Bard: The Odyssey of the Irish [Hardcover]

Morgan Llywelyn (Author), Houghlin Mifflin Company (Editor), Jacket art by Jim FitzPatrick (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1986

This is the tale of the coming of the Irish to Ireland, and of the men and women who made that emerald isle their own.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"By deftly reworking Ireland's ancient myths and legends, Morgan Llywelyn has made Bard ring with Celtic spirit." - Los Angeles Times

"A stunning novel that brilliantly evokes the times and the people... a full-bodied historical novel sure to be savored by many." -Booklist

"The most intriguing of [Lywelyn's] warrior/mystic/romance concoctions." -Kirkus Reviews
--Review

"By deftly reworking Ireland's ancient myths and legends, Morgan Llywelyn has made Bard ring with Celtic spirit." - Los Angeles Times

"A stunning novel that brilliantly evokes the times and the people... a full-bodied historical novel sure to be savored by many." -Booklist

"The most intriguing of [Lywelyn's] warrior/mystic/romance concoctions." -Kirkus Reviews

--Amazon

Great condition, cover only slight scuffs. Does have previous owners embossed stamp but does not detract. --Seller

About the Author

Since 1980 Morgan Llywelyn has created an entire body of work chronicling the Celts and Ireland, from the earliest times to the present day. her critically acclaimed novels, both of history and of mythology, have been translated into many languages. She is an Irish citizen and lives in Dublin.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 466 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin (T); First edition (May 1, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395353521
• ISBN-13: 978-0395353523
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #972,188 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exquisite depiction of Ireland's legendary ancestry., January 3, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Bard: The Odyssey of the Irish (Celtic World of Morgan Llywelyn) (Mass Market Paperback)

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!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, February 23, 2004

By 

irisheye (Las Vegas, NV United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bard: The Odyssey of the Irish (Celtic World of Morgan Llywelyn) (Mass Market Paperback)

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.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Morgan Llwelyn does it again, May 20, 2001

By 

KCZorroDeFuego "KAC" (East Berne, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bard: The Odyssey of the Irish (Celtic World of Morgan Llywelyn) (Mass Market Paperback)

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.