Read Ireland Book Reviews
Issue 370 - 10 March 2007
The Bird Woman by Kerry Hardie
Hardback; Publishers Recommended Price: 22 Euro, Read Ireland Special Price 19 Euro / 28 USD / 15 UK; 369 pages
This is the much anticipated second novel from prize-winning Irish poet and novelist, Kerry Hardie. "The Bird Woman" is a moving account of two marriages, a gift that feels like a curse, and the freedom that lies on the far side of family or group identity. Ellen McKinnon, red-haired, clairvoyant, fiercely independent, finds her marriage, her health, her sanity threatened when she 'sees' the death of a man in a bomb attack before it has really occurred. Terrified by what's happening to her, she leaves her home, her tribe, her husband, to live with a man she barely knows in Southern Ireland. There she strives to live a normal life in a different culture, to be accepted by her husband's family and friends, to learn a new way of living. Though determined to suppress her 'gift' at any cost, with the birth of her children the clairvoyance changes and broadens into a power to heal. Slowly the rumours spread and the sick seek her out, yet she turns them away from her door. Her husband and her closest friend demand that she question her right to suppress her remarkable powers. Reluctantly she accepts her fate, and begins her work as a healer. But the personal cost is high, and this work begins to damage her most intimate relationships. When news of the final illness of her long-estranged mother forces her return to her native city, everything falls apart for her and she finds there's no safe ground beneath her feet.
Understanding Contemporary Ireland edited by Brendan Bartley and Rob Kitchin
Trade Paperback; 30 Euro / 37 USD / 20 UK; 342 pages [Add To Basket]
This book provides a detailed, student-friendly overview of Ireland in the twenty first century and the remarkable economic and social transformations that have occurred since the late 1980s. The "Celtic Tiger" phenomenon has made Ireland the focus of much attention in recent years. Other countries have openly declared that they want to follow the Irish economic and social model. Yet there is no book that gives a comprehensive, spatially-informed analysis of the Irish experience. This book fills that gap. Divided into four parts - planning and development, the economy, the political landscape, and population and social issues - the chapters provide an explanation of a particular aspect of Ireland and Irish life accompanied by illustrative material. In particular, the authors reveal how the transformations that have occurred are uneven and unequal in their effects across the country and highlight the challenges now facing Irish society and policy-makers. Written by experts in the field, it is a key text for those wishing to understand the contemporary Irish economic and social landscape.
Cycling in Victorian Ireland by Brian Griffin
Trade Paperback; 18 Euro / 24 USD / 13 UK; 224 pages, with black-and-white photos throughout
The book examines the social history of cycling in nineteenth-century Ireland. Drawing from the numerous Irish and British cycling journals and newspapers of the period, it illustrates the profound impact the introduction of the bicycle and the tricycle had on the lives of Irish men, women and children. This is done through an exploration of such topics as the role of cycling clubs, the emancipatory effect of cycling on men and women alike, and cycle touring in the Irish countryside.
The discussion of these topics is supported by numerous contemporary cartoons, photographs and advertisements. The book, despite its specialised topic, isn’t just for cycling fanatics; it is an in-depth examination of nineteenth-century Ireland and the dramatic ripple effects of one simple little invention.
Kilkenny: History and Guide by Pat Tynan
Trade Paperback; 18 Euro / 24 USD / 13 UK; 128 pages [Add To Basket]
Kilkenny has a long and noble history. It was the seat of Ireland's first independent parliament during the 1640s and has been one of Ireland's key cities for centuries. This is a striking and informative book that provides a fascinating look at one of Ireland's best-known cities.
The Barrytown Trilogy by Michael Cronin
Paperback; 10 Euro / 13 USD / 7 UK; 100 pages
The publication of "The Commitments", "The Snapper" and "The Van" signalled the emergence of a significant new voice in Irish fiction. This book traces the genesis and impact of the change in Ireland's fortunes on the work of Doyle, Parker and Frears and shows how the increasing de-differentiation of boundaries between economy and culture meant that a body of literary and cinematographic work like the Trilogy was as much a contributory factor to the contemporary transformation of Ireland as a reflection of it.
Felicia’s Journey by Stephanie McBride
Paperback; 10 Euro / 13 USD / 7 UK; 100 pages
This title addresses issues such as - hitchcockian influences, the sense of place in the visual discourse, and the characterisation of the serial killer Hilditch, as constructed initially by Trevor and interpreted by Egoyan. Eschewing a crude 'fidelity' model of adaptation, the study explores Egoyan's screen version as a commentary on, or significant reworking of the original book. In particular, Egoyan's extension of the mother figure, through his creation of Gala, opens questions about memory, representation and cinema's capacity as a reflexive medium, which is a central feature of his film art.
Domestic Violence by Eavan Boland
Paperback; 13 Euro / 17 USD / 9 UK; 64 pages [Add To Basket]
Eavan Boland's new collection turns to the domestic interiors in which the dramas of women's lives are played out: seductions and quarrels, anger and grief, the care of children. In her attentiveness to the humdrum realities of suburban life, Boland makes them luminous with the power of live myths. Looking back over her own life, back through the lives of the women who preceded her, Boland arrives at the deep structures of memory where, as she writes, legends are made new 'not by saying them, but by unsettling / one layer of meaning from another'. This is a collection from a poet at the height of her powers, writing with authority and grace.
From There to Here: Irish Rugby in the Professional Era by Brendan Fanning
Trade paperback; 17 Euro / 23 USD / 13 UK; 253 pages [Add To Basket]
Rugby Union went professional in 1995. No country was more opposed to this development than Ireland, nor less prepared to deal with it. Yet, despite many disasters in the late 1990s, the game in Ireland has gone from strength to strength in the professional era. Brendan Fanning's marvellous book tells the story of how it happened. It's a story of confused loyalties, personality clashes, states of denial, blazers and alickadoos, romance and luck. Early failures in the system put iron in the soul. By a mixture of good fortune and foresight, the IRFU developed a system that brought the cream to the top. And how rich it has been. Ireland has been fortunate to produce an outstanding generation of players, of whom Keith Wood, Brian O'Driscoll and Paul O'Connell have been world-class stars. And along the way there has been the greatest romance of all, the roller-coaster heartbreak and triumph of Munster in the Heineken Cup. Brendan Fanning tells all these stories, plus those of promising players who have disappeared without trace, committee room squabbles, development tours, and the whole series of triumphs and disasters that has brought Irish rugby to its present pinnacle. Munster are the Heineken Cup holders and Ireland are Triple Crown champions for only the eighth time in their history. The game has never been more popular or more successful, but much of its management structure is still stuck in the amateur era. The next step is upward again.
Gregory Carr, Independent Bookseller
Read Ireland
392 Clontarf Road
Dublin 3
Ireland
Tel + Fax: +353-1-853-2063
Customer Services Comments, Criticism and Questions
Subscribe to Read Ireland Book News - Our Free Weekly Email Newsletter