Customer Reviews

1916: A Novel of the Irish Rebellion

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

This is a powerful novel of the events surrounding the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin Ireland. The book opens in 1912 as Ned Halloran and his parents are on a journey from Ireland to America to visit Ned's sister Kathleen. Fate has intervened and they make their voyage on the Titanic. Ned survives the sinking, however his parents as well as new friend Dan Breen, are all lost to the sea.

Kathleen and her fiancé, Alexander Campbell, urge Ned to stay in New York but his heart is in Ireland and he returns to County Clare and his family farm where his older brother and two younger sisters are left to mourn the loss of their parents.

Meanwhile, Lord Inchpin of nearby Dromoland Castle, to make up for what young Ned has been through, has offered him a rare opportunity for a farm lad from County Clare - further education at a private school in Dublin. The school chosen turns out to be St. Enda's, the school run by Padraig (Patrick) Pearse, south of downtown. Pearse, as those familiar with early 20th C. Irish history know, is one of the heroes of the 1916 Easter Rising. This is a fictionalized account of events leading up to that fateful week.

Ned interacts with many historical figures during this time including all the principals of the Irish Rebellion in which he becomes a courier for the eventual heroes. During this time, too, he runs into Sile (prounced "Sheila") Breen, Dan's sister, who has run off to Dublin and is how working in the world's oldest profession. The naïve Ned isn't aware of this at first and is, instead, stunned by her beauty although he is side-tracked by another woman he clearly has a crush on. Important too, is secondary character Henry Mooney, the young journalist from county Limerick Ned meets on the train on his way to Dublin.

Even though the reader may already be aware of the events of April and May 1916 in Ireland, the emotions evoked by this novel, become very real - as if they happened yesterday instead of 85 years ago. Llywelyn portrays the Pearse brothers, Joseph Mary Plunkett, Thomas Clark, James Connolly, Sean MacDermott, Thomas MacDonagh, and others in such away as the reader feels the same love for Ireland and has the same desires as they do.

In the sequel to this book, 1921, Morgan Llywelyn has one character say to another "History tells what happened; literature tells what it felt like." This is exactly how I feel about 1916. Despite reading history books relating the events, reading this novel has made this very personal. I could feel the pain of these characters, I could feel their fervor and enthusiasm for the cause they believed in, and in the end I could feel the need to keep the memory of these brave people alive as the country fights for home rule and freedom from British oppression.

When you are finished reading this book, and I highly recommend that you do, pick up the sequel 1921, which relates the events of the next six years in Ireland's struggle for independence and although it is Henry Mooney's story, it does feature Ned in a very big way.

There's no better compliment I can give a novel than to say it not only made me think, made me want to read everything I can get my hands on, and wish to visit the historical sites in Ireland including the GPO, Kilmainham Gaol, and other locales mentioned in the book. Llywelyn has made this very easy with the maps in front of the book showing the locations of these places. Also helpful is the list of characters, both fictional and historical, in the front of the book. She adds several pages of notes and a selected bibliography at the end. Read this book - FEEL history.

1916 Good Story and Solid History

Some element of this book that I found helpful and interesting:

* It's a novel that employs footnotes.
* Characterizations are excellent and historically accurate
* Maps are helpful
* Listing of Characters is absolutely great.

I am not normally a fan of historical romance novels but 1916 was very well written. Really the romance portion was overshadowed by the momentous events of the day. The story of the 1916 Irish Rebellion (later called the Easter Rebellion) is a thoughtful tale of a country boy caught up in Irish nationalist fervor. Some key events led up to the Rebellion were: the forced conscription of Irish citizens for World War I, the rise of nationalism and German promises of assistance. The author brings all of these to light as well as other elements all interwoven in her story. Overall a good story well told.

I recommend this book to readers that enjoy histories, light romance and especially Irish culture.

I enjoyed this novel very much, and not only because of its strong characters and riveting plot. Morgan Llywelyn entertains while she teaches, and I learned a great deal about Irish history and the fundamental reasons for the fractious state of affairs that exist today in the north. After reading 1916, I went on to read the other two books in Llywelyn's series, 1921 and 1949. Readers who enjoy 1916 are likely to enjoy the other two books as well.

If you've ever wondered about what happened during the Irish Rebellion of 1916, but you don't want a boring textbook re-telling of the events, then this is the book for you. 1916 mixes fact with fiction in a way that makes the events of the Irish rebellion lifelike and engaging. Fans of historical fiction will truly relish this novel.

The story begins predictably enough on board the Titanic, on which (fictional) protagonist, County Clare farmboy Ned Halloran and his parents are headed to New York City for his sister Kathleen's marriage. We all know what happens next, so long story short, Ned survives and his parents don't. Llewelyn uses Ned's experience onboard the ill-fated ship as his sounding board for every single challenge he faces in the book. I don't know how many times he says, "I know I can get through this, I survived the Titanic!" Some may scoff at the fact that Ned is a first-hand witness of two major historical events of the 20th century, but thankfully for the reader, the Titanic episode doesn't occupy much of the novel.

The remainder of the book is a painstaking, detailing, fascinating retelling of the few years leading up to the 1916 rebellion. Ned enrolls at St. Enda's School near Dublin, where Padraig Pearse is headmaster, and soon finds himself in the company of the future rebellion leaders. He joins forces with them and eventually becomes embroiled in the Irish movement toward Home Rule. All the while, he interacts with countless famous faces, a veritable Who's Who of Irish history. The book takes the reader to the front lines, allowing him to see the events through the eyes of someone who experienced them.

Llewelyn strives to convey what various historical figures such as Joe Plunkett, Countess Markievic, Sean MacBride, Sean Heuston, and numerous others were like in their daily lives and how they came to be part of the rebellion that paved the way for (partial) Irish freedom.

As an historian, Llewelyn receives high marks. Every event is painstakingly researched. Even minor occurrences and biographical information are footnoted, and the novel boasts an impressive bibliography. Llewelyn makes the history accessible to the common reader, and for this she deserves praise. 1916 is an excellent historical novel.

Where she falters is in the fiction she weaves into the fact, and the prose she uses to convey it. Although she bases them on historical record, many of the characters seem flat and even stereotypical. The plucky Irish always have cute, brogue-laden one-liners to offer, and the British are sufficiently stuffy and callous to make you roll an eye.

The novel seems more interested in driving the plot along than in dazzling the reader in the way the author can turn a phrase. Many of the events not directly associated with historical fact (such as Kathleen's romance with a sensitive priest) seem trite and conventional, and the love scenes (yes, there are love scenes) are riddled with borderline ridiculous imagery.

But these missteps can be overlooked, as Llewelyn has given us an engrossing work that transports us into the history as it occurs. Students of Irish history as well as those with a casual interest can appreciate this book for the way it opens up history to the reader.

From the sinking of the Titanic to the bloody climax of the Irish rebellion, Morgan Llywelyn,gives an up close account of events leading up to the Easter Uprising. "1916" gives a historical account of the rebellion through the eyes of a fictional character, up to par, and much in the same way as James Michner does in his historical novels such as "Hawaii." For people who like a good story I would give "1916" an eight, for history fans a ten.

1916 promises by its title that it will be a novel of the rebellion of 1916 - not so much. I like stories of battles and struggle. I like tales of strategy and stress. I like tales of war, tactics and weakness revealed. 1916 is not much about the elements I listed.
Instead, 1916 is about a fictional family and their life in an Ireland where the Irish barely survive the English occupation. Then, later in the book, it becomes about the 1916 revolution. To me, what separates this from a great historical novel is the fictional part. Please stick to history Professor Llywelyn, you are an expert there, and entertaining. 1916 is a let down because I expect focus on the history - told well. Cut out the first third (it is 540 pages after all), and you have a truely great book.

I love Morgan Llywelyn's books. I was so excited to see this novel published that I recommended it to my book club before I read it. None of my fellow book club readers were familiar with her work, so I jumped at the opportunity to introduce them to this marvelous writer. Over the ensuing weeks, one by one, my fellow readers asked me, "Are all of her books like this?" I had not started it yet, and was mystified at the lukewarm reception the book seemed to be getting. Once I read it myself, I was not puzzled for long.

Llywelyn's research is meticulous, as usual, but her telling of the story is stilted and her fictional characters have none of the complexity or depth of her other books. Perhaps because she was writing about people who lived so recently, and not people are lived centuries ago and are more legend than fact, she felt less at liberty to intersperse her fictional characters into the thick of the action. They seemed to be content to stay on the periphery, only arriving in the thick of the action by happenstance and not to fulfill their destinies. Granted, the events of Easter 1916 are well documented, but one expects more literary license to be taken by one's favorite historical novelists.

And this is probably my mistake, not hers. I expected Lion of Ireland but instead found myself reading what I felt were a series of notes on the rebellion, interspersed with a fictional romance. My fellow readers and I never understood why the Titanic was involved, except perhaps to make the lead characters more sympathetic.

My words here seem to convey that we hated the book. We didn't. It was a very good exploration of the politics and social crises of the time, and we all loved Padraic Pearse. The knowledge she gives us of this courageous, passionate man is alone worth the price of the hardcover edition. Her examination of the Irish Question is spectacular.

What kept this book from rating five stars was the incidental plot line involving her fictional characters. Had she left out the fictional Hallorans entirely the book would have been improved. We did not find ourselves yearning to see the next chapter about them. We prefered to see Padraic Pearse, the O'Rahilly, or Thomas Clarke in the first lines of a new chapter. We sought out Edmund Kent and Sean MacDermott. We ached for more about the fascinating Countess Constance Markievicz, who by herself would make a wonderful subject of another historical novel about the Irish-English conflict.

This is not a typical Morgan Llywelyn novel. It is a good novel, but not a great one. It is the one hiccup of an otherwise, in my opinion, highly exceptional writer.

I will not hesitate to buy Morgan Llywellyn's next book in hardback, despite my disappointment with this book.

What a great book and what a great series of books that covers the history of Ireland throughout the 20th century. Fictional characters interact with historical figures to tell the story of the Halloran and Mooney families.

As an avid reader of Morgan Llywelyn, I was very excited to see her chronicle a more modern piece of the Irish struggle. I could not put 1916 down! I really felt she captured to essence of the historical personages, and successfully entwined them in the lives of her fictional characters.
One thing I have always enjoyed about reading historical fiction is that I am nearly always inspired to further my knowledge outside of the novel. All of Llywelyn's books have inspired me thusly, but never with such immediacy as did 1916. After finishing this bookI spent about a week on the internet looking up all of these people (Pearse, MacDermott, etc.) and finding out more! I learned so much, and have to thank Morgan Llywelyn for my knowledge. Even dry facts are touched with her magic!

This book is probably one of Llywelyn's best. Taking the reader into history, it provides the emotional background and commitment of the characters found in the history books. The use of Ned Halloran as a vehicle to visit and get into the minds of the leaders of the uprising in 1916 was inspired. Anyone interested in the Irish independence movement, past or present, should read this book.

By the end of the novel, I did not want to put the book down and hope that Ned's experiences will be continued. After all, the story of Irish independence did not end in 1916.