Customer Reviews

Brendan

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

 

 

Having loved Morgan Llywelyn's early works such as "The Horse Goddess" and "Lion of Ireland," I was excited to find this book at my local brick-and-mortar store. Irish history, the navigation of unknown seas, the rise to sainthood of a common man. . .the blurb on the jacket called to me.

This is a fictionalized biography of Saint Brendan. Llywelyn is at her best in the early chapters, as she describes Brendan's growth, a little boy learning about the world in fosterage. Brendan comes to love the contemplative life. He loves the mentoring of the Sisters, especially Ita. Even as a child he feels a deep connection to the singing sun and the natural world, constantly questioning and challenging the ways of the world, the meaning of God. He says, "In this happy nursery I grew from babe to boy."

As the book goes on, he is passed on to the tutelage of Erc. Erc, who could have been a Druid, became a Bishop of the new Church instead. Brendan learns more of Christianity and the idea of God as Father. The reader meets Brendan's natural family, his sister and mother. Brendan grows and changes and worries about his adolescent night dreams. He influences a wide set of young monks and tribal warriors, each with an odd name (the author worked from the medieval story, "The Life of Saint Brendan).

Interspersed with his growing up are short chapters of Brendan's various sailings, visiting unfamiliar places and subjected to dangers of every sort, finding visions and miracles. The most compelling of his struggles is the creation of his relationship with a foundling raven.

Llywelyn's book is ultimately a statement of faith and the belief in the use of self-discipline to achieve things we had not believed we would be capable of achieving. The philosophy is clear. The miracles may leave the reader skeptical. This book has a different tone and purpose than some of Llywelyn's previous works. It is a gracefully written account of finding the essence of a soul.

I have to start out by saying that I love Morgan Llywelyn's historical novels about Ireland. She's really in her element here. So, my expectations are pretty high for any of her works of this type. I've had a soft spot for Brendan the Navigator for a long time, so was happy to learn that Llywelyn had taken on this subject. For these reasons, I'm not sure my expectations could have been met, and, though I enjoyed the read, they generally weren't met.

This is a fine work, and provides a lot of insight into the worlds (natural and supernatural) that St. Brendan lived in, but I can't say the work is ever gripping in the way her `Irish Century' novels are. This is somewhat the subject matter, but also she seemed unable or unwilling to present the impact Brendan's mystical experiences must have had on Brendan himself.

Again, my expectations were high, and I would recommend this work. It is enjoyable and insightful - Just not a page turner.

I think I've read all of Ms.Llwelyn's books, and this is the first one I have been disappointed with. The story was rambling and slow and didn't engage me as her others had. Being a Celtophile I really enjoy reading the old tales in a contemporary format. There must have been so much more to Brendan, and maybe because he was an early Christian, although of a different kind than we generally think of (not roman), Ms. Llwelyn does not give much of a picture of what that means.

I recently finished reading this wonderful book on the life and times of St. Brendan. While I am a fast reader as a rule, this book took me a little longer as I kept stopping to ponder over so many beautiful sentences and ideas! I have read many of Morgan Llywelyn's books and she keeps getting better! I highly recommend this book!

Late in Brendan, the author, in one of the rambling, associative story threads that make this novel, Brendan mentions the "Thin Places" in the warp and fabric of creation, where other spiritual realms intrude close by our reality. The entire book, I found, lies along a seam ripped in one of these thin places.

If a reader expects a straight line narrative, then this would not be a good choice, as it wanders in and around three and sometimes four different narrative threads as well as modified quotes from the Saint's personal journals. They intersect, they diverge, they run parallel. The primary characters drift in and out of the scenes at hand with a striking resemblance to the out-and-back nature of Saint Brendan's voyages towards God, in all His forms. Some are factual, some are emotional washes fraught with color, some are allegory. All reveal the man who became a Saint, and the Saint who was a man.

As an historic reference, this book captures the diaphonous nature of the cultures of the soon-to-be, Post Roman World, very well. The author's affectionate descriptions of the nuance of the Irish language and her people remain singular in my reading experience. The book embraces Irish Catholicism as fervently as it embraces the older faiths it replaced, and makes a well-argued point for the hospitable nature of the Celtic Druids. They left a great deal of their spirit in the resulting blend of spirituality unique to Ireland and the author holds it up in clear detail within.

If you are expecting a factual timeline or straight plotted story, you may be disappointed, for this is a spiritual journey as much as it is anything else. But in that way, it pays great respect to its main character and his theology as well as the incessant motion of the sea travel that shaped his life. This book will touch your heart.

As a fan of all things Irish, you can't go wrong with Morgans LLyelyn's Brendan-or any other of her other books. A lovely way to learn of Ireland's myths, legends and history.

Brendan, authored by Morgan Llewelyn, is an historical novel which combines fact and imagination. It is not, however, the story that captures the reader's attention, but the underlying spirituality of the characters. For those interested in Irish history and folklore, Morgan Llewelyn, as usual, hits the mark. The style, which takes several pages to understand, skips from narrative to the writings of Brendan and, at times, takes a conscious effort to follow.

First off, I absolutely love historical fictions and Ireland, so I was very excited to read Brendan by Morgan Llywelyn.

It just was not that interesting...

I think the book would be a lot better had the character of Brendan been more developed and personable. St. Brendan is a very interesting person, and you would not know it when you read the book. I agree with the other reviewers who stated that they expected a lot more from the book, but can't pinpoint exactly why.

The book follows the life of St. Brendan the Navigator through his journey to become a monastic and found his own monastery in the newly-converted nation of Ireland. There is not a lot of information about his early childhood except he is brought up by his Godfather who is a Bishop in a small coastal town. Brendan didn't really know his biological family, except for his sister Brige. His Godfather expected Brendan to become a Priest, and eventually take over his position as Bishop. However, Brendan knew from a young age that the Priesthood was not his "true" calling.

Brendan goes on several pilgrimages (voyages too) and meets quite a few famous saints along with ordinary men and women. His spiritual journeys are interesting and provide just enough theology and philosophy to see what Brendan was thinking.

Overall, the book reads more like an actual history book than a historical FICTION or Biography. Its interesting in places, but certainly not a page turner that you can't put down at the end of the day.