The Thumbnail Book Reviews
by John Q McDonald --- 5 March 1998
by Colm Tóibín
In this beautifully written book, the reader is taken into Ireland over the past half century to look over the life of Eamon Redmond. Tóibín's writing here is vividly descriptive of the Irish countryside and its towns, as well as accutely observant of Redmond's life. People come and go, relatives live and die, and political crises arise and fade. The book is Irish to the core, touching on the struggle for independence, the ongoing struggle with the IRA, and on several historical figures perhaps unfamiliar. It also tells of the church's hold on that nation's history and life. Still, Eamon Redmond's life is woven in, and we see a man grow remote from his family, his history, and his country. Absorbed in the technical details of law in the high courts, Redmond has followed an automatic path. He remains far from the people who love him, and only too late begins to see the loss. This reader was enraptured by the descriptions of the countryside, and of country life.
Also by Tóibín: [The Master] [Brooklyn]