Helpful Score: 2
Although it started off a bit slow, now that I have read the whole book I realize the importance of setting up the opening scene so that the reader will have a vivid sense of the setting as the story gets really good. I learned the interesting and unfair history of Ireland from this book in a way that I could never appreciate from a history book. I am grateful that it was recommended to me and that I was able to have the experience of reading this unforgettable story. Uris made me believe in the hero's cause and feel the injustices done to Ireland's people as if I was one of them. If you like this book you will want to also read Redemption.
Helpful Score: 2
This novel covers the years 1885 to 1916 in Ireland. It follows the life of a fictional character, Conor Larkin, who is caught up in the struggle for Irish independence from oppressive British rule and religious bigotry. It is a very readable and interesting book from a well-known and respected storyteller. If you enjoy historical fiction, this is a very good book for you.
Helpful Score: 2
I read the first 40 pages of this book about 4 times. I kept getting distracted, waiting too long to pick it up again and needing to start over. This is not a fast read. When I finally got past the beginning, I could not put it down. I longed for the time when I could read again, and thought about the characters all day. This book is epic, spanning over many generations. It will cause you to fall in love with an entire culture, not just a character or even a family.
When this book ended, I grieved the loss of reading it. It was that good.
When this book ended, I grieved the loss of reading it. It was that good.
I really liked this book. It is not an easy read but it has plenty of history, some "fairy tales" and a love story. Like everyone else I had heard of the potato famine but did not know the full cause. This book will explain what you did not learn in history class.
Wow. The descriptions of this book are accurate. If you like a great story, want to get a bit of Irish history, and like your good stories to be long, you'll love this book.
I like to read just about anything about Ireland and it's history. This book was pretty good but takes some time to read. The main characters are well developed and it is easy as a reader to get involved with them. However Leon Uris didn't properly research the song "Danny Boy". He has it being sung in 1899 and although the tune has been around since the 1600's the lyrics weren't written until 1912. So if you're looking fiction in an historically correct context I would take this one with a grain of salt.
Review
"Leon Uris is a storyteller, in a direct line from those men who sat around fires in the days before history and made the tribe more human." --The New York Times Book Review
From the Publisher
The "terrible beauty" that is Ireland comes alive in this mighty epic that re-creates that Emerald's Isle's fierce struggle for independence. Trinity is a saga of glories and defeats, triumphs and tragedies, lived by a young Catholic rebel and the beautiful and valiant Protestant girl who defied her heritage to join him. Leon Uris has painted a masterful portrait of a beleaguered people divided by religion and wealth--impoverished Catholic peasants pitted against a Protestant aristocracy wielding power over life and death.
"Leon Uris is a storyteller, in a direct line from those men who sat around fires in the days before history and made the tribe more human." --The New York Times Book Review
"Leon Uris is a storyteller, in a direct line from those men who sat around fires in the days before history and made the tribe more human." --The New York Times Book Review
From the Publisher
The "terrible beauty" that is Ireland comes alive in this mighty epic that re-creates that Emerald's Isle's fierce struggle for independence. Trinity is a saga of glories and defeats, triumphs and tragedies, lived by a young Catholic rebel and the beautiful and valiant Protestant girl who defied her heritage to join him. Leon Uris has painted a masterful portrait of a beleaguered people divided by religion and wealth--impoverished Catholic peasants pitted against a Protestant aristocracy wielding power over life and death.
"Leon Uris is a storyteller, in a direct line from those men who sat around fires in the days before history and made the tribe more human." --The New York Times Book Review
Three families caught up in a passionate struggle for a harsh, beloved Ireland.
