The Princes of Ireland

Ok, so I have to preface this review by admiting that I did my studies in Irish history so I m bound to be a bit biased Having said that, reading this book was like reviewing years worth of notes but compressed in an extremely enjoyable one thousand pages ok, maybe compressed isn t the right word.Reaching back to Celtic times, Rutherford traces the beginnings of familys that exist today, weaving his stories from generation to generation As he moves from one family to another, his characters shar [...]

Historical novels can be simply human dramas set in historical times, or they can be human dramas woven into historical events, to bring those events to life We can learn a great deal from the latter, and I feel like I did with Edward Rutherfurd s The Princes of Ireland As an American with 100 percent Irish ancestry McLaughlin on my mother s side, and, probably 100 percent English, or mixed English Irish ancestry on my father s side Clayton , I have often wondered about the long running and mixe [...]

5 STARSThis was a wonderful fictional representation of early Irish history It begins in early pre Christian Celtic Ireland during the time of the fierce High Kings of Tara with their Druid gods to the mid 1500 s and the time of Henry the VIII It has been described as A magnificent epic about love and war, family life and political intrigue in Ireland over the course of seventeen centuries The Princes of Ireland brilliantly interweaves engrossing fiction and well researched fact to capture the e [...]

Let me just start off with saying that you need to be awake and alert when reading this book There are many times that the story is full of action and plot, thus making it very engaging But there are just as equal an amount of times when it dives into ancient politics and slows to a crawl where you begin to struggle to keep your eyes open The book is still very enjoyable though.It does get confusing, because while there are times when Rutherfurd realizes the reader may not be familiar with the a [...]

After posting a poll about whether I should finish the book, I thought about the pros and ons of each side TThe advice I got was very similar to what I was thinking The first half of it had interested and engaged me maybe I would get interested again I don t like to spend 15 on a book and then not finish it At the same time, though, I d struggled through 100 pages and was hopelessly bored I didn t think I d want to pick up the book again, not later, not no how Since I did read almost all of the [...]

Edward Rutherford has proved with such novels as Russka , Sarum , London and The Forest , that he is a great historical novelist in the mould of James Michener.In this wseeping saga of Ireland , we are taken from the eloping and flight of the striking Deirdre and her lover , Conall in 430 to the destruction of Ireland s ancient monastic heirlooms , during the Reformation , in 1537.Rutherford traces the fortunes and interactions of several Irish families down the centuries the O Byrnes , the Haro [...]

I m sorry, I gave up on this one Dear lord it goes on forever I was a bit disappointed that until the point where I stopped, there were no explicitly homosexual characters Not a one in eleven centuries, y all Like, the single mention of it was when a monk character was being cruised by some of the other sinful monks who were going down a dark path Please Using homo monks as a means of emphasizing how noble and chaste a character is is SO 1960s and just sick Otherwise, if you want to read a textb [...]

I picked up this book just before heading out on a vacation to Ireland This book was so good that the trip itself would not have been as fulfilling without it Everytime a character went to a specific area, our trip took us there the very next day I was able to have a background for almost every tour we took and every area we visited Although many of the characters were completely fictional, their interactions with historical events and historical characters allowed me to see what it may have bee [...]

Very enjoyable a bit long though Took effort to complete the last 30% of the book but the first half kept my interest and sped quickly along.

Atrocious saga that never allows the reader opportunity to connect with any of the characters before leaping another century to yet another boring epoque, in which the truly adventurous, exciting bits are merely dryly narrated as a history text If I wanted to read a text book, I would Give me a thrilling novel, for goodness sake

Very interesting take on Irish history from the viewpoint of a few fictional families through the years I felt it was a bit slow and drawn out in some places, but the interactions and intertwining between the families we re watching through the years and how they react to what are now major historical people and events are incredibly interesting to read and imagine.

I stopped reading this book in Chapter 7 because I just couldn t take it any it was mostly dull stories with some interesting tidbits thrown in every once in a while.The beginning of this novel was alright The best parts of the book for me were the descriptions about that time period in general the Romans leaving Britain, the Christians slowly making their way over, the druids, etc I never really cared for any of the characters They all seemed pretty flat to me This is a problem I have with Ruth [...]

From the internationally bestselling author of London and Sarum a magnificent epic about love and war, family life and political intrigue in Ireland over the course of seventeen centuries Like the novels of James Michener, The Princes of Ireland brilliantly interweaves engrossing fiction and well researched fact to capture the essence of a place.Edward Rutherfurd has introduced millions of readers to the human dramas that are the lifeblood of history From his first bestseller, Sarum, to the 1 be [...]

Formulaic but not badThis is my first read of Edward Rutherford and based on several other reviews of this work, it appears that measured against the standard of his previous work, this one is perhaps not as powerful.Not having the benefit of those previous reads, I come at this perhaps from a different point of view.As an amateur historian and genealogist, I came to this work expecting it to give some context and progression toward a better understanding of the history of Ireland and perhaps so [...]

All I can say after finishing this book is wow, was that worth it The Princes of Ireland is a hefty book, but inside its covers is basically the author s braindump of anything and everything to do with Irish history Through the use of generational story telling, we as readers experience how various things influenced Ireland The story is woven together so tightly that Rutherford is able to say a name 200 pages after that particular character s part in the story has ended, and it will still strike [...]

It was Morgan Llywelyn s tale of Cuchulain in Red Branch and Brian Boru in Lion of Ireland that fueled my love for historical fiction Her stories of mythical heroes, druids, and brave kings became an obsession for me in high school My interest in the history of Ireland, Scotland and England has never waned over the years.The Princes of Ireland begins in ancient Celtic times and moves through 11 centuries of Irish history Edward Rutherfurd s stories are woven together from families that existed l [...]

This was nowhere near as good as Sarum or London, though it was still enjoyable and educational While Sarum and London really described history so vividly through the stories of the characters, this book relied a lot on pages and pages of pure historical description and facts, which definately got tedious at times What was so wonderful about Sarum and London was the way he made history come to life through his characters, the way their fortunes rose and fell through the ages, and the way he bro [...]

I enjoy Rutherfurd s stories of European cities because you get the history of the city with a rich saga of interesting characters These books, I find, are very easy reads despite their tome like appearance and weighty subject matter complex political intrigues and long forgotten mysteries are made clear and understandable This first volume covers Ireland and specifically Dublin from ancient times to when the English finally get a foothold stranglehold on the island The second volume which I ha [...]

A truly fantastic read spanning centuries and enveloping you into the history and shaping of Ireland.

I m so glad that I decided to read the first book of the Dublin Saga as my annual summer read from Edward Rutherford, rather than one of his stand alone novels I have Russka and Sarum on my shelf as well , since it completely renewed my faith in his historical fiction Last year I cheated a bit and read both London and the Forest, which, while interesting, lacked the same intruging characters and drive as Paris, but it s become clear to me that Rutherfurd s writing style has evolved and improved [...]

I recently had my DNA tested and while I knew I had Irish blood, I did not know I was a tad Scandinavian I read this book to learn about my Irish heritage, and I learned quite a bit Rutherfurd is like James Michener in that he takes you all the way back to the beginning of Dublin before it was even Dublin I found the first three fourths of the book to be intriguing, and the last quarter to be a little less interesting That s not the author s fault it s history s I was familiar with recent time [...]

Meticulously researched and authentically told, Rutherfurd does a masterful job in tying together Ireland of the last 1500 years together in rich historical context I had the additional fortune of traveling to Ireland during the time I was reading the book, which brought the narrative home even further Wonderful storytelling.

Sorry to say, I couldn t finish this book I had heard great things about the author s writings but it just wasn t my style I like a book that introduces characters and you stay with them from start to finish This book is written in sections and with each section one pretty much starts over About mid way through, I gave up.

Spanning the eon from pre history to the ecclesiastical crisis in the mid 16th century, this series of stories centering in and around Dublin blends history with fiction.

I am planning a trip to Ireland and read this to help me understand the history and culture of the Irish people It was very helpful in that regard, but I would never have stuck with this tome of a book, if I were just reading it for enjoyment It is very reminiscent of a Michener novel, but not writtten as well though, to be fair, I haven t read a Michener novel in 25 30 years and I may remember them as being better than they really are It is several books in one, with a confusing cast of charact [...]

This book taught me that I can enjoy historical fiction than I thought possible It filled in the gaps in my knowledge of Irish History which is too broad and complex to comprehend I found it most entertaining and became a fan of Edward Rutherford s writing in a big way.

At 770 pages, this episodic collection of tales from Irish history covers a lot of ground It begins in 430 AD and ends approximately 1540 In each section, the author creates memorable family groups with a name Fergus, MacGowan, Harold, Walsh, Doyle, Tidy typical of the times, and shows how events affected them, and what part they may have played A family s physical traits follow the generations, such as green eyes, red hair, dark hair and eyes, and a certain kind of stare There are maps, which a [...]

Loved it from start to finish At some points you may want to jot down names and relationships as it gets a little complicated Stick with it though A good read.

A long and winding journey through the history of Ireland and various important periods in the existence of that island, told, naturally, through the perspective of different members of several different families through the ages.In truth, I don t remember a ton about the book itself, as evidenced by the fact that I forgot it in my initial OCD completionist tendencies when I first joined and only remembered it now, several years later, when Rutherfurd came up in conversation with a very nice lad [...]

It s the second book I read on Ireland And I m beginning to fall deeply in love with the country, its culture, and most of all its history.I think, it s my first historical fiction and I m still in awe on how the author magnificently stitched scenes of everyday life by ordinary people with history.It s only, and only, sheer hard work.The book begins with ancient Ireland where people still believe in old gods From the first chapter, the author already made readers to understand how faithful the I [...]