1921: The Great Novel of the Irish Civil War (Hardcover)

Llywelyn picks up almost where her prequel "1916" left off and follows the Irish struggle for total independence from the United Kingdom. Told from the perspective of newspaper reporter Henry Mooney, Llywelyn gives an insider's view of the efforts to secure an Irish Free State. She does well characterizing historical figures such as the enigmatic Eamon de Valera and the complicated, charismatic Michael Collins, but where she falters is in her original creations. The same cliches that plagued "1916" abound in "1921"--the plucky Irish speak in cadences heard more often in Hollywood than Limerick and the fictional subplots quickly devolve into predictable melodrama.

Henry Mooney is a bit of a wet blanket hiding behind a byline, which he uses to spread anti-British sentiment without taking arms. His good friend, Ned Halloran (who was the focus of "1916") becomes deeply involved in the IRA, encouraged by his wife Sile Duffy, a red-haired stereotype of the fiery Irish woman. Henry's wooing of the rich Anglo-Irish widow Ella Rutledge is a meandering, ultimately unsatisfying distraction, and the cloyingly precocious, one-dimensional Ursula "Precious" Halloran, Ned and Sile's adopted daughter, does little more than annoy. Making Henry Mooney the eyewitness to history is quite helpful, if a bit coincidental, but the subplots involving these characters add little to the novel.

Llywelyn sprinkles the book with carefully-footnoted Irish slang and expressions as well as historical citations, perhaps to establish her credibility, a gesture that seems a bit excessive. Llywelyn has already shown her gifts as an historian. Her meticulous recreation helps clarify a dense, complex chain of events. Where she needs help is in the writing itself. When not recreating history, Llywelyn seems out of her depth.

Anyone who seeks a narrative-driven account of the Irish fight for independence will likely find this book informative and enjoyable. Those expecting Llywelyn to create a work that is as poetic and artful as it is exhaustively researched will probably be disappointed.

From the King of England's speech in the North of Ireland at that time to how the democratic will of American Congress in relation to subject of Irish Freedom being ignored in the interest's of international relations at the meeting of The League of Nations.

All these historical facts are firmly embodying a fictional story of romance, passion, pride, determination and the universally and purely human struggle for freedom. This combination of fiction and unrelentlessly well researched facts spins a yarn that would be fit for a High King at the Halls of Tara.

The events all take place around the Life of a Journalists who has the integrity and is man enough to put his own feelings aside to report fairly and honestly his assingments to his employer's who own the papers he writes for. This in itself serves as a micrcosm for the way in which the overall story is told. A must read for sure. Also a much needed refreshing look on such a sensitve subject that is so full of conflict.