Customer Reviews

1921

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In this sequel to her powerful novel, 1916, Morgan Llywelyn revisits the Irish struggle for independence. Although Ned Halloran, the main character in 1916, continues to be an important character in this book, this is the story of the events of 1916-1922 as seen through the eyes of Ned's friend, journalist Henry Mooney. Via a journalist's eyes the reader is treated to a very personal view of the events in the aftermath of the 1916 Easter Rising and Ireland's struggle for independence.

As a journalist, Henry is privy to a lot of private information - some he isn't even able to print. In 1921 the events become more than just dates and places and the people involved more than just names. They become very real to the reader as Henry finds himself smack dab in the middle of much of the action. His friendship with Michael Collins is at the forefront of the story, but as Henry tries his best to remain neutral after the treaty is signed, it is clear it is going to be very difficult for him to do so.

There's romance for Henry as well. He falls for widow Ella Rutledge, an Irish native of English ancestry, a protestant whose family allegiance lies with the British. Will he ever find true happiness with the beautiful, intelligent young woman when her family feels like they do?

I was surprised to see that Llywelyn used Henry as the protagonist instead of Ned, but I applaud her for doing this as in so doing she was able to give a more objective point of view - something that might appear very difficult to do.

Even though the reader may be aware of many of the historical events, he/she is still stunned at the brutality and the atrocities of war in a story which it is difficult to know which side to sympathize with as horrible, unspeakable acts of brutality were carried out by both sides. It becomes clear it isn't as simple as Catholics vs. Protestants.

By the time the reader finishes these two novels (1916 and 1921) they are certain to have a better understanding of today's Irish "Troubles" -- although understanding doesn't mean condoning the violence.

One can only hope that Llywelyn is planning to continue this series as has done such a spectacular job and as Henry tells Ned, "History tells what happened; literature tells what it felt like."

I am astonished at PW's thinking this latest work of Llywelyn's went into too much detail. I just finished 1921 and found it every bit as fascinating and compelling, as unforgetable, as 1916. She takes a very complicated situation, many historical events and by using Henry Moody as an observer, helps to clarify what happened, why it happened, the motivations and feelings, the fears and the almost incomprehensible tradgedy of the civil war. Henry Moody serves as a continuous thread, and helps bring a cohesivness to the story; but more than that he helps the reader to understand the very important emotions, and men that drove so many events. I had recently read a bio of De Valera, and thanks to 1921, I was better able to "fit" him into the total picture. I found it both fun and helpful to find the places on the map that were described. I think she pulls it all together and still manages to encompass a magnitude of historical events and the people involved. Tedious? Hardly!! The only ambivalence I felt was not being able to put it down, yet at the same time not wanting it to end~~~~I cannot WAIT for her next one!

Morgan Llywelyn has made a franchise out of Irish history and mythology, providing fictionalized accounts of many major events and figures. "1921" continues in this vein, another painstaking blend of history and fiction.

Llywelyn picks up almost where her prequel "1916" left off and follows the Irish struggle for total independence from the United Kingdom. Told from the perspective of newspaper reporter Henry Mooney, Llywelyn gives an insider's view of the efforts to secure an Irish Free State. She does well characterizing historical figures such as the enigmatic Eamon de Valera and the complicated, charismatic Michael Collins, but where she falters is in her original creations. The same cliches that plagued "1916" abound in "1921"--the plucky Irish speak in cadences heard more often in Hollywood than Limerick and the fictional subplots quickly devolve into predictable melodrama.

Henry Mooney is a bit of a wet blanket hiding behind a byline, which he uses to spread anti-British sentiment without taking arms. His good friend, Ned Halloran (who was the focus of "1916") becomes deeply involved in the IRA, encouraged by his wife Sile Duffy, a red-haired stereotype of the fiery Irish woman. Henry's wooing of the rich Anglo-Irish widow Ella Rutledge is a meandering, ultimately unsatisfying distraction, and the cloyingly precocious, one-dimensional Ursula "Precious" Halloran, Ned and Sile's adopted daughter, does little more than annoy. Making Henry Mooney the eyewitness to history is quite helpful, if a bit coincidental, but the subplots involving these characters add little to the novel.

Llywelyn sprinkles the book with carefully-footnoted Irish slang and expressions as well as historical citations, perhaps to establish her credibility, a gesture that seems a bit excessive. Llywelyn has already shown her gifts as an historian. Her meticulous recreation helps clarify a dense, complex chain of events. Where she needs help is in the writing itself. When not recreating history, Llywelyn seems out of her depth.

Anyone who seeks a narrative-driven account of the Irish fight for independence will likely find this book informative and enjoyable. Those expecting Llywelyn to create a work that is as poetic and artful as it is exhaustively researched will probably be disappointed.

I picked up this book because I enjoyed Ms. Llywelyn's book on Brian Boru, the great king of Ireland. This book grabbed my attention immediately because it begins with action...By the end of the book, not all my questions about the characters were answered, and not all the situations were resolved, but I thought that was an adequate commentary on the turbulent times the characters were living in.

Not knowing much about the period, I thought the book was well written and the characters were beautifully drawn--real and fictional (or were they fictional?). I had a sneaking suspicion that the author was related, somehow, to the main characters in the book---but maybe it was just coincidence that her grandparent's names were the same.

Anyway, a good book...enjoy!

Few books have had the power to move me as this one has. I couldn't put it down. This book and its lead-in, "1916", have renewed my curiousity about an area of the world that my ancestors were from. While the action is set between 1916 and 1923, the story is full of action and romance and personal stories that make you want to find out more about that whole era. If you're a history buff and are looking for an interesting educational work of fiction, then "1921" is perfect!

Based on Llywelyn's writing, I would say this book isn't as good as 1916. There's a lot more obnoxious expository dialog (or at least it's not as well disguised), and the copy editing is noticeably bad. The fiction part of the story is pretty good, but like the historical part, the events are much sadder than in 1916. The main historical figures are Michael Collins and Eamonn de Valera, but they are not profiled as completely as Padraic Pearse was in 1916. It's a very good read for learning more about Ireland between 1916 and 1922, especially for those who have seen the movie Michael Collins and want to learn more.

In addition to the expository dialog, I was distracted by the way Irish leaders on both sides of the conflict constantly tell Henry, "don't tell anyone, but..." and reveal major strategic secrets. This was a time when informers were everywhere, so a major suspension of disbelief is required to be convinced that Henry could really have been privy to all this information.

Overall, a pretty good chronicle of Ireland's heartbreaking descent from idealist republicanism to ruthless factions that act as dishonorably as their former British rulers. The assassination of Michael Collins is even sadder knowing what he was working on behind the scenes.

Over all a pretty good book. I just watched the film Michael Collins and I wanted to read a book about the same subject so I checked out 1916 and 1921. Llywelyn does an quality job of making history come alive but there were several errors that almost ruined the book for me. In the list of characters she writes that the Wolfe Tone the Irish revolutionary died in 1828 when in fact he slit his throat in 1798 after the failed uprising. Is this a mistake on her part or merely a typo? She also wrote that during the Boer War the Boers raised an army from among the native South Africans. If she meant whites born in South Africa this is true. If she meant blacks then this is completly false. The Boers would have fit in with the KKK and would never have fought alongside "kaffirs". I know these points seem trivial but they made me feel uncomfortable reading the book. I wonder if these facts are wrong what other mistakes did I miss?

I agree, this was a book that kept me on edge. The historical content was excellent, and the story line kept the book all too real, to the point that I felt geniune angre and heart ache through many portions of the book. I too would very much like to continue the story, and I am quite anxious for the next bit of history! As I told everyone about this book, it feeds my passion and stirs a hunger!

According to the biographies, Morgan Llywelyn was born in New York (or Ireland)(or possibly on-board ship sailing between the two). In any event, she is thoroughly Irish (or Irish-American)(or as Welsh as her name). Her love of history came early, when her mother encouraged her to explore her Llywelyn roots. This exploration made her a modern reinterpreter of the old Celtic legends which she presents in the form of novels. Prolific, she has written more than a score of books in that many years.

Given the length of most of her works, her imagination is clearly protean. The quality of her output is unsurprisingly uneven, to be objectively critical. You can't have a winner every time, especially at that pace. I've liked many of her books, but disliked others.

In THE HORSE GODDESS we meet the ancient Celts of the Iron Age Hallstatt Era. In DRUIDS we are witness to the downfall of the Gauls in the face of Roman imperialism. In BARD we view an unspoiled Ireland first being colonized by the Celtiberians. In RED BRANCH we are presented with a readable retelling of the Ulster Cycle legends.

The story of 1921 opens in 1917, just about a year after the Easter Rising documented in 1916. Ireland is a profoundly changed country. The gratuitous deaths of Pearse, Connolly and the other Irish leaders of the Rising at the hands of the British have galvanized the Irish movement for independence. Where Pearse had the dedicated following of only a relative few, the few have now become many. Given that the great majority of Britain's troops are Irishmen, the rapidly mounting loss of life in the Great War has shocked the populace. It is becoming clear to everyone except those in Dublin Castle that the continuing British suppression of the Irish is having a boomerang effect. The British are belatedly striking back by stimulating the separatist ambitions of northern Unionists.

In 1921, Llewellyn gives front and center stage to Ned Halloran's journalist friend, Henry Mooney. It's a character choice with mixed results. Henry is a dedicated Irish Republican. He a political moderate. In his career as a journalist, he promotes a reasoned approach to Irish independence. As the pages turn, Henry falls further and further out of step with the increasingly violent atmosphere, untrusted by both the Republicans and his British contacts.

Ned Halloran plays very much a reduced role in 1921. He has become embittered and estranged from Henry, He is a radical Republican firebrand who spends much of the novel on the run from British (and then Free State) forces.

Unfortunately, Llewellyn's choice to make Henry the central character isn't a straightforward authorial contrivance. While Ned was in the thick of it as Pearse's personal aide in 1916, Henry is far less immediately involved in the historical incidents recounted here . For much of the novel's length, Henry is merely reporting others' reactions. Thus, long stretches of 1921 seem lifted directly, and too dryly, out of a textbook. Third person exposition replaces much of the immediacy that made 1916 so compelling.

Llewellyn never connects emotionally to the internal struggles and confusions of the Irish delegation to the Anglo-Irish Peace Conference and its balkanization into Treaty and Anti-Treaty factions. This is a critical moment in Irish history, but Llewellyn all but misses it. Henry simply reports on the delegation's difficulties, where Ned Halloran, who would have been recording secretary to the delegation, and hence directly affected, would have felt the pain in his bones.

When Llewellyn allows the story (and Henry) free rein, the writing is crisp and detailed, not to say arresting. The British Black and Tan depredations against the Irish populace in 1917-1921 (Republican or not) are horribly immediate. The atrocities of the Free State forces against the Republicans (and vice-versa) in 1922-1923 truly underscore the terrible, murderous, fracturing of Irish society that grew out of independence. Yesterday's bloodsworn friends become today's hated enemies, worthy of being tied to land mines (literally). Llewellyn's description of the ravens picking at scattered remnant gobbets of bloody flesh absolutely makes the skin crawl, but this kind of writing is intermittent and mixed in with the reportage.

All in all, 1921, while a good read, is nowhere as fine as 1916, but it isn't for lack of trying.

THREE AND A HALF STARS (* * * ½).

In 1921 the author achieves the highest spiritual level of the ancient celtic trade of the Bard/Shanachie. Her passion in storytelling for such a serious subject and easily the most important era and turning point in Irish History and Politics in no way prevents her from telling every side of the story.

From the King of England's speech in the North of Ireland at that time to how the democratic will of American Congress in relation to subject of Irish Freedom being ignored in the interest's of international relations at the meeting of The League of Nations.

All these historical facts are firmly embodying a fictional story of romance, passion, pride, determination and the universally and purely human struggle for freedom. This combination of fiction and unrelentlessly well researched facts spins a yarn that would be fit for a High King at the Halls of Tara.

The events all take place around the Life of a Journalists who has the integrity and is man enough to put his own feelings aside to report fairly and honestly his assingments to his employer's who own the papers he writes for. This in itself serves as a micrcosm for the way in which the overall story is told. A must read for sure. Also a much needed refreshing look on such a sensitve subject that is so full of conflict.