From Publishers Weekly
BBC reporter Delaney's fictionalized history of his native country, an Irish bestseller, is a sprawling, riveting read, a book of stories melding into a novel wrapped up in an Irish history text. In 1951, when Ronan O'Mara is nine, he meets the aging itinerant Storyteller, who emerges out a "silver veil" of Irish mist, hoping to trade a yarn for a hot meal. Welcomed inside, the Storyteller lights his pipe and begins, telling of the architect of Newgrange, who built "a marvelous, immortal structure... before Stonehenge in England, before the pyramids of Egypt," and the dentally challenged King Conor of Ulster, who tried, and failed, to outsmart his wife. The stories utterly captivate the young Ronan ("This is the best thing that ever, ever happened"), and they'll draw readers in, too, with their warriors and kings, drinkers and devils, all rendered cleanly and without undue sentimentality. When Ronan's mother banishes the Storyteller for telling a blasphemous tale, Ronan vows to find him. He also becomes fascinated by Irish myth and legend, and, as the years pass, he discovers his own gift for storytelling. Eventually, he sets off, traversing Ireland on foot to find his mentor. Past and present weave together as Delaney entwines the lives of the Storyteller and Ronan in this rich and satisfying book.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Description:

From a land famous for storytelling comes
an "absolute masterpiece"* -- an epic novel
of Ireland that captures the intimate, passionate
texture of the Irish spirit.

One wintry evening in 1951, an itinerant storyteller -- a Seanchai, the very last practitioner of a fabled tradition extending back hundreds of years -- arrives unannounced at a house in the Irish countryside. In exchange for a bed and a warm meal, he invites his hosts and some of their neighbors to join him by the fireside, and begins to tell formative stories of Ireland's history. One of his listeners, a nine-year-old boy, grows so entranced by the story-telling that, when the old man leaves abruptly under mysterious circumstances, the boy devotes himself to finding him again.

Ronan's search for the Storyteller becomes both a journey of self-discovery and an immersion into the sometimes-conflicting histories of his native land. As the long-unspoken secrets of his own family begin to reveal themselves, he becomes increasingly single-minded in pursuit of the old man, who he fears may already be dead. But Ronan's personal path also leads him deeper and deeper into the history and mythology of Ireland itself, in all its drama, intrigue, and heroism.

Ireland travels through the centuries, interweaving Ronan's quest for the Storyteller with a richly evocative unfolding of the great moments in Irish history, ranging from the savage grip of the Ice Age to the green andtroubled land of tourist brochures and political unrest. Along the way, we meet foolish kings and innocent monks, fabled saints and great works of art, shrewd Normanraiders, strong tribal leaders, poets, politicians, and lovers. Each illuminates the magic of Ireland and the eternal connection of its people to the land.

A sweeping novel of huge ambition, Ireland is the beautifully told story of a remarkable nation. From the epic sweep of its telling to the precision of its characters -- great and small, tragic and comic -- it rings with the truth of a writer passionate about his country and in full command of his craft.

* Jack Higgins

I am beginning to read this book today.

Finished reading this last night. The structure of the book made it hard to read, in my opinion. Basically a story about a boy searching for a storyteller he heard, it is a series of chapters about the boy's story interspersed by stories from Irish history and mythology from the storyteller and others the boy runs into. The problem is that, at least for me, sometimes the main story's "cliffhanger" had me rushing through the history/mythology parts. All-in-all this format seems to have made the book harder to read than necessary. But, I would recommend reading it...it has a decent story line and leaves you with a definite impression of the Irish as a culture.

Offering as a bookray. This is a pretty large (500+ pages) hardcover, so I won't ship outside the US, but don't mind if others do. PM with location and shipping preference.

Bookray Rules:
1. Enjoy the book.
2. Try not to keep the book more than 30 days or so. If, after 30 days, you are almost done and need an extra week or so, make a journal entry stating so. If, after 30 days, you haven't even started please pass the book to the next on the list (You can PM me if you want to be added to the end of the list).
3. Try to make at least these journal entries:
#1: Letting us know you received the book.
#2: Rating the book after you read it.
#3: Letting us know you've mailed the book.
4. When you are done with the book, PM the next person on the list for their address. If they do not respond after a reasonable period (a week or so), let me know and PM the next on the list.
5. Enjoy the book!

Bookray Members
1. kitiarablue, Jersey City, New Jersey USA (US Only)
2. irishajo, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA (Int'l)
3. Wistroll, Milltown, Wisconsin, USA (US Only)
4. Chryso, Berkley, Michigan, USA (Int'l)
6. Caro1, Nottingham, England United Kingdom (Int'l)
5. squirrel818, New Jersey USA (US Only)
6. pjmom8025, Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, USA (US Only)

Started Bookray today by mailing to kitiarablue. Enjoy!

Recieved the book today.... will read, journal again, and send on to Irishajo! Thanks Rob-B!

Finished this morning! I liked this book, and the way it was written, although some of the stories in between the stories may not hold your attention if you are not interested in the history of the troubles between Ireland and England. Luckily, I am, so I feel like I learned a bit about the mysteriously wonderful place my great-grandparents came from! Thanks Rob-B, for sharing, and I hope everyone else on the list enjoys it also!

RELEASE NOTES:

Received, looking forward to it. Thanks!

I enjoyed the stories in this book. (I have a fascination with Ireland anyway, as you might tell from my screen name.) A few were a bit dull for my taste, but overall the novel was quite enjoyable. I really got into the story between the stories. I thought the book was simply but well written, and I was anxious to find out what happened at the end. An enjoyable read.

Sent on to Wistroll today.

Arrived safe and sound, will get to reading right away!

I loved this book! It was one of them that could have been double in length and I still wouldn`t have wanted it to end.There were about 3 days I wasn`t able to read and I longed to get back to Ronan`s adventures across Ireland.
I don`t want to say too much so as not to give anything away, I am so very grateful and glad that I was able to be included in reading this quite precious book that will be fondly remembered!
Contacting next person on list and will journal again when released.

RELEASE NOTES:

On its way to Chryso.

Received in the mail today; thanks, Wistroll! Will read, journal, and pass on asap.

Since it's been 30 days, I thought I'd post an update: Only a few pages to go! I'll ship the book on Monday or Tuesday, Aug 29/30. We're packing to move my daughter to her college dorm this weekend--ship the kid, then the book! ;) Sorry for the delay.

I enjoyed the book's alternating chapter format, with the (nearly) contemporary setting acting as a framing device for the historical stories. Delaney weaves between the two throughout and brings them together beautifully. I found a few of the stories to be a bit sluggish in pace. My favorites were the Hanly/Handel story for its humor and the last story for its haunting but moving facts. To me, the book's best quality is that it left me with a desire to learn--and to tell--more. Recommended to anyone interested in Irish history and culture... or just storytelling. Thanks for sharing this book, Rob-B!

Controlled release, shipped this morning, Aug 31, to Caro1. Enjoy!

Arrived safely yesterday. I am so looking forward to reading this, but with a few more bookrings ahead of it, I'm going to have to restrain my self for a while! Thanks for mailing Chryso. More later.

Update 16.10.05
Will take this with me when I go away on a short break next Saturday

An enjoyable read. I am very interested in oral storytelling and particularly liked that aspect of the book. Thanks for sharing Rob-B. Will mail this out as soon as possible.

This book arrived today. I have a few books ahead of it, but will get to it in the new year and pass it on. Thanks for sharing Rob-B.

I have finally cracked the spine of this one. It is a great book and I am enjoying both the stories of Ireland and Ronan's adventures. I will be sending this off at the end of the week for a book swap.

Received today through paperbackswap.com - thanks!!!