Customer Reviews

Grania: She-King of the Irish Seas

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Truly a novel of a little remembered Irish Heroine, in a patriachial society. Morgan has given a gutsy, gravelly personification of this lady of the Seas. Her loves and her husband, not necessarily the same, are presented in a down to earth reality of the battles being fought against the crown of so called Virgin Queen. A good read, enjoyable, and nice to see some of the less written about Leaders of that time.

Grania-She-King of the Irish Seas. What a wonderful experience it was to read of this remarkable woman's life. She is a contemporary of Elizabeth I of England, and she lived life on her own terms. Not for her was a life of sitting by the fire spinning and sewing. No, she needed to be out on the open seas dealing with all the natural and human elements that she met out there. We see her living life on her terms, and with the men that she was involved with. Ms. Llywelen knows how to write a story, especially when she is delving back in history in her beloved Ireland. This was a page-turner and I couldn't put it down. I read a lot of books, and most recently have been reading a lot of mysteries, but when I started this book, I realized how much I have missed my favourite genre - historical fiction.

I really like Moragan Llywelyn, and I was glad to find a book about a female legend--Grania. "Grace O'Malley"--the name given to her by the English--is portrayed in this book as strong, fierce, intelligent, a lover, and entirely human. Grania, in her adventures, learns to outwit many people, humble herself when necessary, and manages to keep her sense of humor throughout her life. This story is for anyone who likes to have a great time reading.

Morgan Llywelyn has outdone herself this time. A wonderful novel about a woman's struggles and triumphs in a man's world. A woman, not remarked for her beauty, but for her skills and wits, overcomes all that stands in her way. Grania is truly a treat for anyone who reads it.

Grania was a woman in a mans world, feared, hated, and loved. Her father, a great chieftain, raised his daughter to be the son he never had.A beautiful young woman called Grania, the notorious pirate queen of Connaught stood strong against the hated English. With her faithful Lieutenants Tigernan and Ruari Oge, and her wise druidic servant, Grania draws to her side the best of her countrymen to challenge the English at their own game...warring, plundering, and scheming.A most remarkable woman

Llywelyn has out done herself again! Grania made me want to move to Ireland and become a pirate merchant. If you don't like reading boaring books, read this one.

I've always been fascinated by the story of Grace O'Malley (sp) the Pirate Queen. Or Granuille. (The book actually covers the different names and spellings but I have forgotten them already). I love anything by Morgan Llewelyn. I wasn't disappointed. It's a well-written and intriguing tale of a fascinating life. It's entertaining, interesting, and seems historically accurate. Llywelyn's writing brings her to life. If you like historical novels, if you are fascinated by Irish history, you will like this book.

I must say, of the novels I have read about real female pirates, I am least impressed with this one. Having just completed the novel, I cannot decide if I find the heroine to be foolish and cocky, or brave and amazing. On one hand, she grabs life by the horns so to speak and shows the men of the times that women are worthy adversaries indeed. On the other hand, a lot of her decisions hurt other people. Waging wars and looting ships may have helped her select few, but what of others? This novel was also written more like a biography (except the sex scenes and tidbits of conversation here and there). I had to skip a page and half every now and then as I grew weary of reading who was from what clan and what had become of so and so, some of which was irrelevant to the story line. The best part of the book was when she finally had a face to face meeting with Elizabeth Tudor, and it took the entire book to finally reach it.

Grania: She-King of the Irish Seas Great read, the pace is quick throughout, the characters engage with all the elements that count. Ms. Lywelyn did a great job with time and space and the human condition, you could feel the lonliness of the place and live with the characters over the years and understand the cause and effect on a visceral level. You understood, that this was a part of your story. Grace O' Malley (the story) was and is the women of Ireland or anywhere and so were her men. A good story and a true eye on the human condition.

Great book, one of the only places I found this particular out of print book.