From Publishers Weekly
The author's brother was the late Brendan Behan, the colorful Irish writer and media personality, and this rambling, largely engaging tale is a fictionalized rendering of their mother's life. As might be expected, then, there are the requisite evocations of raunchy backstreet Dublin as backdrop to the meandering story of Kathleen Corr, raised as a charity convent orphan, and living in Dublin at the time of the Easter rebellion. Ill-used by lovers and husbands, Kathleen nurtures a growing brood. Among them, Liam (read Brendan), the first son, is best loved; Dermot (the author) is an envious second. The attempt to weave many strandsnascent Irish nationalism, sexual mores, the lively cultural sceneinto the story of a woman whose fame is anchored in the popularity of her notoriously outspoken son, falters early on. Contrived appearances of other famous Dubliners, e.g., James Joyce and Nora Barnacle, do little for the coherence of the discursive tale.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Behan, brother of Brendan, has written a tale based loosely on the events of his mother's life. Orphaned at an early age, Kathleen Corr is a resilient figure whose struggle for personal independence represents Ireland's struggle for national independence. We could be in the presence of myth, but we never really get that far, for Behan's writing cannot meet the challenge. Uneasily (sometimes laughably) mixing famous historical and fictional characters--Leopold Bloom makes an appearance along with James, Stan, and Nora Joyce--Behan drops names in the hope of giving the illusion of reality and literariness. Unfortunately, his ploy does not work; Kathleen is neither mythic nor representative but stereotypical.
- Donald P. Kaczvinsky, Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.
- Donald P. Kaczvinsky, Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.
