Hours of Gladness: A Novel of the Irish in America [Hardcover]

Thomas Fleming (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1999

When Dick OGorman and Billy Kilroy choose Paradise Beach, New Jersey, as the ideal place to smuggle ashore Cuban missiles for the Irish Republican Army, no one realizes the violent upheaval into which the community will soon be thrown. It is 1984. Irish Americans, preoccupied by a loss of political power in the cities, have little sympathy for Ireland and the IRA. This is especially true of Patrolman Mick ODay, an ex-Marine sergeant haunted by moral failure in Vietnam. The final element in this combustible mix is a British secret agent disguised as a priest who ignites a physical and spiritual explosion that tears the community apart at its very seams.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The Irish struggle for independence moves onto American soil in Fleming's (The Wages of Fame) latest novel, which posits the existence of an IRA cell that crosses the Atlantic to infiltrate Paradise Beach, a sleepy Jersey Shore town, in the mid 1980s. From their temporary terrorist headquarters, Dick O'Gorman and Billy Kilroy plan to smuggle in missiles from Cuba to use against the Brits. Beleaguered patrolman Mick O'Day tries to keep order in the small town, but the IRA subterfuge quickly throws the community into turmoil, testing the loyalties of the Irish-Americans who have lived there for years, and angering the Mafia segment that becomes involved in the arms transaction. Chaos is unleashed when the million dollars allocated for the weapon is stolen, with the mistrust between the various factions spurred on by a British spy posing as an Irish priest. O'Day's attempts to keep the situation under control are hindered by his relationship with a Vietnamese refugee living in Paradise Beach, a woman who was his lover during the Vietnam War and whose betrayal resulted in the deaths of many of O'Day's Marine comrades. The search for the stolen money drives the plot, and there's some effective writing here, but Fleming can't seem to decide whether he wants his book to be a political thriller, the story of an emotionally damaged Irish cop or the tale of a small seaside community being torn apart by change. (Nov.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Fleming, a best-selling author and PBS host for a miniseries about the Irish in the United States, sets his new novel in 1984 in a small New Jersey town where Irish Americans control things. A Vietnam War vet, now a cop, becomes embroiled in a vicious conspiracy bringing together organized crime mobsters, lying IRA emissaries, cocaine, missiles from Havana, and the inflammatory emotions of local Irish Americans. There's a lot of money to be made in the deal, but when the mobsters' $1.5 million goes astray, there is more than hell to pay. The cop, seeking to clear a debt of honor incurred in Vietnam, tries to protect some Vietnamese refugees, who also become engulfed in the standoff. Fleming weaves together these ethnic and racial themes, which resonate in the American psyche. The novel is a showcase for intense hatreds, passions, and regrets amidst so much complicated plotting that a reader daren't miss a single paragraph. Fleming's fans will want to find this in major public libraries, but others may prefer his earlier biographies and novels, e.g., Remember the Morning or Wages of Fame.ABarbara Conaty, Library of Congress
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Forge; 1st edition (November 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312867816
• ISBN-13: 978-0312867812
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,444,969 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

"How do you write a book?" 24 year old Thomas Fleming asked bestselling writer Fulton Oursler in 1951. "Write four pages a day," Oursler said. "Every day except Sunday. Whether you feel like it or not. Inspiration consists of putting the seat of your pants on the chair at your desk." Fleming has followed this advice to good effect. His latest effort, "The Intimate Lives of the Founding Fathers," is his 50th published book. Twenty three of them have been novels. He is the only writer in the history of the Book of the Month Club to have main selections in fiction and in nonfiction. Many have won prizes. Recently he received the Burack Prize from Boston University for lifetime achievement. In nonfiction he has specialized in the American Revolution. He sees Intimate Lives as a perfect combination of his double talent as a novelist and historian. "Novelists focus on the imtimate side of life. This is the first time anyone has looked at the intimate side of the lives of these famous Americans, with an historian's eyes." Fleming was born in Jersey City, the son of a powerful local politician. He has had a lifetime interest in American politics. He also wrote a history of West Point which the New York Times called "the best...ever written." Military history is another strong interest. He lives in New York with his wife, Alice Fleming, who is a gifted writer of books for young readers.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Exciting look at early 1980's Irish-Americans, November 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Hours of Gladness: A Novel of the Irish in America (Hardcover)

In 1984, two IRA operatives, Dick O'Gorman and Bill Kilry select Paradise Beach, New Jersey as the ideal spot to smuggle Cuban missiles into the United States. The Jersey shore locale was selected because many of the residents are sympathetic to the cause. However, the Irish-American populace is not quite as supportive of the IRA as they once were. Still the Monaghan crime syndicate agrees to assist the IRA operatives for the sake of the Motherland.

Former Nam marine Mick O'Day serves as a cop in Paradise Beach. Mick still feels the anguish of his betrayal of his men in Nam. The Vietnamese woman who seduced him to get him to sell out also lives in town. Adding to the nuclear meltdown is a priest, who is actually a crazed British secret agent. With the game just starting, none of the players realize what is yet to come as the small community is about to be ripped asunder.

HOURS OF GLADNESS is an exciting look at the relationship between Irish-Americans and the IRA. Though, the story line at times goes a bit too far, the plot provides insight into the late twentieth century splitting of the Irish into two mindsets: being an American first or the love for Eire being foremost. Thomas Fleming turns up the heat, but still finds time to glimpse into the soul of a torn people, circa early 1980's.