Rating: 
Summary: A must-read for history and fiction buffs alike!
Review: I must be honest, I had this book on a shelf for a year before I actually read it, but once started I could not put it down! Sadly, Ireland's history is glossed over at best in American schools, and I was only vaguely familiar with Ireland's fight for independence. This book was enough to satisfy my love of a good novel, and cunningly interweaves fictional characters through documented history. I was a bit thrown off by the footnotes at first, but by the time I finished the book, I was interested enough to actually look up some of the titles to learn more about the Easter Rising. I am now reading the second in this series (I was very happy to learn that there are two more books beyond 1916!) and will be bringing the last in the series with me when I travel to Ireland next month! A great way to dip into history without being bogged down by dry facts.
Rating: 
Summary: interesting subject; flawed delivery
Review: I picked up this book because it dealt with a subject that I knew little about. While I am glad to have learned something about the events depicted, I felt that the presentation was substandard. The subplots were pointless and distracting, the writing was almost juvenile, the characters were unrealistic and one-dimensional. Everything was black or white -- the participants in the rebellion were demi-gods fighting a holy war, the English and their sympathizers were the personification of evil. Not the stuff of a "good read", despite the interesting subject matter.
Rating:
Summary: The most enthralling historical-fiction of modern Irealand.
Review: I read this book at the end of a year studying in Ireland, primarily studying Irish History made this book particularly poigniant. My knowledge of early twentieth century Ireland was both helpful and enhanced by the experience of Ned's journey through this most important of Irish watersheds. By having Pádraic Pearse, Eoin MacNeil, James Connolly, the Countess, etc. as such integral characters and literally lifting them from the realm of historical jargon into breathing gives a reality to this maturing process that the story is. Those people who do not know the story of the 1916 Easter Rising will benefit even more by the fact that this was a real event, these people existed, and hear them speak.
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.
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: Turn of the century Ireland comes alive
Review: If St Patrick's day has you longing for stories of old Ireland, read this book. The Characters completely come to life and the sounds, smells and sites of Dublin seem to wrap around you. Ned Halloran is like any teenager coming of age, full of enthusiasm and potential. Before he even realizes it, he's smack dab in the middle of a rapidly changing political landscape. Hold on for a ride. This book takes you back and forth between America and Ireland, it has battles and love stories, you will move from breathtaking scenery to squalid tenements. In short, this is historical fiction at its very best.
Rating: 
Summary: Painful
Review: If tortured prose is to your taste, by all means pick up this exemplary model of how to bore a reader to tears with forced, plodding, contrived exposition. The historical facts are razor sharp; the writing style underwhelms with dullness.
Rating:
Summary: Painful
Review: If tortured prose is to your taste, by all means pick up this exemplary model of how to bore a reader to tears with forced, plodding, contrived exposition. The historical facts are razor sharp; the writing style underwhelms with dullness.
Rating:
Summary: A First Rate History Book with a Little Fiction Thrown In.
Review: If you are at all interested in the events leading up to and during the 1916 Easter Rising, (and don't particulary like to read conventional history books) - then this is the book for you. It's excellent. You will be immersed in the whole affair, become well acquainted with the brave leaders, and most importantly you'll understand the events that led up to Easter rising, the rising itself and the importance of it all in the Irish getting their independence from Britain. The only bad thing (and it's minor) is the little fictitious story set in NY, that's going on in the background - it's not necessary. Other than that this is a GREAT read.
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.
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