Book review of Barbara Dowd Wright’s An Irish Tale…
An Irish Tale. Barbara Dowd Wright, author; illustrations, Sokyo (2016). Sometimes you find more at the beach than you bargain for. One of my favorite places on the New Jersey shore is Spring Lake (it gets a cameo in my new novel Death on the Danube). The breakers there are impressive, and I can sit and watch them for hours, as they seem to tell me, “We will be here long after all you humans are gone.” You might think those thoughts are pessimistic, maudlin, or morbid; they’re not. It’s just a frequent come-to-reckoning that I have, stimulated there by watching the crashing waves, producing a realization that we should recognize our place in history and be humble.
Irish history as writ large is part of that reckoning. It arguably made Western civilization possible as Irish monks saved many documents from invaders like the Vikings. That history isn’t as big as this planet or Universe’s, but it’s large enough to be filled with mystery and meaning. I learn more about it as the years go by. In my review of Hegerty’s The Story of Ireland (June 24th), I mentioned that St. Patrick wasn’t the first to bring Christianity to Ireland. He’s the most famous, though, and became its patron saint. His original name was Maewyn Succat, a Briton who was kidnapped as a young man and became a slave in ancient Ireland. He escaped and returned to Briton, became a priest, and took the name Patrick before he returned to Eire.
There is a bit of magical realism here as Maewyn comes to grips with the pagan beliefs of ancient Ireland. This undoubtedly was necessary for him, one way or another, so why not via a love story? To this day, the Irish believe in a mix of Catholicism and pagan myths and legends, which isn’t uncommon in any conversion process. (Hawaiians have similar beliefs, the missionaries who invaded their lands not being completely successful.)
This little book is a beautifully written historical fiction story about fifth century Ireland. It features Kiara the Healer, a wild Irish pagan woman, and the young slave-shepherd Maewyn, who changed Irish history forever. It’s a little pearl to be found among the many ordinary grains of sand represented by Amazon’s or bookstores’ offerings.
And that takes me back to Spring Lake. We found it at the Irish Centre there. I understand the author sells it from her website, and, although my copy says “limited edition,” it’s also on Amazon in both print and ebook versions. I certainly wouldn’t have read it without Spring Lake, though. Definitely worth the read, and you don’t have to be Irish to enjoy it! I sat back in my easy chair with my two fingers of Jameson and read it in one session. Fascinating!
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Comments are always welcome.
Death on the Danube. At the end of Son of Thunder, #2 in the “Esther Brookstone Art Detective” series, ex-MI6 agent and ex-Scotland Yard inspector Esther Brookstone and Interpol agent Bastiann van Coevorden finally say their I-do’s. At the beginning of this new novel, #3 in the series, they embark on their honeymoon cruise down the romantic Danube. When a strange passenger who is traveling alone is murdered, Bastiann takes over the investigation because the river was declared international waters in the Treaty of Paris. Who really is this gaunt victim? And who on the list of passengers and crewmembers is the assassin? Mystery, thrills, suspense, and romance await readers who join them in their journey. You can’t take this trip now because of COVID, but you can join them in spirit. Available in ebook and print format at Amazon, and in all ebook formats at Smashwords and its affiliated retailers (iBooks, B&N, Kobo and Walmart, etc.) and affiliated library and lending services (Scribd, Overdrive, Baker & Taylor, Gardner, etc.). Click to see the book trailer.
Around the world and to the stars! In libris libertas!
