book data
490 ratings, 3.98 average rating, 141 reviews
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published
2006
(first published 2008)
by Avon
binding
Mass Market Paperback, 672 pages
isbn
0060563494
(isbn13: 9780060563493)
description
In the winter of 1951, a storyteller arrives at the home of nine-year-old Ronan O'Mara in the Irish countryside. The last practitioner of an honore...more
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 761)
Read in January, 2006
I often will read books along a theme. This was one from my 'Ireland' period. It was a fictional story of the last traveling storyteller in the country, and the boy who became obsessed with following what he did. The book intertwines include the storyteller's tales, which are fictional and historical stories of Ireland, with the the stories of the lives of the storyteller, the boy, and the boy's family. And, like any good Irish story (or at least the ones I grew up on), there's an unexpected...more
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Read in August, 2008
It is as if Frank Delaney wrote his novel, Ireland, to be an audio book. Ireland is a novel about a Storyteller and the stories he tells about Irish history. We are treated to the creation of Newgrange and the Book of Kells. We learn about Brendan the Navigator and Conor, the King of Ulster. Each story stands alone but together they form still another story. I cannot recommend this book more highly…especially as an audio book.
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2 comments
This book is a lovely facination! It has wonderful images and stories. Plot: A traveling storyteller happens within a town, stays at a home for 3 days, and tells three wonderful, embelished historical stories. Once he leaves, the boy of the house, makes a hobby of collecting info on the story teller. So the story represents the boys struggles through life, but also the struggles through Ireland's through stories. This book is different, because you are part of the audiance with the boy and/...more
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Read in August, 2008
My rating is more like 3.75 stars. The writing was exceptional and I would give that aspect 5 stars. I debated giving this four stars but there was a little "oomph" factor that was missing for me. What I really would have loved is to have the folklore and history delivered to me via the storyteller instead of having to read it.
I found myself wondering through the first half if there was any point to the book. Apparently I have become a reader with a mission...discover plot and...more
I found myself wondering through the first half if there was any point to the book. Apparently I have become a reader with a mission...discover plot and...more
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in December, 2008
This is historical fiction with the emphasis on historical. It is basically 15-or-so traditional Irish "tales" based on the true history of Ireland, joined by a fictional glue-story. So if you're interested in learning about the history of Ireland, with lots of interesting little tid-bits sprinkled in, this is the book for you. I started reading the paper copy, and finished the book as a book-on-CD during my loooooooong commute. I preferred the book-on-CD method for this one because...more
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Read in April, 2005
I finished reading Ireland by Frank Delaney the other day and overall, I am sad to say I felt let down. I expected to enjoy it very much, drawn to it by the plot description. A young boy is so entranced by an Irish storyteller he spends years trying to find the man. Interspersed throughout the book are the storyteller's tales. I love Irish folk talks so I was sure I'd love the book.
I did enjoy it at first but about half through, things didn't seem "right" and didn't alwa...more
I did enjoy it at first but about half through, things didn't seem "right" and didn't alwa...more
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Read in July, 2008
This book builds upon the Irish love for stories and the people who tell them. It starts with the visit of one of the last wandering storytellers to the home of nine-year-old Ronan O'Mara in 1951. Entranced by the old man's tales, he is heartbroken when his humorless mother kicks the storyteller out. The boy commits himself to finding the old man, a task that takes several years. As this summary suggests, the book feels a little like a shaggy dog tale at times, some of its stories more effec...more
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Read in November, 2008
The best book I have read in a long time. The story isn't rivieting, but it's solid and compelling. There are a few surprises. The characters are interesting. The stories are beautiful and worded eloquently. This would appeal to any who have a true affinity for the Irish, for storytelling, and above all, history.
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Read in May, 2008
Verrry wordy. Frank Delaney isn't one of those authors who's good with economy of language, and it's tough getting through the dense, slow-moving plot about a boy who's on a quest to hunt down a mysterious Storyteller, a man whose folk tales about Ireland appear intermittently throughout the book. The good news is this seemingly dull plot eventually pays off with a couple of major twists near the very end. And the even better thing is these 650 pages are highly skimmable, so even if you don't re...more
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Read in February, 2006
I picked this book up on a whim when visiting William and Mary's bookstore at Colonial Williamsburg. Oh boy what a storke of luck. The title drew me to the book because I am somewhat of a sucker for anything written about Ireland, since it is my heritage and I have visited the country several times. The book opened up to me from the discription of the historical places that I have visited. I could picture theose places in my mind and it came alive through Mr. Delaney's narrative. What a grea...more
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Read in February, 2008
I just finished the last few pages this morning. This is the story of a wandering storyteller and young boy and how that young boy grows up and how his life is forever intertwined with that of the storyteller. It is a really great story with lots of mythical and historical stories about Ireland being told bay the storyteller and various other characters. My one complaint is that there were times when I wanted to know what happened next with the the main character, Ronan, but I had read anothe...more
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Sweeping novel of the Irish Potato famine, following the lives of several different Irish peasant families. Very bleak, graphic descriptions of conditions and events leading to the famine and migrations to America. Extreamly detailed descriptions of the deprivations, starvation, banditry, and economic and cultural breakdown of rural Ireland. His descriptions, characters, and choices of events were so depressing I gave up on the book about 2/3 of the way through because there was no hope for m...more
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recommended to Laura by:
Crystal Packard
An old storyteller roams the countryside in 1950's Ireland telling stories in exchange for a warm bed and homecooked meal. He comes to the home of a young boy, Ronan, who is entranced by his stories, as are most of the villagers. Each story is self-contained within the framework of the novel, but together they're giving a fairly comprehensive history of ancient Ireland from the viewpoint of the larger-than-life individuals who shaped it. Also interesting is the continuing story of the boy Ronan,...more
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Read in March, 2006
In a nutshell - little boy in Ireland is visited by a wandering storyteller who captures his imagination for a lifetime. Meets the storyteller about 3 times as a kid, spends the rest of his life looking for the man. Plot is a bit thin but the segments told in the Storytellers voice are terrific. The Storyteller basically gives an oral history of Ireland in the tales he relates - from prehistory and the ancients who lived in the land and built mysterious mounds to mark the summer solstice to the ...more
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A nice read. Could have been 100 pages shorter, but an enjoyable glimpse into Irish history through myth and oral tradition.
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Still reading, my thoughts so far...a wonderful tale about a boy in Ireland during the 1950's who is enamored with a traveling story teller who roams the country side, stopping in villages to trade stories about the Irish culture and pseudo-history in turn for food and lodging.
As the boy ages, he sets out to find the man who captured his imagination. He enlists his father and aunt with his desire to continue this dying tradition.
I will update this review after I finish this story.
Upd...more
As the boy ages, he sets out to find the man who captured his imagination. He enlists his father and aunt with his desire to continue this dying tradition.
I will update this review after I finish this story.
Upd...more
Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in May, 2007
An interesting combination of Irish folklore/mythology and a simple narrative about the relationships of 2 generations of 1 family. Chapters alternate between the story about a boy and various people telling Irish legends. Most of the interesting family part is revealed in the last chapters; before that, it's mostly the boy obsessively searching for a wandering Storyteller who came to his house when he was young. The story was OK; just enough to make me curious. I read it for the Irish stories...more
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Read in March, 2008
recommends it for:
people who enjoy short stories and are interested in the history of Ireland
This book took me awhile to get through. The book is about a young boy in Ireland who follows a story teller throughout his life and becomes obsessed with him into his young adult life. The individual stories were wonderful, and it was great to get a sense of the history and folklore of the country. I even liked the background story throughout. However, there was just too much diconnect to motivate me to keep reading. It took me almost 2 months to finish! Unacceptable!!! If you enjoy read...more
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Read in March, 2004
The is the most magical book I've read in a very long time. If you have any interest in Irish history, both ancient and modern, you will devour this. The author weaves legend and fact in an enthralling voice. The stories are told by the last professional storyteller in Ireland, while integrating the story of a young man's life in the 1950's . For a country with a rich oral history and magic, this is no small feat. I really can't say enough about this marvelous book . So many will enjoy it on so ...more
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currently-reading (on 84 people's shelves)
fiction (on 24 people's shelves)
ireland (on 11 people's shelves)
historical-fiction (on 11 people's shelves)
own (on 5 people's shelves)
general-fiction (on 3 people's shelves)
audiobook (on 3 people's shelves)
irish (on 2 people's shelves)
audiobooks (on 2 people's shelves)
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quotes from this book
"I believe the world of the spirit is in general greatly neglected and not at all served by the practice of faith as we know it, because religion isn't individual enough."
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