1847: A Chronicle of Genius, Generosity & Savagery

by Turtle Bunbury

Having grown up in an Irish country house built in 1847, author and historian TURTLE BUNBURY has long been fascinated by that epic year. Determined to understand its zeitgeist, he has assembled 38 remarkable stories that took place across the planet during those twelve tumultuous months. 
 
With his penchant for the quirky, Bunbury confronts all manner of human enterprise to reveal a world of nobility and generosity, of bold genius and fearsome savagery, embracing everything from the salty seadogs who explored the Pacific and Arctic oceans to show-stopping entertainers like Lola Montez and General Tom Thumb - the intrepid pioneers who stumbled through the mountains and prairies of the Americas to the ground-breaking inventors of the doughnut, the gumball and the Christmas cracker - the famine-starved Irish and persecuted German emigrants to the Vietnamese emperor's war with the French - the ivory-tinkling genius of Liszt and Mendelssohn to the horse-bound Comanche warriors who dominated Texas - the American opium magnates who ran roughshod over China to the Irish soldiers who fought for Mexico.

Genres: History, Ireland, Nonfiction

553 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 9, 2016

Reviews

[Edoardo Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before reviewing this book we must do something unusual: we must review the author’s name. Has there ever been a better name bestowed upon a writer? We aver that there has not. It is the juxtaposition of dissimilarity that makes it so unique, the elision of armoured testudo with cricketing rabbits, the juxtaposition of slow, considered movement with the sparkle of celebrity sport. Surely such a name tells of parental genius. The question arises though: can the writer live up to his name?

Almost. The title tells the tale. It’s the story of a year, a year rendered significant for the Turtle as the time when the building of his family home, a great pile of a place in County Carlow, Ireland, was begun. Not perhaps the most obvious time to start such a project, as Ireland was in the midst of the Great Famine that saw a million people die and a million more emigrate. But, as the Turtle shows in this book, such a year will reverberate through the world, setting off ripples in all sorts of unexpected places. Bunbury follows the year through, telling its history through the lives of people affected by the events of the year. Some are Irish, part of the diaspora already gone from the island but, hearing the news, responding to it. Others merely share the calendar.

This tells the book’s strength and weakness. It’s a chronicle, connected only by time and, when finishing it, one is struck by the same thought that arises upon watching Stephen Fry on QI. Yes, it’s all very witty and sharp, but what exactly is the point? If wit and sharpness are reason enough then buy this book: it will delight. If, on the other hand, you require some uniting, narrative thread for your explorations in the 19th century, read the Flashman books instead.

[Kevin Lee Akers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is how a history book should be written. Take one very interesting year, one very talented author and you are set for a fantastic journey. I just loved reading this book.

[Daria Blackwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an intriguing way to look at history. The author had grown up in a country house built in 1847 and was always fascinated by that year. He kept encountering the year throughout his life until he felt compelled to explore it in depth. Month by month, we are introduced to people and events taking place around the world. From free-thinking Germans in the wild west to Tom Thumb and czars, we are led on an entertaining journey through unrelated historical events that shaped the world. Beautifully written and artfully crafted, it was a pleasure to read from start to finish. Thanks, Mr. Bunbury! That's how history should always be presented.

[Orla McAlinden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly diverting, a very interesting book. Written in the style of one of Bill Bryson's factual books, this is a great one to dip in and out of. Each story is self-contained and short, making it perfect to read on the go, or in the carpark etc.
A wide range of diverse, fascinating tales from around the world, from the Ottoman Empire to the Mexican War, Australia and of course Britain and Ireland. I expected it to focus on the Irish Famine, but it ranges widely, from Lola Montez, to the circuses of St Petersburgh.
highly recommended

[Thomas A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely a recommended read! It's a unique collection of stories about real events that happened "in one extraordinary year" as the author puts it. It's a history book of one year that the author just kept bumping into in his everyday life. It wasn't a year that I had noticed myself but I certainly found that I had a common interest in many of the subjects once I read how they intrigued the author. I also appreciated finding a book that I didn't have to dwell on until it was finished as my reading times are sometimes well spaced apart. Each event stands alone as a story that is just connected by time. Exhaustively researched to find the interesting bits about them that made each worth reading. In fact worth reading in one stretch if I could have.

You don't have to be interested in things Irish to enjoy the book but it makes it more enjoyable if you are. You don't have to love reading history to enjoy the book but that works too. If you enjoy reading about events in history with an Irish connection it's a uniquely ideal book. I would still recommend it to people to whom that doesn't apply but who just like reading interesting and well written stories.

[Fergal · Rating 3 out of 5]

An informative but frustrating read as, compared to Florian Illies’ 1913, Bunbury is not master of his material so much as mastered by it: many stories perforce begin and end years either side of 1847 – the supposed criteria for inclusion – and vignettes sit next to essays in a globe-trotting grab-bag.

[Rcrampton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bunbury richly portrays 36 exciting episodes in 1847, a year of international importance. These narratives of 19th century global significance fascinate the 21st century reader who now is intellectually forced to compare and reflect upon the difficult constraints of then-and-now cultural events and financial relations among nations.

[Mairead · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect reading for when my head is sore, full of short interesting tales