Book Review: Ireland by Frank Delaney

This is my own photo taken by me. I wish I could remember exactly where this is, but all I can remember is that it's some fiord in West Ireland (perhaps near Connemara).

Just the other evening I finished the lengthy novel Ireland by Frank Delaney. Of course, I chose to read this novel because I adore and worship all things Irish, and the author's name seemed familiar. Perhaps, it's just one of those common Irish names that I've come across so many times.

 
Anyway, back to my book review: it is well worth the time spent on this magnificent tome (I've been looking for a reason to use that word.). It took me about five days to read, which is a long time for me as I usually finish books in just a couple of days.

 
The novel is breathtaking in prose and imagery. The author layers multiple stories within this novel. Ronan is just a boy when an itinerant storyteller shows up at his family's home to dazzle the village with tales of old. Ronan is entranced from the moment he spies the old man out of the window. But, once the old man leaves, Ronan becomes obsessed with finding the storyteller, which becomes his life long quest.

 
There is more than just Ronan's story here, though. Ireland is a novel about family, and Delaney weaves smaller stories about Ronan's family into this tapestry. We get to know the family through flashbacks told in story form~almost directly to the reader. We also learn something about Irish village life in the 50s and 60s.

 
And of course, we read stories~stories of Ireland's glorious past. The storyteller tells a few, but so do other characters who Ronan encounters on his quest.

 
Like hero stories of old, this is a story of a quest. A quest of finding oneself and learning to understand and forgive.

 
I enjoyed this novel so much, that I went and bought a book series by Frank Delaney (I think it's called the Ireland series), which I'm looking forward to delving into soon.

 
I've now chosen On Writing by Stephen King to read, so look out for my book review on that one.