A review by marycat203
The Last Storyteller by Frank Delaney

5.0

Ben MacCarthy’s quiet life traveling Ireland to collect stories for the Folklore Commission turns dangerous in 1956 when he is unwillingly pulled into running guns for the IRA at the same time that Venetia Kelly, the woman he loved, lost, and still pines for reappears on the scene, now married to an abusive villain. The stakes are high in this old-fashioned novel that blends Irish history and culture with a compelling personal drama. My only complaints were that the antagonist was one-dimensional, and I felt frustrated with Venetia for waiting for a man to save her, but otherwise this was exactly the kind of immersive reading experience I’ve been craving. DeLaney is a master of metaphor and captures Irish voices in a way that made me feel like I was back in Ireland, reminding the reader of the power of stories to tell us who we are.