Friday, March 20, 2015

Beginning ~ battle morning

1014: Brian Boru and the Battle for Ireland ~ by Morgan Llywelyn, 2014, history (Ireland), 9/10
Battle morning!  A warrior spirit thrills to those words.  This day might see the greatest battle of all, the one which a man will remember for the rest of his life.  He can tell the story over and over again to his grandchildren and warm his cold bones by the fire of their admiration.  He may even become a legend.

Battle morning!
On St. Patrick's Day, a mere three days ago, I posted a link on Facebook about "The Real Irish-American Story Not Taught in Schools."  My Irish-surnamed friend Kathryn thanked me for the article, and then a couple of hours later she commented:  "With this article you have transported me for hours, Bonnie.  Now I have downloaded a book!"  The book Kathryn got was 1014: Brian Boru and the Battle for Ireland by Morgan Llywelyn.  I ordered it, UPS delivered it yesterday evening, and it's intriguing enough that I read half of it before going to sleep last night.  Here's a summary of this book:
The date was Good Friday, April 23rd in the Year of Our Lord 1014.  The most ferocious battle ever fought in Ireland was about to begin.  In the three decades since Morgan Llyweyln wrote the bestselling novel Lion of Ireland, she has studied the legendary life of Brian Boru, High King of Ireland.  Often dismissed as a mythical figure, as all the known facts about him are contained within the several Irish annals.  But thirty years of research have led Llywelyn to conclude with certainty that Brian Boru actually lived, a great battle took place in 1014, and Ireland won.  Read about the life of Brian Boru and the battle that changed the course of Irish history in this exciting and accessible account.  Brings the Battle of Clontarf to life as never before, with a novelist's sense of narrative and a historian's sense of accuracy.  This is the most accessible account ever of this famous battle.
When I finish this nonfiction, I guess I'll just have to get Lion of Ireland, her bestselling novel.  She such a good writer.



Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Fridays.  Click here for today's Mister Linky.

1 comment:

Katherine P said...

This sounds interesting. My family is Irish but I don't know too much about the older history of the country. I'll have to add this to my TBR. Thanks for sharing!