Customer Reviews

Bard: The Odyssey of the Irish (Celtic World of Morgan Llywelyn)

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Ms Llywelyn in this exceptional book about the legendary be- ginnings of the Irish people blends together the conceivable hypothesis of an Iberian migration and the ephemeral mythology of Irish fairy folk origins. Her depiction of Amerghain, the main character in his quest to achieve the poem of his lifetime is intertwined with the equally intense quest that his family members have to make their own marks on the landscape of time. There is here all the pagentry of a royal court and there is also the intangible essence of faith, magic, and deep seated beliefs. Notable is the research that went into this book which gives it the inescapable element of being more than fiction and yet the author proves quite capable of endowing the distant legends and lore with all the flesh and blood and emotions that are the keys to connection with these seemingly faceless names from a time now often forgotten. A superbly written and highly enjoyable book for anyone with even a remote interest in history or magic that is always associated with the land of Eire!

I recently picked this book up, after reading all of Llywelyn's books from The Irish Century series (which I also recommend, as they are the best books I've ever read). This book is truly wonderful. It's not realistic (nor do I think it was intended to be), but it has that wonderful quality that all of Irish myth and legend has: the ability to transcend time and space. This book is a true tribute to the legacy of Irish storytelling and bardic tradition.
I give it 4 stars, though (4 1/2, if it'd let me), because the ending is a bit abrupt; but this may just be Llyewelyn's way of letting the reader know the story of Ierne is still continuing.

What can I say, but, wow.....although this book seems in a way similar to her other work "Druids", this is only slightly so. I can't imagine how others on this page have called this book "Boring"....From the time you pick it up to the moment you put it down, you will be engrossed in the story. You will feel the struggle to win Ierne...you will be the people in this story...Llwelyn's gift for taking a reader out of his/her own place in time and putting them right in the middle of a situation is very well demonstrated in this book.....From Amergin's struggle to fit in to the triumph in which he takes part at the end of the story, to the ever-present machinations of Colptha (a bit 1-dimensional a character, but one that in reading you will see is necessary to make the story a complete piece).....You can't go wrong with this book.

It's hard to truly say what happened back in the swirly mists of time, especially going as far back as when the mythical Milesians arrived, accompanied by the legendary bard, Amergin. However, this book does a fine job of evoking that past as it might have been. I read Llywelyn many years ago, before I had even begun reading Celtic history, and I was surprised by the wealth of authentic detail as found in this book. One item that particularly sticks out in my mind is the description of the burial of Mil. Llywelyn used such precise detail, even down to the couch he lay on, that I could remember seeing a pictures and drawings of just such a burial, all the way down to its intricate wheels. So, relax and enjoy this book, confident that the author put as much true history into her tale as possible, yet creates an astounding epic.

This is the story of a bard and his people, as they journey from thier home, into a new land. The author shows you insight into a people who lived a different history than the classic one taught in school. She brings to light the indomitable spirit of the people who are to found Ireland. Here we can see a different view of history and its effect on these people. It follows the lives of a group of brothers and how they lead thier people across the sea. The main focus of this book is one of the brothers, who as a bard and a druid, is the mirror of his people, while battling his own internal demons. This epic sweeps you into the lives of this family and thier traditions. It is a must read that is almost impossible to put down.

As one with distant Celtic heritage, that did not grow up with any of the wonderful stories that Llewelyn tells, I am grateful for for insights into the make up of my families psychology. Bard, Red Branch, Lion Of Ireland ect. Help me to both understand where we get some of our predelictions and temperments. So blah, blah, blah, to reviewers who want to show thier scholarly prowess by proving her inacurate.They are stories based on myths and legends, that are most likely based on some exagerated truth. I loved this story.

This was my first Morgan LLywelyn novel to read and I am now hooked!! wonderful description of celts and great characters.. Loved the history and would reccommend it to anyone with the slightest or diehard interest in Celtic history!! Also great bibliography of other sources. Have read many of her other books after finishing.

Irish Celtic history is heavily saturated in myth and romanticism. I was an avid fan of Morgan Llywelyn in high school, and joyfully devoured her mythological and historical novels. I remember her as being relatively well-researched, balancing fancy and fact to craft enjoyable bits of literary escapism. I picked up Bard, the first of her novels I've read in years, and was sorely disappointed. I expected more of the decent scholarship, dynamic myth, and engaging plots I remembered from my earlier reads. Instead, Bard delivered a cast of weak and predictable characters, a dragging storyline that takes far too long to deliver, and a surprising distortion of familiar Celtic icons.

Bard describes an Iberian origin of the Celts as one of many groups of invaders in Erin's long history. She depicts the Tuatha de Danan and the Fir Bolg as two other such cultures, mortal beings who eventually grew into the larger-than-life myths of today. While I liked this historical rooting of the tale, one of my biggest problems with this book was her depiction of the Tuatha de Danan, whom Llywelyn depicts as New Age-y, hippie-fied mystics. Rather than being a fresh and exotic interpretation of the traditional myth, this choice instead seemed discordantly modernized, unrealistic, and self-serving. The segments of the book devoted to their characters could have been eliminated entirely, and it would have made little impact (save to salvage somewhat the stunted flow of the story). References to the "Earth Mother" are historically innacurate and frustrating to any Celtophile, especially given the wealth of colorful deities known to have been worshiped by the Celtic peoples. I found myself rolling my eyes more than once at some of these passages.

Amergin, the bard of the title, is an introspective and potentially fascinating character, but he simply isn't given enough life in these pages. This is due in part to the lack of depth given to the supporting characters. Llywelyn relies too strongly on telling us what characters think and feel, rather than letting the reader see actions and interpret their dialog. Characters often act in contradictory ways, which comes across more as the result of poor planning on the writer's part than any kind of personal conflict. My opinion is that the book really should have been started right about where it ended (with the tribe's arrival in Ireland), and indeed Bard has one of the most unsatisfying endings of any book I have every read; it seems as though Llewellyn floundered a bit and simply gave up.

Readers interested in literary treatments of Irish Celtic mythology or history should turn to Llywelyn's other (excellent and very fun!) novels; Lion of Ireland, Finn McCool, Red Branch, or her more modern Irish historical fiction (e.g. 1972).

~Jacquelyn Gill

This is what a novel based on Celtic legends should look like. Llywelyn certainly knows how to write, but where she goes above and beyond the call of duty is her willingness to extensively research scholarly and oftentimes dry sources. Likely, she heard the legends of Ireland's past growing up, yet she nevertheless presents extensive bibliographies at the end of her novels. Bard is no exception. While artistic license is taken in order to draw the modern reader into the tale, it is clear that Llywelyn knows what she is doing, breathing new life into the people of Ireland's mythological tradition while remaining faithful to the source.

However, I did find difficulty with references to "the Mother" regarding the earth, given that Llywelyn cited Robert Graves' silly The White Goddess as a source, but it is a mistake easily overlooked. Also, the end of the novel seemed slightly forced, as if Llywelyn was stretching to connect the De Danaan natives to the Milesian conquerors.

Regardless of its slight flaws, Bard is an excellent read filled with compelling characters, comfortable prose, and an exciting retelling of the events of The Book of Invasions.

I was enchanted by the first 90% of the book...but mystified by the end. I don't want to give it away, but it seemed that there was too much action in the last 50 pages. I got the distinct impression that the book was being abruptly wrapped up. And there were so many questions left unanswered!