Read Ireland Book Reviews
Issue 377 - 12 May 2007
Making the Irish American: History and Heritage of the Irish in the United States edited by J.J. Lee and Marion R. Casey
Large Trade Paperback; 25 Euro / 32 USD / 17 UK; 734 pages
"Making the Irish American", J. J. Lee and Marion R. Casey offer a feast of twenty-nine perspectives on the turbulent, vital, endlessly fascinating story of the Irish in America. Combining original research with reprints of classic works, these essays and articles extend far beyond a survey to offer a truly rich understanding of the Irish immigrant impact on America, and America's impact on the Irish immigrant. The contributors include: Linda Dowling Almeida, Margaret Lynch-Brennan, David Noel Doyle, Pete Hamill, Kevin Kenny, Rebecca S. Miller, Mick Moloney, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Peter Quinn, and Calvin Trillin.
Opening the Field: Irish Women, Texts and Contexts edited by Patricia Boyle Haberstroh & Christine St. Peter
Hardback; 40 Euro / 52 USD / 29 UK; 182 pages [Add To Basket]
One of the defining moments in late twentieth-century Irish literature was the publication of "The Field Day Anthology of Irish Writing" (1991), which immediately created a controversy. This extensive collection covering more than a thousand years was marked by the virtual absence of female writers. To fill this gap, Cork University Press published "The Field Day Anthology of Irish Writing: Irish Women's Writing and Traditions" in 2002. In response, "Opening the Field" offers a collection of essays in which ten prominent critics each examine a text by an Irish woman, applying a specific feminist perspective. Each contributor has chosen both the writer and the analytical and theoretical stance she develops in her essay. The strategy behind the book is to demonstrate the different varieties of feminist criticism and the numerous ways in which books by Irish women can be read, taking into account both the text under consideration and the contexts in which it was written and can/might be read. This collection will be valuable for scholars in both Irish Studies and Women's Studies; it will also serve as a useful classroom text, as its several perspectives combine with close readings of many works thus serving well as supplementary reading for classes in Irish literature.
Emily Lawless 1845-1913: Writing the Interscape by Heidi Hansson
Hardback; 50 Euro / 65 USD / 35 UK; 235 pages
Emily Lawless is one of the most important of Ireland’s forgotten women writers. From a Protestant ascendancy background, she combined nationalist feelings with unionist sympathies. This important new study argues that her own term, ‘interspace’, can be used to explain her vision of Ireland and her position as an Anglo-Irish woman writer determined to resist categorisation or stock solutions at a time of polarisation and cultural transition. This is the first comprehensive study of the writing of Emily Lawless (1845–1913) and includes biographical information, letters and contemporary reception as well as analyses based on present-day theoretical approaches, especially feminist criticism and cultural geography. The study begins with a presentation of Lawless’s family background, her social circle and a description of her literary career, including how her works have been received up until the present. Her early fiction, novels and stories set outside Ireland are then explored and successive chapters deal with her landscape writing and her novels about the west of Ireland, her negotiations with the voice of authority in historical and biographical writing, her historical fiction and her three collections of poetry. The concluding chapter argues that the contradictory aspects of her writing are an effect of her desire to avoid categorisation.
Angel in Disguise by Victoria Mary Clarke
Paperback; 13 Euro / 17 USD / 9 UK; 324 pages [Add To Basket]
Victoria Mary Clarke was miserable. Separated from soul mate Shane MacGowan after twenty years, broke, hopeless, fat and nearly forty, she had no reason to get out of bed. Until one day, not expecting an answer, she demanded some help from whatever is up there in charge of things. And to her utter astonishment, an angel answered. This is the true story of what happened next and of the conversations that followed.
Dropping the Habit by Marion Dante
Paperback; 13 Euro / 17 USD / 9 UK; 293 pages
Marion Dante always knew she would be a nun. She was born in answer to prayer and she was her mother's "sin offering". Because she was conceived out of wedlock, her mother promised God that she would offer her back to Him. So at the age of 14, enclosed and indoctrinated, she started her training to become a nun. Now, 30 years later, she finds herself wrestling with doubts and misery. Shunned by many of the nuns who have been her only family for her whole adult life, she begins the process that will free her. But freedom is a terrifying prospect. Like a caged bird, she clings to her prison bars. Even simple matters like wearing a short skirt, ordering a cup of tea in a restaurant, making everyday chatter with a stranger on a bus are all mountains to climb. Having to confront an ATM machine is almost enough to send her scuttling back to the convent! She must ask herself the question: if she drops the habit, who then will she be? Who is Marion Dante without the convent walls? In this gripping, honest book, Marion bares her soul. She also opens the door to the convent and invites us in. In the stressful hustle and bustle of modern life, have you ever envied the ease, security and peace of a nun's life? Think again...
Ryanland: A No-Frills Odyssey Across the New Europe by Philip Nolan
Paperback; 11 Euro / 14 USD / 8 UK; 260 pages
In this hilarious, no-holds-barred account, journalist Philip Nolan packs his bag (maximum 10kg, please) and takes us on an adventure that is not for the faint-hearted as he flies with Ireland's most popular low-cost airline. Using Ryanair destinations as a route planner, we grab our boarding pass and fight for the first available seat as we travel with him to towns we've never heard of (Tampere and Wroclaw, anyone?) and to cities we've always wanted to visit. From watching the pilgrims completing the Camino in Santiago de Compostela to cheering with the fans in Frankfurt during the World Cup, from seedy Blackpool to bracing Biarritz, from having his alpha waves channelled at a spa in Zell-am-See to getting his soul cleansed at the baths at Lourdes we are treated to a kaleidoscopic snapshot of Europe's unparalleled quirks and foibles. Ryanair has opened up Europe's treasures - and a few complete dumps too - in a way never before possible - and the journey we find ourselves on is whimksical, wistful and laugh-out-loud funny, as we travel for better or for worse on a spellbinding no-frills odyssey.
Ireland on Stage: Beckett and After edited by Hiroko Mikami, Minako Okamura and Naoko Yagi
Paperback; 20 Euro / 27 USD / 14 UK;180 pages [Add To Basket]
The collection focuses primarily on Irish playwrights and their work, both in text and on the stage during the latter half of the twentieth century. The central figure is Samuel Beckett, but the contributors freely draw on Beckett and his work provides a springboard to discuss contemporary playwrights such as Brian Friel, Frank McGuinness, Marina Carr and Conor McPherson amongst others. Contributors include: Anthony Roche, Hiroko Mikami, Naoko Yagi, Cathy Leeney, Joseph Long, Noreem Doody, Minako Okamo, Christopher Murray, Futoshi Sakuchi and Declan Kiberd
The Hidden Places of Ireland 6th edition by David Gerrard
Trade Paperback; 20 Euro / 27 USD / 14 UK; 476 pages, full colour throughout [Add To Basket]
This beautifully illustrated guide explores the many towns and villages in a relaxed narrative style by guiding the reader to some of the established visitor attractions but also focusing on the more secluded and less well-known places of interest and places to stay, eat and drink. The book also contains a wealth of fascinating information on the history, the countryside, the towns and villages and the many places of interest such as churches, castles, monuments and great mansions. Often called the 'Emerald Isle', Ireland is indeed rich in greenery but there is an abundance of variety in its landscape with rugged peaks and mountain ranges and lush pastures and spectacular scenic coastlines. Ireland also offers the visitor plenty of fascinating historical facts, a wonderful cultural heritage and many beautiful towns and villages.
Minor Offences: Ireland’s Cradle of Crime by Tom Tuite
Paperback; 11 Euro / 15 USD / 8 UK;300 pages [Add To Basket]
Some of the most controversial Irish crime stories in recent years have involved young offenders. Among them the joyrider who killed Gardai Michael Padden and Garda Tony Tighe in 2002; the young brothers who by the age of thirteen had blazed a trail of serious crimes 'from Ballyhaunis to Blackrock'; the boys who killed Alan Higgins for his mobile phone; and the teenage girl who was allegedly pimped by her mother. This book gives us a snapshot of the lifestyles of these youngsters who spend more time in courtrooms than in classrooms. Gangland crime and anti-social behaviour are major political and social issues and juvenile crime is closely linked to both. At the heart of all these stories, more than any other single cause - more than poverty, drugs or learning difficulties, there is one constant element: dysfunctional families. This is the only book on the growing phenomenon of child criminals in modern Ireland and an essential read for anyone who wants to understand what's really going on.
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