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linnea1m's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
lydiadrodgers's review against another edition
3.0
This was really good, but I think it liked the first one better.
duparker's review against another edition
3.0
The first 300 pages were great, and the last 100 were great. The mid section felt like a mid section. The story moved along and the plot thickened, as it were, but as with many long books there was a lot of meat here and at times it felt dense. Solid pacing though. Maybe a few too many characters with similar names was what through me.
neveroutofbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Yay! I finished!!! This was the last remaining unread book on my shelves from 2012. It was also excellent and much easier to read than I anticipated. Glad to start 2022 with a bang.
alwayaredhead's review against another edition
5.0
I really didn't think I would like this book, but I was intrigued and fascinated. It actually felt like I was in Ireland. Since I have been to Ireland, it was pretty cool to hear him describe places I had visited. I would easily reread this book.
romanvs91's review against another edition
4.0
I always enjoy books by Rutherford, so it is sad that I have just finished the last of them. This two book format though is a bit unwieldy. I struggled to recall the family tree by the end, which is a shame. The ability to recollect the family journey is one of the best aspects of Rutherford's style. It also lacks the realism of his other books. Usually, the guy gets the girl, the evil man never prevails, these sorts of things. In most of Rutherford's work this sort of thing doesn't happen. The bad guy gets the advantage of the good guy, that sort of thing. While it is true that this book is not entirely lacking in these, and that bad things happen to likable characters, these are more predictable things, such as death during the Great Famine. It would have unbelievable to have no characters die, nut there were too many instances of "common" fates in this latest novel. There is for instance, a section where a guy runs onto a ship and asks a girl to marry him. This is a bit unbelievable; Rutherford's style in previous books would have had him realize this missed opportunity too late. Still, I like this style of book and look forward to his next offering.
leemac027's review against another edition
5.0
I have to admit to being a huge Edward Rutherfurd fan. The amount of research he does to create these magnificent tomes and bring centuries of history to life is simple wonderful.
Reading his books has exposed elements of history that I did not know and telling this history through the voices of fictional characters brings you into the story. Ireland Awakening is no exception. It carries on from where his book, Dublin left off in the late 1500s and I was again hooked.
Rutherfurd is a compelling storyteller and we are again drawn into the lives of the O'Byrnes, Maddens, MacGowans, Harolds, Budges and Walshes with the seemingly unending torment of clashes between religion, power and politics that make up Ireland's complex history.
I have a soft spot for a few characters - the heroic Fortunatus Walsh, Patrick Walsh is another and there are some very strong female characters as well - Caitlin Birne comes into her own during the uprisings around 1916/17.
Reading about this convoluted and complex history gives a tiny insight into how divisions were cemented in Ireland resulting in ongoing tragic and bloody clashes that have continued into the 21st century.
Reading his books has exposed elements of history that I did not know and telling this history through the voices of fictional characters brings you into the story. Ireland Awakening is no exception. It carries on from where his book, Dublin left off in the late 1500s and I was again hooked.
Rutherfurd is a compelling storyteller and we are again drawn into the lives of the O'Byrnes, Maddens, MacGowans, Harolds, Budges and Walshes with the seemingly unending torment of clashes between religion, power and politics that make up Ireland's complex history.
I have a soft spot for a few characters - the heroic Fortunatus Walsh, Patrick Walsh is another and there are some very strong female characters as well - Caitlin Birne comes into her own during the uprisings around 1916/17.
Reading about this convoluted and complex history gives a tiny insight into how divisions were cemented in Ireland resulting in ongoing tragic and bloody clashes that have continued into the 21st century.
chug's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
5.0
agnieszkakrainska's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
5.0
bawright1987's review against another edition
3.0
I read the first part of this book this past August, and I regret letting so much time pass between the pair. I listened to this on audio book, so I missed the family tree that appears in the first pages of the book to refer to. Multiple times characters entered the story and I was constantly asking: who is this person? how did they tie into the first part? But that was my own fault.
On a whole, I really enjoyed this book. Regardless of the character interactions, I love the way Rutherfurd ties in historical events and references and on this basis I adore his books. I learn something new every time I pick one of them up.
On a whole, I really enjoyed this book. Regardless of the character interactions, I love the way Rutherfurd ties in historical events and references and on this basis I adore his books. I learn something new every time I pick one of them up.