1916

Rating:
Summary: The best is saved for last.
Review: Readers who are expecting the major focus of Morgan Llywelyn's novel to be the Easter Rising of 1916 may be disappointed in their purchase of this book. The story follows the life of Ned Halloran, a young Irish boy, who finds himself enrolled in Saint Enda's Preparatory School, whose headmaster is none other than the famous Irish patriot Padraic Pearse.

Ned is an observant young man who is on the outside looking in at the events that culminate in the Easter Rising of 1916. The best part of the book by far is the actual telling of the Rising. This comes at the end of a story, which wanders far and wide to no good purpose. For example, Ned's sister has moved to America and married a man who abuses her. What little interest we have in this peripheral story seems shared by the author who forgets she has ever introduced this material into the plot. We never find out what happens to Kathleen and we don't care much because it has so little bearing on the central events that give this book its title.

We do care about Ned and we follow his movements carefully during the Rising. We know ahead of time, as does Pearse, that the chances for success are small, but it is the heroism and example of a few brave Irish patriots that counts and will act as an important catalyst for change in Ireland.

Pearse, MacDonagh, Connolly, MacBride, and many other brave men are stood against a courtyard wall in Kilmainham Jail and shot to death and in this act "a terrible beauty is born," as Yeats says in his great poem, "Easter 1916." Readers are well advised to read this poem, which says more in two pages than Llywelyn accomplishes in her book.

The last 25% of the novel, which tells the story of the rising, is well done and genuinely affecting. The reader may want to move quickly to this point in the story. Not much will be lost in terms of genuine understanding of the main events of this important event in Irish hisory.

Rating:
Summary: Read this Book --FEEL history - worth more than 5 stars!!!!
Review: This is a powerful novel of the events surrounding the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin Ireland. The book opens in 1912 as Ned Halloran and his parents are on a journey from Ireland to America to visit Ned's sister Kathleen. Fate has intervened and they make their voyage on the Titanic. Ned survives the sinking, however his parents as well as new friend Dan Breen, are all lost to the sea.

Kathleen and her fiancé, Alexander Campbell, urge Ned to stay in New York but his heart is in Ireland and he returns to County Clare and his family farm where his older brother and two younger sisters are left to mourn the loss of their parents.

Meanwhile, Lord Inchpin of nearby Dromoland Castle, to make up for what young Ned has been through, has offered him a rare opportunity for a farm lad from County Clare - further education at a private school in Dublin. The school chosen turns out to be St. Enda's, the school run by Padraig (Patrick) Pearse, south of downtown. Pearse, as those familiar with early 20th C. Irish history know, is one of the heroes of the 1916 Easter Rising. This is a fictionalized account of events leading up to that fateful week.

Ned interacts with many historical figures during this time including all the principals of the Irish Rebellion in which he becomes a courier for the eventual heroes. During this time, too, he runs into Sile (prounced "Sheila") Breen, Dan's sister, who has run off to Dublin and is how working in the world's oldest profession. The naïve Ned isn't aware of this at first and is, instead, stunned by her beauty although he is side-tracked by another woman he clearly has a crush on. Important too, is secondary character Henry Mooney, the young journalist from county Limerick Ned meets on the train on his way to Dublin.

Even though the reader may already be aware of the events of April and May 1916 in Ireland, the emotions evoked by this novel, become very real - as if they happened yesterday instead of 85 years ago. Llywelyn portrays the Pearse brothers, Joseph Mary Plunkett, Thomas Clark, James Connolly, Sean MacDermott, Thomas MacDonagh, and others in such away as the reader feels the same love for Ireland and has the same desires as they do.

In the sequel to this book, 1921, Morgan Llywelyn has one character say to another "History tells what happened; literature tells what it felt like." This is exactly how I feel about 1916. Despite reading history books relating the events, reading this novel has made this very personal. I could feel the pain of these characters, I could feel their fervor and enthusiasm for the cause they believed in, and in the end I could feel the need to keep the memory of these brave people alive as the country fights for home rule and freedom from British oppression.

When you are finished reading this book, and I highly recommend that you do, pick up the sequel 1921, which relates the events of the next six years in Ireland's struggle for independence and although it is Henry Mooney's story, it does feature Ned in a very big way.

There's no better compliment I can give a novel than to say it not only made me think, made me want to read everything I can get my hands on, and wish to visit the historical sites in Ireland including the GPO, Kilmainham Gaol, and other locales mentioned in the book. Llywelyn has made this very easy with the maps in front of the book showing the locations of these places. Also helpful is the list of characters, both fictional and historical, in the front of the book. She adds several pages of notes and a selected bibliography at the end. Read this book - FEEL history.

Rating:
Summary: Read it for the history, not for the prose
Review: If you've ever wondered about what happened during the Irish Rebellion of 1916, but you don't want a boring textbook re-telling of the events, then this is the book for you. 1916 mixes fact with fiction in a way that makes the events of the Irish rebellion lifelike and engaging. Fans of historical fiction will truly relish this novel.

The story begins predictably enough on board the Titanic, on which (fictional) protagonist, County Clare farmboy Ned Halloran and his parents are headed to New York City for his sister Kathleen's marriage. We all know what happens next, so long story short, Ned survives and his parents don't. Llewelyn uses Ned's experience onboard the ill-fated ship as his sounding board for every single challenge he faces in the book. I don't know how many times he says, "I know I can get through this, I survived the Titanic!" Some may scoff at the fact that Ned is a first-hand witness of two major historical events of the 20th century, but thankfully for the reader, the Titanic episode doesn't occupy much of the novel.

The remainder of the book is a painstaking, detailing, fascinating retelling of the few years leading up to the 1916 rebellion. Ned enrolls at St. Enda's School near Dublin, where Padraig Pearse is headmaster, and soon finds himself in the company of the future rebellion leaders. He joins forces with them and eventually becomes embroiled in the Irish movement toward Home Rule. All the while, he interacts with countless famous faces, a veritable Who's Who of Irish history. The book takes the reader to the front lines, allowing him to see the events through the eyes of someone who experienced them.

Llewelyn strives to convey what various historical figures such as Joe Plunkett, Countess Markievic, Sean MacBride, Sean Heuston, and numerous others were like in their daily lives and how they came to be part of the rebellion that paved the way for (partial) Irish freedom.

As an historian, Llewelyn receives high marks. Every event is painstakingly researched. Even minor occurrences and biographical information are footnoted, and the novel boasts an impressive bibliography. Llewelyn makes the history accessible to the common reader, and for this she deserves praise. 1916 is an excellent historical novel.

Where she falters is in the fiction she weaves into the fact, and the prose she uses to convey it. Although she bases them on historical record, many of the characters seem flat and even stereotypical. The plucky Irish always have cute, brogue-laden one-liners to offer, and the British are sufficiently stuffy and callous to make you roll an eye.

The novel seems more interested in driving the plot along than in dazzling the reader in the way the author can turn a phrase. Many of the events not directly associated with historical fact (such as Kathleen's romance with a sensitive priest) seem trite and conventional, and the love scenes (yes, there are love scenes) are riddled with borderline ridiculous imagery.

But these missteps can be overlooked, as Llewelyn has given us an engrossing work that transports us into the history as it occurs. Students of Irish history as well as those with a casual interest can appreciate this book for the way it opens up history to the reader.

Rating:
Summary: Historical Fiction at its Best!
Review: 1916 is one of those books that you will remember for the rest of your life! It's long lenght may deter some from wanting to read it, but once you start it is hard to put down! This book gives any reader a comprehensive idea of the history of Ireland's 1916 REbellion (the key people involved, the events leading up to it, the actual standoff itself and the poigant aftermath), yet does so in a very unconventional, non-text book-like way. Following the life of a fictional teenage boy who becomes embroiled in the midst of the rising revolutionary movement, actual historical figurs weave in and out of the story, with fictional players as well. Even if you are not interested in Irish history (which you may be after reading this book), 1916 will enthrall you w/ its easy, conversational writning style and entertain you with its adventurous twists in the plot. Llwellyn masterfully blends history with fiction to give readers a sense of that era- a time of strife, hope,fear and change in Ireland that parallels the time of the American Revolution, with the Irish insurrectionist being as wise and admirable as the American forefathers. Although 1916 does not end rosy and happy (people die - and there's also a sex scence- be foretold, it brings up many needed messages about persistance, human nature and "lost causes", as well as enthralling the reader in a seldom-told Irish history lesson. It also has some great one-liners. So if you're up for an epic read, but one that will go by quickly and leave you interested in more, 1916 is a book for you.

Rating:
Summary: Top-notch Historical Fiction
Review: This was a first rate melding of an excellent fictional plot with the great non-fictional story of the 1916 Easter Rebellion. Her writing almost makes the reader feel they have stepped into this period -- it is that authentic. I do agree with a reviewer on one minor point, however. If we really needed the Kathleen story, which I don't think we did, it at least should have been wrapped up. This book definitely lends itself to a sequel, with the main characters being updated into the events of 1922, with the Collins/deValera split and the eventual realization of Pearce's dream -- sort of. No doubt there would also be a divergence of views among the main characters as to which 1922 faction to support, and that would make for a fascinating development of those events.

Rating:
Summary: Fact Or Fiction?
Review: Llywellyn has captivated me once again. This is a book which I had to read in one sitting. The pictures she paints of a very difficult time in Irish history are vivid and realistic. She has captured the irrepressible Irish spirit and optomistic vision of her people in a book which walks a tightrope between truth and fiction.The development of the characters make you feel like a long time neighbor of the hero and the rest of the ensemble.The story leaves me feeling as though I were standing in the streets of Dublin during the tumultuous years leading up to Irish indepndence.I actually purchase a second copy of this book and sent it to a very close friend from Belfast. That review I am anxiously awaiting!

Rating:
Summary: Storytelling at its best
Review: I must admit, prior to reading this book, I had no real previous knowledge of the events that had taken place leading up to and during the 1916 Easter rebellion of Dublin. Morgan Llywelyn does an incredible job of weaving fictional characters with those of true historical significance without tainting the integrity of actuality. You learn so much from reading this book and yet you are not force-fed facts like some other historical novels that attempt to educate you rather than entertain you first. I can honestly say that I am unbiased towards Lylwelyn since this is my first experience with her work but I highly recommend this book and should hope to find her other novels as pleasurable to read as I found this one.

Rating:
Summary: what happened to Kathleen
Review: I thought the book was very well written, good story about Ned and Sile but I wondered at the end what happened to Kathleen. I hope Morgan Llywelyn lets us know in another book. The factual tale of the rising was most interesting in this author's pen. It truly makes you feel you would want to join these brave men and women if you lived back then.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful trip into Irish History
Review: This book will make the reader feel that they are actually living during the 1916 rebellion. The book is very well written and makes people think about the struggle for Independence through the eyes of someone in Ireland. The reader will also find that because of the thick smattering of Gaelic they will be able to speak a little! Educational and Entertaining!

Rating:
Summary: Exceptional
Review: I shouldn't have been so surprised; this author is simply a magician when it comes to crafting history into a readable, enjoyable glimpse of the past. I used to think that I hated history, but the more I read by authors as talented as Llywelyn, the more I know how important it is that we are aware of our past. She has the ability to transport her reader into the lives of her characters, even when you know the ultimate outcome is not good--you willingly go down that road, holding her hand. Thank you Morgan.