Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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88 of 90 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Remarkable Story of a 16th Century Irish Woman, December 9, 1999
As the author, Anne Chambers states, Granuaile (Grace O'Malley) "broke the mould" for women of Western Europe in the 16th century. For all of the achievements and acclaim accorded to Elizabeth Tudor (Queen Elizabeth I), Granuaile's story is even more remarkable. Elizabeth might be famous for unleashing her infamous "sea dogs" (e.g., Drake and Hawkins), but Granuaile was a "sea dog" in a man's world, plying her craft on the western shores of Ireland (Galway, Connemara). Granuaile did not just order men into battle from the safety of a castle, she actually led men into battle herself. And, she did not, like Elizabeth, forgo marriage and children. She became a notable Gaelic chieftan in a time when the old Gaelic order was under assault and in decline. This biography is scrupulously researched and well written. I found it to be most compelling because the author does not romanticize Granuaile and the troubled era she lived in. Chambers avoids the presentist trap into which many authors fall, when they search through history to find antecedents of Irish/Celtic/Gaelic nationalism. Life was more complex than the simple duality of Gaelic twilight versus English colonization. Granuaile played both sides against the middle in a deadly battle for survival which she won for her self and her descendents. The book's climatic meeting between Grauaile and Elizabeth shows that the Irish chieftaness was able to out maneuver the brutal English overlord Bingham, Gloriana, and her master of wily statecraft, Lord Burghley. Granuaile's true story is more compelling than any fictional account of pirate queens. She was a great woman whose foresight, strength, daring, seafaring ability, and political acumen provide us all, men and women, Irish and non-Irish, with a fascinating glimpse into one woman's struggle to prevail between the English monarchy and the lords of Ireland in the 16th century.
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28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A powerful writer, brings true events to life ., May 25, 1998
If you're interested in the women who lived in the 1500s in Ireland, you'll enjoy this book. Grace O'Malley was known in her times as the "Queen of the Sea", the queen of pirates. This was the first of Anne's books which I read while in Ireland, last summer. After finishing Grace O'Malley, I was hooked on her books. Her writing style of the history of Ireland is easy for any reader, at any level, to understand. The story comes to life and you soon find yourself, there, back in time" with the characters in this book.
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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Comprehensive, concise and entertaining, September 12, 2005
I think this is a beautifully researched book with concise information about Grace O'Malley, her clan and Ireland during her life. The only book you need to know everything you need to know!
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