Customer Reviews

Rising of the Moon

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4 star:		(3)
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Publishers make strange decisions on books that I'll never understand. "The Rising of the Moon" is William Martin's story of Irish immigrants in Boston and the struggle towards independence of the Irish Republic. The story has a steady metered pace about it that causes reflection on past events and current day events. While Mr. Martin may not agree, the struggle for independence in Ireland mirrors the American struggle a century and a half before, but also foreshadows the struggles of the Palestinians for a home land today.

The book explores the deep nationalistic sentiments that drive a people towards independence. Demonstrating how passionate those drives may be and how at times those passions cause unintended pain and grief that time can't erase.

I think he toys with the notion that the end does not always justify the means, but in the end leaves the reader to decide. At times a very disturbing book, yet always captivating and provocative, the ending will surprise you

This book should not have been removed from the shelves of bookstores, The novice William Martin reader will be deprived of perhaps his most personal essay on independence, the central theme in his works. For those of you who have enjoyed the historical tails of Martin, make the extra effort to find a copy of "Rising". I promise you won't be disappointed. You will be challenged though.

You need a thesaurus solely dedicated to the word "Remarkable" for a review to give its justice to "The Rising of the Moon". Martin's descriptions of early 20th century Boston far surpass similar works such as "The Alienist" or "Ironweed". Wonderful portrayals of the Irish immigrants struggle for acceptance and political power in Boston, the city that gave birth to our countries ideals. One mans fanatical struggle for those same ideals in his mother land, Ireland, eventually bring these exiting characters to the shores of Ireland to fight it's own battle for independence from British rule. This book should be cone-shaped because it moves at supersonic speed. The first chapter grabs you hard, and each following chapter is better then it's predecessor. When you reach the final 200 pages, prepare yourself, go to the bathroom, get something to drink, make sure your comfortable, because I guarantee, you won't want to move until you've finished. Nothing in this book is predictable. It's well plotted and the reader will be thrilled with surprises to the very end that will leave the reader emotionally drained. Even though this book was 471 pages, Martin is one of the few story tellers that has the ability to cary a book for 1000 pages and the reader is still crying for more. This was the best book I've read all summer, and found it's way into my top 20 books of all time. A publishing felony is being committed everyday this book remains out-of-print.

"The Rising of the Moon" is a fantastic book for those who enjoy romance and action all in one. It takes place in Boston in the year 1916. William Martin really makes history come alive. Irish immigrant Tom Tracy is trying to become a successful politician, while also trying to have a love live with his Jewish girlfriend, Rachel Levka. But when Tom's cousin, Padraic Starr comes to Boston, Tom has to make a decision on having a safe life in Boston, or avenging his father's death back in Ireland. Rachel must choose between her love for Tom Tracy, and her desire for Padraic Starr.

The last time that the work of novelist William Martin appeared in this space was when I reviewed his novel, Harvard Yard several months ago. The idea behind reviewing that novel was simply to use Martin's novelistic treatment of the history of Harvard University (his alma mater)that was, moreover, filled with interesting and informative historical facts about that august bourgeois training ground and use it to make some political points about the nature of American society, American class society mainly. I should also note that I came to like the novel as its plot unfolded so that was a bonus. Here, in reviewing The Rising Of The Moon, I have a slightly different reason tied in with my Irish heritage on the anniversary of the Easter uprising of 1916.

Here Mr. Martin roped me in by presenting another Boston local novel (he has also written other Boston-centered novels, Back Bay and Cape Cod as well). More importantly he has tied in the familiar Boston scene with a topic very close to my roots, my family roots, the struggle for Irish freedom from English tyranny. And has used the events of the national liberation struggle named forever and framed forever by William Butler Yeats' poem, Easter 1916.

Of course a primary consideration of any national liberation struggle, old style or new, is weapons-guns, ammo, etc. in order to fight the oppressor. And that thread, that desperate need for weapons against a heavily armed opponent, the British Occupation Army, is what drives the plot. But let's face it a simple exposition of the military needs of insurgents, Irish or otherwise, would make for an interesting history book but would no find favor in modern novelistic conventions.

However, what if you linked the Irish struggle in 1916 with the Irish diaspora in Boston. And what if you linked up Irish freedom fighters in Ireland with co-opted Irish freedom fighters in Southie (oops, South Boston) then the homeland to a great portion of the American Irish diaspora. And what if you surrounded the problems associated with getting weapons with kinship questions, some unfinished family business between Irish cousins, and, and, a little off-hand sex and romance in the person of a fetching Jewish girl (who also happens to be interested in national liberation struggles elsewhere- in Palestine). Well then you have William Martin's interesting little novel that helps fill in the gaps, painlessly, about the Irish struggles and about what Boston, Irish Boston, looked like about one hundred years ago. As I said about Harvard Yard I liked the novel better as its plot unfolded so that was a bonus here as well. Kudos.

Easter, 1916 -William Butler Yeats
I
I have met them at close of day
Coming with vivid faces
From counter or desk among grey
Eighteenth-century houses.
I have passed with a nod of the head
Or polite meaningless words,
Or have lingered awhile and said
Polite meaningless words,
And thought before I had done
Of a mocking tale or a gibe
To please a companion
Around the fire at the club,
Being certain that they and I
But lived where motley is worn:
All changed, changed utterly:
A terrible beauty is born.



II

That woman's days were spent
In ignorant good-will,
Her nights in argument
Until her voice grew shrill.
What voice more sweet than hers
When, young and beautiful,
She rode to harriers?
This man had kept a school
And rode our winged horse;
This other his helper and friend
Was coming into his force;
He might have won fame in the end,
So sensitive his nature seemed,
So daring and sweet his thought.
This other man I had dreamed
A drunken, vainglorious lout.
He had done most bitter wrong
To some who are near my heart,
Yet I number him in the song;
He, too, has resigned his part
In the casual comedy;
He, too, has been changed in his turn,
Transformed utterly:
A terribly beauty is born.



III

Hearts with one purpose alone
Through summer and winter seem
Enchanted to a stone
To trouble the living stream.
The horse that comes from the road,
The rider, the birds that range
From cloud to tumbling cloud,
Minute by minute they change;
A shadow of cloud on the stream
Changes minute by minute;
A horse-hoof slides on the brim,
And a horse plashed within it;
The long-legged moor-hens dive,
And hens to moor-cocks call;
Minute by minute they live:
The stone's in the midst of all.



IV

Too long a sacrifice
Can make a stone of the heart.
O when may it suffice?
That is Heaven's part, our part
To murmur name upon name,
As a mother names her child
When sleep at last has come
On limbs that had run wild.
What is it but nightfall?
No, no, not night but death;
Was it needless death after all?
For England may keep faith
For all that is done and said.
We know their dream; enough
To know they dreamed and are dead;
And what if excess of love
Bewildered them till they died?
I write it out in a verse -
MacDonagh and MacBride
And Connolly and Pearse
Now and in time to be,
Wherever green is worn,
Are changed, changed utterly:
A terrible beauty is born.

I did not like this as well as William Martin's other books. That said, of course, is just my humble opinion. A lot of politics, and Irish gang, etc. Probably someone else's favorite. I liked the fact that again the author has chosen to write about Boston, which I love as I can identify with the landmarks.

The book came as described with a twist since the book was published in the U.K.

Being from Boston, Being a studier of the Irish History and Language, this book was incredible. The Romance, the action, the Rebellious attitudes, bringing the spirit of Easter Rising back to Boston for help.
This book is definetly one of my top five favorites.
I picked this up in high school, when i was searching through the library, finding out William Martin had his own small fiction section seeing is he graduated from the same high school as me got me really
excited to read this book :)