The task of transforming the events of the 1916 Irish Rebellion into coherent fiction would terrify most writers. Llywelyn (The Lion of Ireland; Red Branch), however, has produced a thunderous, informative read that rises to the challenge. Sticking to the historical facts and incorporating all the major historical figures, Llewelyn filters them through the experience of the fictional Ned Halloran, a young Titanic survivor whose lust for life takes on new meaning when he goes to the Irish-language school run by poet and schoolmaster Pdraic Pearse. Gaining a new appreciation of Irish culture, Ned also learns of Ireland's tragic, bloody history. He soon becomes aware that he is alive in a vibrant and epochal time, when the new century's potential inspires poets and revolutionaries to challenge the British Empire's colonial might. Ned falls in love and graduates from schoolboy to soldier. On Easter Monday, 1916, he is ready for the Rising itself, and (as happened on those famously unisex barricades) his sweetheart fights by his side. Battle scenes are both accurate and compelling. The betrayals, slaughters and passions of the day are all splendidly depicted as Llywelyn delivers a blow-by-blow account of the rebellion and its immediate aftermath. The novel's abundant footnotes should satisfy history buffs; its easy, gripping style will enthrall casual readers with what is Llywelyn's best work yet. Author tour. (Apr.)

Llywelyn revisits the bloody Easter Rising of 1916. (LJ 2/15/98)

YA-A novel set in Ireland at the time of the Easter Rebellion. Llywelyn tells the tale of 15-year-old Ned Halloran, a young Titanic survivor who lost both of his parents in that disaster. Upon his return to his native Ireland, he becomes embroiled in its rapidly changing political scene. The headmaster of his school is a renowned scholar and also a rebel and patriot for the Irish cause. Ned acts as a courier for the rebels, becoming more and more supportive of their struggle. The young man's coming-of-age is complicated by his feelings of nationalism, the love of several women, and his rescue of a young orphan during a street battle. YAs will get caught up in the excitement of this epic novel and root for Ned as he tries to save his comrades and fights side by side with the woman he loves.-Katherine Fitch, Lake Braddock Middle School, Burke, VA

A noted chronicler of Irish history and legend (Pride of Lions, 1996, etc.) here deals with the Easter Rising of 1916, as seen through the fictional adventures of a young man close to the inner circle of those working and fighting for Ireland's independence from England. When first introduced, teenager Ned Halloran is on his way to the US with his parents to attend the wedding of sister Kathleen to an Americanþthe ship is the Titanic. On his grieving return to Ireland, Ned, a farmer's son, is sent to St. Enda's, a school where Irish history, languageþand prideþare not only valued but taught with fervor. It's at St. Enda's that he meets the "conspiracy of poets," including Headmaster Padraic Pearse, who will become commander-in-chief during the Rising. Ned becomes acquainted with the many faces and phases of the rebellion against the "looting" and "occupying" English, while a plethora of movements begin to surface: the Sinn Fein (then standing for nonmilitary rebellion); the socialist Connolly's Citizen Army; and the Volunteer Corps. Ned joins the Fianna, a youth corps founded by the doughty Countess Markievicy (who, like the other real-life people here, makes a substantial appearance). In New York, meantime, sister Kathleen makes some unsettling discoveries: Her husband is a brute, contemptuous of her Irish nationalism, and Father Paul, a young priest, is stirring most unspiritual fires within. Back in the homeland, Ned is battling through an amorous dilemma: Is it to be a prim lady (an Anglophile) or a patriotic prostitute, the sister of a dead friend? The revolution heats up; Ned becomes a courier between the many groups and sectors; there are marches,spying, drillsþand finally terrible sacrifice. Llywelyn tells her tale with gusto and a respect for the facts; a good deal of both bizarre and somber history shines through the fictional fustian of its likable characters. (Author tour)

Irish novelist and historian Llywelyn provides a fascinating account of the doomed 1916 Easter Rebellion. As fictional characters plot and fight alongside actual historical figures, the reader is swept up in both the glory and the tragedy of the doomed battle for Irish independence. . . . First-rate historical fiction that will appeal to anyone with an interest in Ireland’s tragic past.” —Booklist

“A great, rousing tale of rebellion, love and intrigue. . . . Llywelyn’s skill in bringing characters alive is her hallmark. Some strut, others lust, fear, die. . . or survive. Yet they all have a keen vibrancy that makes the Rising a reality for today’s readers. Llywelyn’s deft pen is a creative sword.” —The Irish American Post

I “The task of transforming the events of the 1916 Irish Rebellion into coherent fiction would terrify most writers. Llywelyn, however, has produced a thunderous, informative read that rises to the challenge. . . . Battle scenes are both accurate and compelling. The betrayals, slaughters and passions of the day are all splendidly depicted as Llywelyn delivers a blow-by-blow account of the rebellion and its immediate aftermath. The novel’s abundant footnotes should satisfy history buffs; its easy, gripping style will enthrall casual readers with what is Llywelyn’s best work yet.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Llywelyn is an effective re-evocator of the past, and in this book she has succeeded in capturing and vivifying one of the most critical moments in Ireland’s troubled history. Her story, which blends fact with fancy, has moments of great poignancy; and throughout it is pervaded by a delicately rendered sadness. The book opens slowly, almost lumberingly, but gradually, as with something seen through rippling water, the materials of artistry become fluid, the figures depicted come alive.” —The Library Journal

“Llywelyn tells her tale with gusto and a respect for the facts; a good deal of both bizarre and somber history shines through the fictional fustian of its likable characters.” —Kirkus Reviews