Roidan is hers and he will soon take her hand. When not practicing the ancient art of the Keeners, singing and chanting songs of lament for the dead with Nuala Lynch, Margaret dreams and plans with her best friend, Kitty Dooley, of a cottage across the road from each other and their children playing in the lane.

But it is 1846, the year of the blight. The potato blight and famine will soon shatter her dreams. The devastation has her keening daily for friends, family, strangers, and her beloved County Clare.

Most of her family is gone. Kitty is a broken shell. Nuala has keened her last lament. Tom's Rebel activities have made him a wanted man. It's to America for Margaret Meehan. She flees with Tom to Troy New York. With a heart that keens for County Clare and a young girl's dreams, she will carve a new life in a strange land with the man she loves.

A gifted storyteller with a mastery of language writes a tightly paced story, and Maura D. Shaw is such a storyteller. Her knowledge of Ireland and its history, her empathy with a people she is connected to through her great grandmother, add a depth to this story that pulled me in to feel the hunger, pain, loss, fear, love, strength, and courage that take Margaret from the shores of Ireland to a new home and a new life. She captures the devastation of a land and its people through the eyes of characters that tug at the heartstrings and tie them into a forget-me-not bow. "The Keeners" is a bookshelf keeper. A book, a story, you will want to read again, from a talented author who respects her craft and cares about her readers and her subject.

This is was an amazing historical read that was both moving and entertaining. This story was epic in nature and truly a wonderful addition to the historical fiction genre.

One of the problems with historical fiction is that authors seem to be in such a hurry to tell their story that they only outline the historical significance and than move on to whatever story the plan to tell. Ms. Shaw is the exception to the rule. She has taken great care and paid attention to details when describing the trials and tribulations of the Irish during the potato famine that took place in 1846-47. She also took the same amount of care when she wrote about Margaret's new life in America working toward better working conditions and struggling in a new country where old customs have no place. As a result the reader has no problem seeing, smelling, hearing, and most importantly feels the pain and despair, and triumphs of our heroine Margaret Meehan Riordan. She is strong and never gives up. She buries both family and friends, and watches what is left of her precious Ireland starve and die. With her love Tom by her side she forges a new life for herself in America. Never loosing sight of who she is or where she came from.

This amazing read which left me both laughing and cheering. The reader will feel truly invested with Margaret and her Tommy and I can truly say I was sad when I came to the end and had to say goodbye. I hope that there is another story in the works of this amazing family. I highly recommend this read and suggest if you are a fan of a well-written historical novel look no further.

Official Reviewer for www.romancedesigns.com

Leonard Gross's well-researched and well-documented book about a few of the Jewish 'U-Boats' who survived in hiding in Hitler's 'Juden-Frei' Berlin is truly magnificent.
It reads like a thriller but every bit of it is true. I found it informative, well-written and very accessable, unlike similar works, (Such as 'Stella' by Peter Wyden) which, while also well-reseached and well-informed, were dry and hard to follow.
Less than 1% of the Jews that lived in Berlin before Hitler came into power were there after the fall of Berlin (some having escaped, most having been banished to the death camps), and the fact that Gross was able to get several of these survivor's stories is just incredible.
The characters were truly alive and I acutely felt every joy, every danger, every near capture and had to stop reading several times because it was all too real and terrifying, especially the horrifying concept that some turncoat Jews, thier own people, were hunting for them.
This is an unbelievably compelling piece of work that deserves to be read by everyone and I cannot recommend it strongly enough.

I bought this book a short time ago, and I started to read it the day I found it in my post box. It is a very captivating book about how 18 Jews survived in the very heart of Nazi Germany during World War. Some managed to keep their families somewhat intact, while others were the only survivor among their entire family.

They survived in different ways, but all had at least one person helping them. One of the things I liked the most with this book; was the very fact that it tells the stories of brave and good Germans who risked their lives in order to help fellow citizens. Despite the fact that they had had to live with Hitler's propaganda and terror for more than a decade, they still aimed to do their best. Even though many survivors and rescuers often were lucky, I was amazed about how clever they were and how they managed to stay alive.

On the front cover of the book Los Angeles Times is quoted to have written: "[Reads] like an Alfred Hitchcock thriller", and I agree with them. The book was very well written, and it was very hard to put it down. I found myself reading until I went to sleep, and next morning I managed to read another chapter before I went to work. I read the book in no time, and I was only sorry I had finished it. I wanted to keep on reading.
The big difference between this book and a Hitchcock thriller is of course that: "The Last Jews in Berlin" is not fiction.

The only thing that I missed was photos of the people I read about. Still, the book is so good I find it really deserves five stars

Gross is an exemplary writer, letting this story unfold through a spare, unembroidered narration of the harrowing events that affected the lives of a half-dozen different Jews. In this case, reality doesn't need any authorial florishes to create suspense and terror, and Gross's restraint as a writer highlights his subjects and lets them tell their stories in a very personal way. More than just a war history, this is an examination of the human spirit under seige.

This is one of my favorite books, not only because of the wonderful narrative, compelling characters, and inspiring stories, but because of the variety of circumstances these Jews found themselves in. Some went into hiding, some passed themselves off as Gentiles, some collaborated with the resistance, and all managed to survive. Some had no help and were separated from loved ones, some managed to keep their families somewhat intact. Their struggles, defeats, and victories are inspiring and a testament to the nature of the human spirit.
A small note: the stories are not told sequentially, and it may be easier the first time to skip chapters and read each person's tale completely, otherwise it becomes a tad overwhelming to keep track of so many characters.

Very worthwhile book. It was fascinating because it dealt with ordinary people in probably the most extraordinary circumstances. These multiple tales of survival explore what it took for persons who could easily be our friends, our neighbors, our familiy, to heroically survive in the midst of their hometown enemies while undergoing the privations of war. Substantively an excellent book.

I would caution you, however, that the tales are presented in a disjointed fashion, and I would recommend taking notes at the beginning on who's who in order to keep up with the players.

The last of his name, says Charles McGlinchey, who, old and heirless, revisits his life with a local schoolmaster. So long as someone reads his memoirs though, McGlinchey ensures the family name will endure. His book reads with fireside lyricism and so effectively captures a man and his times. It is unique not in subject but in the breadth of history and in the narrator's ease of storytelling. In just over 100 pages, McGlinchey transports us to a misty, nearly forgotten Irish past that, though shadowed beneath modernity, lives in the recess of his mind. He reminisces on all matters, with one memory unfolding into several more and those into yet more. Among the varied subjects, he recollects his family and home life, his job as a weaver, American emigration, local legends, popular spells and cures, and favorite pastimes. It is the arresting quality of local life in a small Irish community that makes this book such an enjoyable one. McGlinchey's ability to reach back generations and decades and to extract from them histories and individual stories not only astounds but more importantly it reveals an intimate portrait that should not be so soon forgotten.

I am in the early stages of writing a book about life in County Donegal during the 19th century. This book is one of a few primary sources that describe what life was like for the people in this county.

The book is superbly produced-- from the book design to its typefaces, it's beautifully executed. Considering how this material was obtained, the book is well edited. To me reading the book is like sitting around a turf fire in Ireland, listening to a very old man lovingly describe a time that was long since past. He mentions many people and places, mostly within the parish of Inishowen. One thing I would have liked to see is an index. Without an index it's difficult to determine if an ancestor is mentioned in the book.

The book contains many Irish words and common phrases that were in use at the time. The book also contains songs and poems in Irish (with English translations) that perhaps are not recorded anywhere else. Much of what he recounts was part of the Oral Tradition of the countryside.

In some ways reading this book brought sadness to my heart. My great-grandparents were born in Donegal around 1820. This book describes some of the hardships that they had to endure. It chronicles a way of life, and a people that are no more. McGlinchey speaks to this regarding the Irish language, "Down to my young days there was nothing spoken in this parish at fair or chapel or gathering of any kind but Irish.... The English language came in greatly in my own time and in the one generation Irish went away like the snow off the ditches."

Charles McGlinchey's book is wonderful. It manages to convey a sense of the cultural wealth which rural Ireland possessed until so recently. He himself fitted very much into the 'Seanachai' tradition, and we should be thankful that some of his knowledge has been preserved. The delightful thing about the book is the simplicity of the material.

This book was very interesting. It is a closely edited description of an old man's life in a remote rural area of Ireland in the first half of the century. He tells a few stories from his father's and grandfather's days but mostly describes what life was like during his life. The book was first published in the 50's, I think. Without referring directly at all to the major events of the day, we get a look at the changes that were underlying society in his time. From the story about his grandfather being "pressed" to serve in the British Navy during the Napoleonic wars on, I was hooked. The Kirkus reviews are misleading, though. They make it sound like the man was telling fairy tales instead of fairly straightforwardly recounting his life, which involved a fair amount of superstition.

This little book is a fascinating read and a must have for anyone with Irish ancestry. It was narrated by Charles MacGlinchey, whose family moved from the Finn Valley in Donegal to the Inishowen Peninsula and settled in Clonmany parish, where Charles McGlinchey was the last of his family, hence the title of the book. It's chock full of Donegal folklore, including tales of poteen stills, revenue men, men on their banishment, the famine, immigrants to America, landlords and tenants, kidnapped women, hedge schools and fighting sticks. Charles McGlinchey was born in 1861 and died in 1954. His life covered the period when most of our Irish ancestors were crossing the Atlantic in small ships with nothing but the clothes on their backs and a small cask of oaten bread for nourishment.
Don't look for a lot of genealogical information in the book. There is a mention here and there of a handful of families a fortunate few may be able to connect with; but on the whole this book is a living, breathing picture of life in Donegal when almost every Donegal man still spoke and read Irish as his native tongue and the Irish language had yet to melt away under the onslaught of English like the snow on a river bank, to use McGlinchey's phrase.
There are tales in the book of Donegal farmwives walking the thirty miles from Clonmany parish to the market in Derry and back again in time to do more chores before nightfall; of the oldtimers sitting with their backs to the fire at night sharing the ancient exploits of Finn and Cuchulain; of a rapacious Scottish landlord named McNeill from whom no comely lass in the parish was safe; of an Irish schoolmaster overly fond of the drink and of his eager young Latin hedgerow scholars; of a sodden Irish landowner who drank away his inheritance at the local pub; and of the great yearly fair at Pollan, a festive event attended by the entire community with occasional tragic consequences for the unlucky.
Books were almost unknown to the common man in Donegal. The few books McGlinchey mentions were mainly religious tracts, in Irish and Latin. He mentions offhandedly that a man of his acquaintance owned a book by someone named Aristotle. Tragicallly he also relates that many of the old Irish manuscripts were burned to prevent the spreading of disease in the community. Even if they had had books its doubtful anyone could have spent much time reading them. The cabins were dark at night and if anyone entered the cabin after dark the fire had to be stirred to raise enough light to see who it was. Homemade candles flickered in the windows on religious holidays.
Contrary to common misconception, the Irish did not just subsist on potatoes. The farmers made their own oaten and flour bread, which they ate with butter and washed down with fresh milk. They supplemented their diets with what they called "kitchen", which included everything from fresh fish to watercress from the ocean strands. Each family had a measure of corn for the winter, and most had at least a cow, perhaps a pig and a few chickens, although eggs were a cash crop reserved for the market at Derry. Red meat, as we know it today, was a rarity in their diet. Every farm had its rack of potatoes in the fields. The plows were wooden and drawn by horses. McGlinchey mentions a local farmer, one of whose horses took sick one day, and he took its place in the harness pulling the plow alongside the remaining horse for the rest of the day.
The famine did not seem to affect Donegal nearly as badly as it did much of the rest of Ireland. According to McGlinchey, an earlier famine in 1817 was much more devastating. It's not clear whether this condition pertained to Clonmay parish alone, or whether most of Donegal escaped relatively unscathed. But fly off to America nonetheless did the sons and daughters of Donegal and Inishowen, leaving behind forever the two-roomed thatched roofed cabins and the village fairs of their youth. Some of the more primitive living conditions common elsewhere in Ireland did not seem to prevail in Donegal. Sod cabins were almost unknown, except for temporary accommodations in the summer mountain pastures. Nearly every family had a cabin of stone, McGlinchey says, with lime covered walls, although rarely whitewashed, and hard clay or stone flagged floors. Some cabins even had windows. The fireplaces in early years lacked flues and the pall of smoke was ever present.
McGlinchey didn't write this book - he narrated it to a local schoolmaster when over ninety year's old. His often rambling text was edited by Brian Friel, and first published in manuscript form in 1986 in Belfast. The current edition is published by J.S. Sanders and Company, of Nashville, Tennessee.
I was especially struck by the fact that McGlinchey mentioned that the Donegal folk gave their farm animals, mainly cattle, pet names such as Starry and Missy. In our family we have a copy of the will for our immigrant Donegal ancestor, in which all of the family's cattle were so named. The twig, they say, does not fall far from the tree, and if you'd like to really get a feel for the world in which your Irish ancestors lived, then buy a copy of this book.
You won't regret it.

This book has frequently been thought of as a juvenile or children's book, but as an adult, it is still one of my favorites. Professor Davis had a way of discussing the day-to-day life in historic times in a way that was both comprehensible and interesting.
There are many books that purport to discuss the daily life of other civilizations, but they are often so dry and academic that they are not even a trifle entertaining. Davis has shown that it is possible to write amusingly while pouring a great deal of information into the reader's mind.
The book is about the fictional Barony of St. Aliquis--Latin for "Saint Anybody"--in the Duchy of Quelqueparte--French for "Anywhere"--and the politics, wars, religion, marriages, and other aspects of life in what is arguably the cultural flower of Medieval France.
I highly recommend this book for readers of all ages.

I want to leave positive feedback for Keith at chaplinkt, the seller for my book. He was friendly and courteous. The book is in great condition; and it is hardback, which I wasn't sure of when I ordered, and which I much prefer. thanks

That's definitely an excellent book about medieval life. If you like medieval history, buy it.

This book is written in a conversational style and tells the story of a year in the life of a family in France. The information is detailed and written very clearly. The chronological ordering of the events makes it easy to select the information most applicable to your research. The book covers deaths, weddings, harvest, travelling to visit other nobles, Christmas and other holidays and daily life of all levels of society on the barony. I have done a lot of research in this area and this is my favourite resource and the one I keep rereading.

Life on a Mediaeval Barony: A Picture of a Typical Feudal Community in the Thirteenth Century by William Stearns Davis; Harper & Brothers, 1923

Dr. Davis first had his work published in 1923 while still a Professor of History at the University of Minnesota. The book presents a very interesting and insightful view into the life of a northern French medieval community (certain seigneury of St. Aliquis). This work is 418 pages in length and consists of twenty-four chapters. The book is centered around the time of A. D. 1220. Although depicting French customs, one could assume that many were also indicative of England and Germany.

Topics such as hospitality, women's lives, clothing, cooking, falconry and hunting, literature, education and much more are covered in great detail. This is one of the first texts I used when teaching an introductory course to medieval history. I have found the work clearly written and one of the best books ever written on medieval daily life.

The Preface states, "Northern France was par excellence the homeland of Feudalism and hardly less so of Chivalry, while by general consent the years around 1220 mark one of the great turning epochs of the Middle Ages. We are at the time of the development of French kingship under Philip Augustus, of the climax and the beginning of the waning of the crusading spirit, of the highest development of Gothic architecture, of the full blossoming of the popular Romance literature, and of the beginning of the entirely dissimilar, but even more important, Friar movement."

The work was re-printed in 1990 by Biblo & Tannen Booksellers & Publishers. However, the new edition remains true to the excellent quality of the Harper & Brothers text. The text is a much needed reference work for any medieval historian.

Dr. Carl Edwin Lindgren
Professor of Medieval and Military History

Rosenstock's classic black and white images evoke the spirit and power of the Irish landscape. The photographs are exquisitely reproduced, elegantly presented and then, wisely, left to speak for themselves. Rosenstock's artistic vision and his love of Ireland are clearly reflected in this beautifully designed volume. A must have for connoisseurs of landscape photography and lovers of Eire.

A beautiful art book containing 25 black and white photographs of Ireland. Anyone who loves landscapes, photography, or the rugged beauty of Ireland will appreciate the images and artistry shown in this volume. The photographic reproductions are of the highest quality and reveal the subtle details and tonal gradations present in the photographs. Mr. Rosenstock's statement at the beginning of the book is a wonderful introduction to the power and mystery of the light of Ireland. In short, it is illuminating. The Light of Ireland is a lovely book that invites the viewer to look at it again and again.

Iam thrilled to own this fabulous book; it is a work of art. I feel such a connection to these spectacular images. The reproductions of the photographs are wonderful. The simplicity of the silvery gray book jacket enhances the volume. I just love having this book. The Light of Ireland is a complete treasure!

This book is a MUST for the serious collector of photography. The 25 finely crafted images on the highest quality paper focus on Mr. Rosenstock's unique perspective of Ireland's mysterious landscape. Each page is a calming meditation. The people of Ireland ,among them notables, are already singing the praises of this book.

The Light of Ireland is a portfolio of twenty-five black and white photographs made in the west of Ireland over a period of nearly thirty years. Rosenstock's stunning images, rich in detail and range of tones, are exquisitely reproduced in a handsome volume in which the binding and typography contribute to its overall artistry. The few words of introduction are also carefully chosen; permitting the eloquent voice of the visual to command the attention of the reader.

Some people embroider their family trees on samplers, others create momentos and books for the family. Fortunately Di Robilant went further than this, making his great-great-great-great grandmother a research subject and having Knopf publish it for the general market. This ancestor was witness to and active in a critical time in the life of Venice and through her story we get an idea as to how the nobility coped during the Napoleonic years.

We are introduced to Lucia when she is 15 and her father is involved in extended and stressful marriage negotiations. At this time the Venetian elite are leading la dolce vita. Soon, Venetians and their republic will be jolted into new and uncharted territory.

Through the Mommo and Mocenigo families we see how the nobility adapted. Many fled. Others chose to work with the French, the Austrians, the French again and again the Austrians. Marriage and family scenes are just as striking as those of the famous events.

Lucia is resiliant. From an entralled young bride, she becomes realistic about her marriage that will only end when death due them part. There is infidelity, child birth and death, long separations, primitive medicine, fine entertaining, perilous travel and fiscal constraint.

Lucia learns to set up and manage households and farmsteads and to "wait" on a Princess who is half her age. Despite the many problems of her son and his education, she is a successful parent. She gets herself recognized in the Austrian court, educates herself in Paris, becomes a friend of Napoleon's Josephine, manages the family assets and has famous tenents in Venice. This woman is amazing for any age, but for her time, totally impressive.

There are two problems with the book, neither serious enough to take away stars. There are two maps but others are needed, one showing the various estates and others showing the travel routes to Vienna and Paris. The other problem may not be addressable. Lucia, while running what seems to be a large farmstead, refurbishes the main house. Then she raises, for sale, a small number of animals (are there not a lot of other animals on this farm?). Similarly, as a lady in waiting she raised two head of cattle. The economics/practicality of this husbandry does't compute for me.

What is wonderful about this book is that it makes history alive. It shows how larger events effect people's lives. The writer draws portaits of people whom we tend to care about and of the turmoil of Europe at the time.

I just finished reading this sequel to A Venetian Affair. Lucia is quite different from Giustiniana (the main character in the previous book) but this true story leaves you with the same mixture of fascination and melancholy. Unlike Giustiniana, Lucia immediately marries her first love, Alvise, and despite also being the protagonist of a scandal, her life is not as thrilling as Giustiniana's. Like Giustiniana, Lucia lives first hand through the European aristocracy, from Venice to Vienna and to Paris. But while in A Venetian Affair the source of dismay is the missed happy ending for Giustiniana and Memmo (her lover), in Lucia it's another demise that characterizes the book: the fall of her beloved Venice.
Through her detailed correspondence to her sister we learn of Alvise and Lucia's efforts to keep their status once orphans of the Most Serene Republic. This is what I believe defines this book. It's the story of a power couple who in their prime loses their motherland, and that helplessly witness a millennium of history being crushed between the French and Austrian power struggle. Alvise and Lucia, they really try. When Napoleon has the upper hand they get back on their feet and are actively involved in being part of the new world order. But as soon as the Austrians take control they have to start from square one, and we find Lucia mingling with the Viennese aristocracy while living in the Hasburgic capital. But then Napoleon is back, and off to Paris they go. These are not merely social ladder moves. There are estates to save, and the underlying theme is the slow but inevitable decadence due to unfortunate geopolitical circumstances that this otherwise very capable and visionary couple is subject to. Of course the book is packed with affairs and loaded with illegitimate children, but the force of this book is its historical value. It's the first hand account of how a historical European nation was phagocytized and of why its resurgence has been suffocated in the following decades.

Let's start with the lovely cover image: thanks to the research behind Lucia, this previously unknown work by the widely acclaimed Swiss painter, Angelica Kauffmann, came to light. And thanks to the owner's permission, its appearance on the cover allows us all to enjoy it. This is our first meeting with the blossoming young Lucia. Her glowing complexion, full bosom and that chestnut tendril that curls downward along her neck bespeak an innocent yet eager anticipation of life's sweetnesses. But this is not a love story. Lucia's life is much larger than her courtship and marriage with Alvise Mocenigo, and emphatically disproves what we think of as the bounds for a woman then.
From the start, Lucia's story shows her caught in the middle of things, from local power struggles in Venice to empires rising and falling and the devastating wars they brought about. Political events determine one challenge after another for her, as daughter, fiancée, wife, mother, woman on her own.
Accounts of political moves, diplomatic dealings, warfare strategy might not seem the stuff of a woman's life story, and yet they make perfect sense here, are fundamental, illuminating and intriguing. As these combine with finely wrought details of the everyday, the past truly comes to life. Di Robilant's style, as in A Venetian Affair, draws the reader in. When you read Lucia, you feel welcome and respected. And at once you are involved.
Di Robilant works with some very special material, unearthed not only among family papers but also in archives around Europe. In the end, he did not write the story exactly as he had set out to, for his research uncovered unexpected turns in what he knew as his family's history. He never makes an issue of this, but leaves it tacitly to his readers to imagine what it must be like to see a family legacy twisted into a different shape and to discover fundamental family ties you never knew existed. Di Robilant set out to bond with his past, which in the end he did, but not with the past as he knew it when he set out.
I highly recommend this book to readers with a passion for Venice, the Napoleonic years and memoirs about women who rise to unexpected challenges; to readers curious to have an insider view of life at court (Paris, Vienna, Milan) in the nineteenth century or a landlady's perspective on the scandalously libertine Lord Byron; to readers simply fond of books where biography and history elegantly merge with great merit to both genres.

Lucia: A Venetian Life in the Age of Napoleon begins where Andrea Di Robilant's A Venetian Affair left off. Lucia Mocenigo was the eldest daughter of Andrea Memmo, and she married at seventeen into one of the best-known patrician families in Venice. When the Republic fell in 1797 to Napoleon, Lucia went to Vienna, where she became friends with Josephine Bonaparte. Later, Lucia moved back to Venice, where she became Byron's landlord. She died in the 1850s, when she was in her 80s.

Lucia is a compelling look into the life of an intriguing woman. She was at the heart of European political change, as her letters to her husband and sister show. What Di Robilant does successfully in this book, as he did in A Venetian Affair, is bring the event s and people to life. Everything Lucia, her husband Alvise, and her son Alvisetto, do is documented here with precision. Sometimes with too much precision: when her son was a teenager, Lucia obsessively worried over his progress in school. But in all, Lucia was an impressive woman who rose to the challenges she faced with courage.

In this book Venice at the end of the eighteenth century comes to life. Lucia was only a young girl when she returned to her native city from Rome, where her father was Venetian Ambassador, to be married to a much older man. She lived in many of the great courts of Europe, travelled extensively, witnessed the fall of the Venetian Republic to Napoleon, and as an impecunious widow was the landlady who rented out her fabulous family palazzo to no other than Lord Byron. It was in the attic of Palazzo Mocenigo on the Grand Canal that her correspondence, recounting every minute detail of her long and fascinating life, was preserved and handed down through the generations until it came into the hands of the author, who is her descendant. A wonderful book. Highly recommended.

This was my favorite book growing up. I read it over and over until the pages fell out. The characters are so realistic and their aunt was so eccentric. I often wished I could be there with them exploring Ireland and having adventures. It is also a great book for kids who often "judge a book by it's cover". It teaches kids not to be judgemental about people, because the children learn a great deal about the kindness of their Great Aunt.

Penny, Robin, Naomi, and Alex Gareth are sent to live with their Great Aunt Dymphna in Ireland when their father takes ill (he's doing research outside of England) and their mother goes to be with him. Great Aunt Dymphna adds new shades of meaning to the word 'eccentric.' Her house is a dump and she expects the children to cook for themselves and do their own laundry and buy their own groceries--in a word, to be completely self-sufficient. The Gareth children are not a little put out, in more ways than one. Matters become even more complicated when they decide to hide a strange boy who claims that spies are after him. At summer's end, the Gareths go back home to London, having discovered that self-sufficiency is not impossible or even entirely distastful. Streatfeild writes in her customary elegant yet simultaneously down-to-earth style, with plenty of tongue in cheek comments and sharp observations. I'd love to give more details of the book's plot, complete with quotations, but that would take more space than I'm allowed to use. I'll just say that this is one of Streatfeild's absolute best, and (therefore, of course) one of the best children's books ever written.

I really enjoyed this book, and am very upset it went out of print. Magic with a twist of mystery, suspense, and set in Ireland~ who couldn't love it? I read it quickly~ couldn't put it down. =P It's written in sort of an English style, so if that's what you like you're sure to love this. Even though I live in Seattle (far away from both of the settings featured), I could relate to the characters, and really enjoyed the Author's way of describing just how Penny, Alex, Naomi, and Robin were feeling. If you like a good, slightly spooky mystery, don't miss this book!!

A twisting plot. One of the best Noel Streatfeild books ever. Please put it back in print with the "Shoe" books that are out of print (also by Noel Streatfeild.)

i read this book aloud twice to my four children during summers in vermont...after 15 years, the thought of it still makes me smile...the dialect which at first my children couldn't understand, but wound up mimicing; the friendships old and young; mysterious old drafty rooms; the notion of letting barking dogs know where you're headed, so they can stop chasing your car. streatfield paints a beautiful, eccentric character in the aunt (who's name escapes me, but who scurries before me in my mind's eye still) ...loved the whole family of characters.

Until such time as Amazon calls up existing reviews for its Kindle editions, here are a couple from the paperback edition of Michael's War: A Story of the Irish Republican Army:

Terence Quigley gave it 5 stars: "'Michael's War' is a very fine yarn about the Irish Republican Army, complete with the mandatory love affair between the Irish farmer and the squire's daughter.... I especially liked the way Mr Ford, an American, caught the cadence of Irish speech. The story closely follows the course of Ireland's separation from England, from the Easter Week 'rising' in 1916 to the surrender of the IRA 'diehards' in 1923. At the end of all, as Michael would say, he sells the farm and sets out for America, leaving behind a country full of hate & suspicion as a result of civil war. The seeds of the IRA 'troubles' of the past half-century were sown in Cork & Kerry in the early 1920s. Mr Ford coats the history lesson with a satisfactory romance and an exciting tale of guerrilla warfare. Good job!"

So did Paul Estaver: "MICHAEL'S WAR is a serious literary work. It is also a page-turner, an exciting adventure yarn--and a warm-hearted love story--and a sound perspective of the tangled history of the Irish struggle for freedom. The characters are memorable and believable--and like so much Irish literature, the narrative sings.... In a word, I loved it. The story is set in the period 1917-23 when the Irish Republicans fought, with minimal resources, the arrogant British domination and made their mark, only to be tricked and betrayed so that in the end it was brother fighting brother. Equally important, this is a personal history of Michael Ford, a stubborn farmer, as he grows from boyhood to a commander of men, who ultimately escapes death by Irish luck and lives to look at his own gravestone before his departure for America. DON'T MISS THIS BOOK!"

Blue skies! -- Dan Ford

'Michael's War' is a very fine yarn about the Irish Republican Army, complete with the mandatory love affair between the Irish farmer and the squire's daughter. (Think of Tom Cruise & Nicole Kidman in 'Far & Away'!) I especially liked the way Mr Ford, an American, caught the cadence of Irish speech.

The story closely follows the course of Ireland's separation from England, from the Easter Week 'rising' in 1916 to the surrender of the IRA 'diehards' in 1923. At the end of all, as Michael would say, he sells the farm and sets out for America, leaving behind a country full of hate & suspicion as a result of civil war.

The seeds of the IRA 'troubles' of the past half-century were sown in Cork & Kerry in the early 1920s. Mr Ford coats the history lesson with a satisfactory romance and an exciting tale of guerrilla warfare. Good job! (reviewed Nov 2003 by Terence Quigley)

'Michael's War' is a very fine yarn about the Irish Republican Army, complete with the mandatory love affair between the Irish farmer and the squire's daughter. (Think of Tom Cruise & Nicole Kidman in 'Far & Away'!) I especially liked the way Mr Ford, an American, caught the cadence of Irish speech.

The story closely follows the course of Ireland's separation from England, from the Easter Week 'rising' in 1916 to the surrender of the IRA 'diehards' in 1923. At the end of all, as Michael would say, he sells the farm and sets out for America, leaving behind a country full of hate & suspicion as a result of civil war.

The seeds of the IRA 'troubles' of the past half-century were sown in Cork & Kerry in the early 1920s. Mr Ford coats the history lesson with a satisfactory romance and an exciting tale of guerrilla warfare. Good job! (reviewed Nov 2003 by Terence Quigley)

This book is a fiction, though its hero bears some resemblance to my father, Patrick Ford, born 1899 in the County Cork, died 1977 in Arizona--one of the wild geese who populated the far reaches of the world, for the most part to the world's great benefit. Toward the end of his life, Dad wrote a recollection of his youth in Ireland, and I referred to it constantly while writing my novel. He lived through much of Michael's life story (though he never, to the best of my knowledge, had an affair with the squire's daughter). The rest was experienced by other people, whose stories I adapted.

The heroines bear less resemblance to my mother, Anne Crowley, though Mom did serve in the Cumann na mBan--easier to pronounce than to spell!--and once or twice tucked blasting caps into her cleavage. She was a more forgiving person than my father, and she wouldn't be at all troubled to learn that her great-granddaughters carry British as well as American passports.

When the novel was done, I put it aside and turned to other things, among them a story about the Flying Tigers of World War II. If you have read "Remains," you may remember Austin and Annabel Love as members of the British Raj in Burma in 1941-42. They suited the role, so I borrowed their names and some of their circumstances. Now, as I return to "Michael's War," I find that they suit this book even more, so here they are as I first invented them. If the coincidence troubles you, just pretend that they hail from different branches of the same fictional family. -- Dan Ford

MICHAEL'S WAR is a serious literary work. It is also a page-turner, an exciting adventure yarn--and a warm-hearted love story--and a sound perspective of the tangled history of the Irish struggle for freedom. The characters are memorable and believable--and like so much Irish literature, the narrative sings. Finally, it is the heritage of Daniel Ford, its author.

In a word, I loved it.

The story is set in the period 1917-23 when the Irish Republicans fought, with minimal resources, the arrogant British domination and made their mark, only to be tricked and betrayed so that in the end it was brother fighting brother.

Equally important, this is a personal history of Michael Ford, a stubborn farmer, as he grows from boyhood to a commander of men, who ultimately escapes death by Irish luck and lives to look at his own gravestone before his departure for America.

DON'T MISS THIS BOOK!

-- Paul Estaver

Let's clear the air first.

It is a shame that Amazon has decided to highlight Susie Lindfield's rather unfortunate review of "Michelangelo in Ravensbruck" from the Washington Post's Book World. While Ms Lindfield's credentials would appear suitable to the task, her product (the review) certainly leaves one wondering by what tortured lens she viewed Karolina Lanckoronska's book.

If you have read the Lindfield review, consider then this passage from the second paragraph of the book's prologue: "My memoir is meant to be a report -- and only a report -- of what I witnessed during the Second World War. I know that others have lived through a great deal more than myself. I was never in Auschwitz or Kazakhstan. Nevertheless, I also know that every first-hand account contributes fresh detail to the picture of those years."

If only Lindfield demonstrated an understanding of those few words.

Those are the words of an historian -- because that is what Lanckoronska was. This book clearly demonstrates the historian's perspective, and the understanding that individual narrative has great value to researchers, those passionate about history and learning, and perhaps even the merely curious.

The puzzling thing about the Lindfield review is that it seems she would be more satisfied if this was a work of fiction that she could complain about for not fitting into her concept of history. The problem is that the events in this "story" happened -- and to the storyteller, not Ms Lindfield. To that extent, Ms Lindfield shows herself to be in a mild state of denial. Additionally, her review shows me no understanding of the importance of teasing out individualized threads of experienced history, and then placing them in context within that complex fabric of history -- not macerated into a homogenized "pour" of history.

I strongly recommend that you read John Carey's review from the Sunday Times (of London), published 12 FEB 06, or on the web at:

[...]

(If that link doesn't work, go to the Timesonline site and search for "Lanckoronska".) Carey's review has the advantage of actually telling you more about the book than about the reviewer.

The book itself? You certainly won't find flowery passages and gripping drama. But not so fast. Lanckoronska is a historian -- an art historian by education who later turned her talents to Polish art and culture. So perhaps her prose is a little dry. You can almost imagine a woman, speaking aloud from notes, going through this part of her life for you step by step. But as you become accustomed to her style, events emerge that surprise. Something as innocuous as a car breakdown is delivered in the same tone as a later scene were she realizes that she is witnessing fellow Poles being herded into lorries and heading for the execution grounds in the woods. More than once I had to stop reading just to let those scenes sink in.

This book is valuable because it snatches our attention away from the homogenized pour of World War Two and Nazi history that we have been spoon fed all these years. It understands the enormity and incomprehensibility of the Holocaust, while taking you into the places that Western European and North American histories are only just beginning to touch -- over 60 years after the fall of Hitler's Berlin.

At the back of the book are endnotes for each chapter (which, in future editions, I wish they would convert to footnotes) by the author or the editors. Fascinating too are the appendices which include the names of the Lwow professors that were murdered, and short biographies of major characters in this book. Just within those short biographies is a chilling reminder of the overt criminality of the Nazi regime, and all those that chose to follow it.

For students of recent Polish history, this is a must-have volume. And for anyone who would like another perspective on what happened in Poland, the Ukraine, and Germany between 1939 and 1945 -- especially to provide richer context for understanding the depths to which humanity seemed to plunge during that period -- I highly recommend "Michelangelo in Ravensbruck".

And let's make this very clear: A better understanding of this period of time from Karolina Lanckoronska's perspective in no way (at least for a moderately intelligent reader) diminishes the totality of those horrible years.

This is a missing link in WW2 history taught in the US.WW2 wasn't just about Jews. They suffered a lot and everybody knows it but nobody have any idea that during that war 25% of Polish nation was killed by Germans, Russians and Ukrainians.

In 1939 the author was a wealthy landowner and professor of art history, and also witness to the Soviet army's march into Poland as the Nazis staged their invasion from the west. She joined the resistance and was captured and sent to the Ravensbruck concentration camp - there to teach art history to other women who believed they would soon die. Her account discusses the mass murder of Poles and the ability to survive the most inhumane conditions, and should serve as an inspiring, outstanding addition to Holocaust literature for any collection seeking expanded views from eyewitness survivors.

This well written book is a cliff-hanger, a tear jerker and the most frightening lesson in the behaviour of supposedly civilized races.
It should be mandatory reading for all schools and universities in the free world. The bestial atrocities detailed in its pages need to be shown in the light of day so that public conscience ensures that they never be repeated.
The author's incredible faith and determination shine through, as does the spirit of the Polish people.
This might be the most comprehensive and detailed report ever written by a survivor.

Having read numerous accounts of the Holocaust, primarily from the Jewish point of view, I felt this book was a valuable addition to World War Two & even Holocaust literature, even though it is from a Gentile's point of view. It details the wartime [World War Two] experiences of a Polish aristocrat, Karolina Lanckoronska who was actively involved in resistance activities against the Nazis. Quite a bit of the book is devoted to detailing her resistance activities. These eventually get her labelled an undesirable and she gets sent off to Ravensbruck concentration camp. Her indefatigable spirit is evident in her lively outlook despite the horrors and bleakness around her. Her account of life in Ravensbruck is immensely valuable to enhancing our understanding of Nazi atrocities...female prisoners being subjected to horrific medical experiments, the infamous selections that make day to day living unberable for no one knew when death would come knocking, the rampant diseases that besieged the camp, all these horrors are vividly described in Countess Lanckoronska's account. Despite the worst living conditions imaginable, she was able to bring some measure of hope and light by teaching art etc. Her courage in standing up to the Nazis is inspiring and her account is a valuable addition to anyone interested in World War Two history & Nazi atrocities.

This book is the best in the series so far. The mystery was very good and kept me guessing until the end. In fact, I had picked another murderer and plotter entirely. Also, Fidelmaa is much more likeable in this series. My main complaint so far was that I really did not like her. She was too haughty and full of herself with an acid tongue. In this book, that seems to change. We meet a much more vulnerable Fidelma, but one who is still as smart as a tack. She finds her way through the morass and one or two red herrings to discover the murderer and to thrwart a very dangerous plot against her brother's kingship. She sets out to find out who arranged an assisination of her brother and a rival king who is supposedly trying to make peace with her brother's kingdom, and discovers a missing monk from a neighbouring abbey, an illegal mining operation and a very dangerous political plot. Great stuff!

The Monk who vanished is a mystery set in 6-7th century Ireland. It is very detailed and brings the reader easily to this ancient time without sounding like a history or anthropology lesson. The mystery stroy is very well developed and has unexpected twists and turns that are justified and well put together.

The stakes are high indeed in this seventh installment in the Sister Fidelma mystery series, because this time she is fighting to protect her brother's claim to the kingship of Murman.

The Ui Fidgente, a major clan of Murman, have been adversaries of Cashel for a long time, and indeed they have long challenged Cahsel's right to the kingship of Murman, refusing to pay tribute. Now however the current prince of Ui Fidgente, has decided to put all the bad blood between the two clans behind him and to negotiate a treaty of peace with Cashel. To this end, he and his retinue have come to Cashel in a gesture of goodwill in order to hammer out some form of an agreement. However, just as the two princes are about to exchange greetings, an unknown bowman shoots at them, wounding both men. He is later found dead, wearing the emblem of the Golden Chain, which identifies him as a member of Cashel's elite bodyguard. This proves to be a bad sign for Fidelma's brother, for if he is found guilty of the attempt of the prince of Ui Fidengente's life, the kingship of Murman would then be forfeit to the Ui Fidengente! Another bad sign: in the abbey at Imleach, the relics of the holy man Ailbe, has been stolen. Legend has it that if ever the relics were stolen then the kingship of Murman would fall from Cashel and chaos would ensue. It looks as if the two incidents are tied and that Fidelma will have to do some rather nifty detective work to discover who exactly is behind this move to take the throne away from her brother and start a war.

This historical mystery series is a really good one even if Peter Tremayne's writing style is a little to dense and dry. However he has struck gold in his creation of Sister Fidelma. In Fidelma, Tremanyne has created a brilliant and charming heroine, with a thirst to see justice done and set things right. The plot of this mystery novel is intriguing and a little convoluted, full of red herrings and sub-plots that have sometimes very little to do with the actual problem at hand. However the final denouncement where Fidelma finally lays all her cards on the table makes everything worthwhile: the somewhat dry and dense prose, the convoluted plot with all its red herrings, and the somewhat ranting style of communication that nearly everyone save Fidelma and Brother Eadulf seem to employ. A book well worth reading inspite of the few nit-picking problems I had with it.

As an avid reader of the Sister Fidelma books I was more than pleasantly surprised by The Monk Who Vanished. It kept me guessing from the start with unexpected twists and turns.

Fidelma's world is brought to life in this seventh installment in the mystery series. This is a highly personal adventure for her with her brother's kingdom at stake. As always there is more than meets the eye in this adventure. With all of the sub-stories Tremayne keeps you guessing as to whether it will all come together in the end or if they are separet mysteries unto themselves. With everything thrown at her, Fidelma keeps her cool and saves the day with her wit and incredibly sharp mind.

This was a story well worth waiting for. I eagerly await the next installment!

The seventh century in Europe became known as the Dark Ages yet Ireland remained a beacon of light where learning and enlightenment continued unabated. Rulers from around the known world sent their leading scholars to learn so that they could return home and educate the leaders. Women were treated as equals and even held office in the church. Sister Fidelma, daughter of a king and sister of the current monarch, is both a religieuse and an advocate of the law.

Long time enemies the Prince of Vi Fidgente and Colgu of Cashel the King of Muman seek a truce. As they near Colgu's home, an assassin hits both men with arrows. The Prince's men kill the culprit before anyone can question him. The King and the Prince accuse each other of duplicity and attempted murder. Unless Sister Fidelma can prove otherwise, her regal brother will be considered guilty and punished under Irish law. However, the clues take her to the Abbey of Imleach where a monk and relics connected to the case are missing with little hope of eminent discovery.

THE MONK WHO VANISHED is a fascinating mystery filled with unexpected twists that often lead to false clues and the wonderful Sister Fidelma, sleuth extraodinaire. However, the true beauty of the tale lies in the descriptions of seventh century Irish life as seen through the eyes of the religious and aristocratic leaders. Peter Tremayne is a gifted storyteller who provides his audience with a vivid view as if the reader is actually there. Even after a delightful decade of the Sister's stories, the latest entry remains fresh and hopefully means the start of another decade of tremendous historical mysteries from Mr. Tremayne.

Harriet Klausner