The Richness

LoveReading Says

'The Richness' by Stephen Driscoll is a powerful indictment of racism in all it's forms, wrapped up in a tale of love, cruelty and suffering that spans five centuries and three continents. It is well written, meticulously researched and chillingly relevant to the present-day crisis.

The book comes in three parts. The first follows three young Irishmen, brothers John and Conor O'Driscoll and their cousin, Patrick O'Mahoney, who left Ireland in the early 17th century, each for a different reason and with a varying degree of compliance. We track the men and their fortunes until their deaths, with two of them eventually reuniting briefly in the West Indies. This section was full of historical surprises for me and was thoroughly readable, exciting and heart-wrenching as well as informative.

The second section outlines the social and political issues of the Caribbean and Ireland, the inequalities and historical attitudes which have led to the existence of everything that is unfair and unacceptable in today's world. It's written with a great deal of passion and background knowledge.

Finally, we are brought almost to the present day, when two strangers meet at a series of lectures and discover that they have more than physical attraction in common. This is where the title of the book comes into it's own, as the author demonstrates that none, absolutely none, of us would be who we are now, were it not for the variety in our heritage and the part that all races and religions have played in the past. We are human beings, first and foremost, and no-one has cause or reason to believe they are superior to any other in any way.

A thoroughly fascinating read, highly recommended

Drena Irish, A LoveReading Ambassador

LoveReading Ambassador

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