This great Irish epic, the second and concluding part which began with Dublin, reveals the story of the people of Ireland through the focal point of the island's capital city. Rutherfurd is a fantastic storyteller who has created some utterly compelling characters that really bring you into the story and that fit seamlessly into the immensely detailed and authentic historical background. The book is long, yet hugely accessible and it certainly rattles along at quite a lick.
Following the critically acclaimed success of Dublin, this riveting sequel takes the story of Ireland from the seventeenth century onwards, picking up at the Reformation, and with it, the devastating arrival of Oliver Cromwell. Cromwell heralds the inauguration of two hundred years of Protestant dominance, throughout which many of the Irish people were impoverished and dispossessed. Dublin is made a Protestant capital, and Catholics become an underclass. Set against the dramatic backdrop of Irish political history, this powerful saga is brought to its conclusion. Journeying through the centuries right the way up to the twentieth century's Easter Rising and Independence, passing through turbulent milestones such as The Year of the French, the Famine and The Home Rule Movement of Parnell along the way.
