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Star of the Sea (Paperback)

by Joseph O'Connor (Author) "The following is the only register of Josias Tuke Lockwood, Master of Vessel, signed and written in his own hand; and I attest it on..." (more)

4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)

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Product Details

Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: Mariner Books; Reprint edition (Feb 9 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0156029669
ISBN-13: 978-0156029667
Product Dimensions: 19.9 x 13.6 x 2.5 cm
Shipping Weight: 382 g

Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)

Amazon.ca Sales Rank: #692,936 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

From Amazon.com

Joseph O'Connor's impressive historical novel, Star of the Sea, examines the unsettled personal tragedies among a group of interrelated characters and their difficulties in disregarding the past. Lord Merridith and his family board the titular ship in 1847, bound for New York, leaving behind an Ireland devastated by famine and strife. The family's beautiful nanny, Mary Duane, is with them, having fled a life of poverty, prostitution, and extreme tragedy. Another passenger, American journalist Grantley Dixon, is lured to America by business and his thinly veiled affair with Lady Merridith. Mary Duane discovers that Pius Mulvey, her former fiancé and the brother of her deceased husband, is among the overcrowded group of disease-ridden steerage passengers. A renowned thief and murderer, Mulvey abandoned Duane, only to return and sabotage her life in Ireland. Despised by his countrymen, Mulvey has been ordered by a group of steerage thugs to assassinate the demonized Merridith or face his own death.

Conflict is inevitable, but O'Connor is more interested in the complexity of history and relationships and how each makes reinvention and resolution impossible. O'Connor presents the story as a work of journalism written by Dixon, composed in the era's tabloid style, even including passages from the captain's register and crew interviews. These devices lend the work a sense of authenticity, reinforced by the author's intimate knowledge of the period and his evocative, realistic prose: "At night one sensed the ship as absurdly out of its element, a creaking, leaking, incompetent concoction of oak and pitch and nails and faith, bobbing on a wilderness of viciously black water which could explode at the slightest provocation." O'Connor conveys a sense of immediacy and dimension in his ambitious story, providing this uncertain voyage with an ultimate sense of direction. --Ross Doll --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

First published in the U.K. and shortlisted for Irish Novel of the Year, this brooding new historical fiction by novelist, playwright and critic O'Connor (Cowboys and Indians) chronicles the mayhem aboard Star of the Sea, a leaky old sailing ship crossing from Ireland to New York during the bitter winter of 1847, its steerage crammed to the bulkheads with diseased and starving refugees from the Irish potato famine. The novel takes the form of a personal account written by passenger G. Grantley Dixon, a New York Times reporter who intersperses his narrative with reportage and interviews as he describes the intrigue that unfolds during the 26-day journey. There's Pius Mulvey, "a sticklike limping man from Connemara" known to the passengers as "the monster" or "the ghost," who shuffles menacingly around the ship and is the subject of many a rumor. There's Earl David Merridith of Kingscourt, one of the few passengers in first class, who has evicted thousands of his tenants for nonpayment of rent, dooming them and their families to almost certain death by starvation. Also aboard is the young widow, Mary Duane, a nanny for the Kingscourt children who shares a history of intimacies with both Kingscourt and Mulvey. And there is, of course, Kingscourt's wife, with whom Dixon is having an ill-advised affair. One of these passengers is on a mission to commit murder, and another is the fated victim. Through flashbacks, the complicated narrative paints a vivid picture of the rigors of life in Ireland in the mid-19th century. The engrossing, well-structured tale will hold historical fiction fans rapt.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Inside This Book (Learn More)

First Sentence
The following is the only register of Josias Tuke Lockwood, Master of Vessel, signed and written in his own hand; and I attest it on my solemn honour a compleat and true account of the voyage, and neither has any matter pertinent been omitted. Read the first page

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Customer Reviews

10 Reviews

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4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
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Average Customer Review

4.1 out of 5 stars (10 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Haunting Irish Historial Fiction, Jul 4 2004

By	"erininmaine" (Maine) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Star of the Sea (Hardcover)

Star of the Sea is one of the most elegant, engaging and enchanting fictional accounts of historical fiction I've read. We've all met the Pius Mulveys, Captains, Marys and Grantleys of the world, though too many Mulveys and too few Captains, Marys and Grantleys. O'Connor brings them, together with the ship, seas and port, to life in this novel.

Perfect for reading in the summer twilight hours when the fireflies glimmer or cozied up near the fire on a late winter night. Either way, wherever and whenever you read it, you will be transported to the deck of the Star of the Sea moments after you begin to read...

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5.0 out of 5 stars Star of the Sea - Joseph O'Connor, Feb 21 2004

By	Trish Bar-On (HaCarmel, Israel) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Star of the Sea (Hardcover)

The strength and the force in O'Connor's style sweep the reader along in a riveting tale of a tragic era. Refreshing and exciting, this book deserves all the accolades it can get!

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5.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinary!, Feb 19 2004

By	Maureen Ogle (Ames, Iowa) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Star of the Sea (Hardcover)

A stunning work of art. The author uses the intertwined lives of several characters to convey the tragedy of the Irish famine and the human cost of migration, and does so in glorious prose.

I've never read a more moving evocation of the Irish famine, which is the book's central focus. But this is also a tale about the Irish diaspora. O'Connor strips that event of romance of hindsight and conveys the pain and suffering that accompanied the emigrants on their journey.

As a writer, I'm impressed by the book's complex structure; it's not easy to pull off these shifting points-of-view, but O'Connor does so with ease and grace. This is a beautifully written novel and a marvelous accomplishment.

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Most recent customer reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Too clever by half
O'Connor's novel is extremely well researched and will be informative for those who do not know that the famine in Ireland was a very bad thing. Read more

Published on Oct 23 2003

2.0 out of 5 stars It's all been done before
I'm not having much luck with historical fiction of late. And I had problems with this story. There is no doubt that Joseph O'Connor is a fabulous writer, and his recreation of... Read more

Published on Sep 10 2003 by M. J Leonard

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!
This book is a must-read! The author skillfully creates an atmosphere of trepidation, gloom and a foretelling of disaster on the ship - while maintaining historical accuracy... Read more

Published on Aug 21 2003

3.0 out of 5 stars Ok, but not great
I picked up this book because is was on the Wall Street Journal's list of summer books. And while I find a lot of the WSJ recommendations good, I had to disagree with this one... Read more

Published on Jul 7 2003 by M. Anderson