A Far-Flung Life, by ML Stedman.
Published by Doubleday, €21
Are you one of those people who goes to a book shop, browsing the shelves for something to read, and waiting for that one volume to jump out at you and grab your attention? It is a pastime I love, and I could happily spend an hour waiting for that magic moment when a book chooses me.
Quite naturally, we will read the synopsis, telling us what the book is about, and it can be impossible to ignore the various blurbs from fellow authors regaling us about how much they enjoyed it. In general, I simply ignore these, and indeed it almost seems that some spend more time writing complimentary reviews than they do on new work. Aside for one or two exceptions, I take little notice of these reviews. When you know that a favourite author is honest when it comes to giving an opinion on a volume of work, then a recommendation from them is something to pay attention to, and this was the case with Donal Ryan’s words on A Far-Flung Life. “One of those rare books that fills the soul” was his take on the latest offering from the Australian writer ML Stedman. The publicity-shy author, now resident in London, lets her writing speak for itself.
It is hard to believe that it is 14 years since Stedman’s debut novel The Light Between Oceans was published, becoming a global and award-winning bestseller. It led to a film adaptation starring Alicia Vikander and Michael Fassbender. A Far-Flung Life is her follow-up, and boy, it is worth the wait. As was the case with her debut, this story is set in Australia, almost 70 years ago, and is the tale of one family, a catastrophe and the consequences.
You can take your pick, but this is an epic or a saga about lives impacted when Phil MacBride, the patriarch of the family, who live on a remote sheep station, swerves to avoid a kangaroo, and this momentary action plunges his family into grief. Phil and his son Warren are killed, but their deaths unveil secrets, lead to a further tragedy, and set others on emotional journeys that tear at their hearts.
Told in three parts, this is book full of compassion, highlighting Stedman’s powerful skills as a storyteller, and the tale will remain with the reader for a long time to come.
A Far-Flung Life.
The Taoiseach, edited by Iain Dale. Published by Swift Press, €28
The world is a very challenging place, and there has rarely been a time when we needed strong leadership more. Whatever one’s political views are, we can all agree that such stewardship in global terms is a rare commodity.
What about our own leaders? Since the founding of the State, 16 men have held the position of Taoiseach, with the eight longest-serving in the role for periods ranging from six years (Enda Kenny and John A Costello), to Éamon de Valera’s astonishing 21 years. This coterie provides a wide-range of personalities, styles of leadership, and outcomes in terms of their achievements, and these are well-documented in The Taoiseach – A Century of Political Leadership.
The 16 contributors, including former Irish Farmers Journal editor Matt Dempsey, each provide honest commentary on their chosen Taoiseach.
Our 16 taoisigh are the subjects of this insightful book.
Druid Theatre: Fifty Years, by
Patrick Lonergan. Published by Lilliput Press, €29.95
Late last year, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of its founding, Patrick Lonergan’s Druid Theatre: Fifty Years was published. The company was established by the late Mick Lally, director Garry Hynes and actor Marie Mullen. Thankfully, the latter ladies were part of the celebrations of the milestone.
Fittingly, the anniversary was marked by the issuing of this lavish and detailed history by such an eminent figure as Lonergan, a member of the Royal Irish Academy among many other roles and honours. He takes us on a journey marked by incredible determination on the part of the trio of founders.
Lonergan’s text is very well complemented by the range of illustrations, from photographs to billboards and programme covers, and a comprehensive listing of every production by Druid. This is a commendable celebration.
Ireland's first professional theatre company outside Dublin is profiled.
Wuthering Heights, by Emily Brontë. Published by Penguin Classics, €14.50
Who isn’t aware of the story of Wuthering Heights? Adapted too many times and in different ways, the majority of people know a version of the story. However, nothing compares to reading the original, which was written in 1847.
When it was originally published, few could believe such a torrid tale of love, sometimes even violent, between Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, the orphan who had been raised as her brother, but who ended up a bitter man. Emily Brontë wrote this book, her first, sitting at the same table as her sisters Charlotte (writing The Professor) and Anne (penning Agnes Grey).
This was at Haworth Parsonage, where the sisters lived with their father and surviving sibling, the painter Branwell Brontë, following the death of their mother and two older sisters. The book continues to surprise and challenge readers to this day.
Wuthering Heights.
A Far-Flung Life, by ML Stedman.
Published by Doubleday, €21
Are you one of those people who goes to a book shop, browsing the shelves for something to read, and waiting for that one volume to jump out at you and grab your attention? It is a pastime I love, and I could happily spend an hour waiting for that magic moment when a book chooses me.
Quite naturally, we will read the synopsis, telling us what the book is about, and it can be impossible to ignore the various blurbs from fellow authors regaling us about how much they enjoyed it. In general, I simply ignore these, and indeed it almost seems that some spend more time writing complimentary reviews than they do on new work. Aside for one or two exceptions, I take little notice of these reviews. When you know that a favourite author is honest when it comes to giving an opinion on a volume of work, then a recommendation from them is something to pay attention to, and this was the case with Donal Ryan’s words on A Far-Flung Life. “One of those rare books that fills the soul” was his take on the latest offering from the Australian writer ML Stedman. The publicity-shy author, now resident in London, lets her writing speak for itself.
It is hard to believe that it is 14 years since Stedman’s debut novel The Light Between Oceans was published, becoming a global and award-winning bestseller. It led to a film adaptation starring Alicia Vikander and Michael Fassbender. A Far-Flung Life is her follow-up, and boy, it is worth the wait. As was the case with her debut, this story is set in Australia, almost 70 years ago, and is the tale of one family, a catastrophe and the consequences.
You can take your pick, but this is an epic or a saga about lives impacted when Phil MacBride, the patriarch of the family, who live on a remote sheep station, swerves to avoid a kangaroo, and this momentary action plunges his family into grief. Phil and his son Warren are killed, but their deaths unveil secrets, lead to a further tragedy, and set others on emotional journeys that tear at their hearts.
Told in three parts, this is book full of compassion, highlighting Stedman’s powerful skills as a storyteller, and the tale will remain with the reader for a long time to come.
A Far-Flung Life.
The Taoiseach, edited by Iain Dale. Published by Swift Press, €28
The world is a very challenging place, and there has rarely been a time when we needed strong leadership more. Whatever one’s political views are, we can all agree that such stewardship in global terms is a rare commodity.
What about our own leaders? Since the founding of the State, 16 men have held the position of Taoiseach, with the eight longest-serving in the role for periods ranging from six years (Enda Kenny and John A Costello), to Éamon de Valera’s astonishing 21 years. This coterie provides a wide-range of personalities, styles of leadership, and outcomes in terms of their achievements, and these are well-documented in The Taoiseach – A Century of Political Leadership.
The 16 contributors, including former Irish Farmers Journal editor Matt Dempsey, each provide honest commentary on their chosen Taoiseach.
Our 16 taoisigh are the subjects of this insightful book.
Druid Theatre: Fifty Years, by
Patrick Lonergan. Published by Lilliput Press, €29.95
Late last year, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of its founding, Patrick Lonergan’s Druid Theatre: Fifty Years was published. The company was established by the late Mick Lally, director Garry Hynes and actor Marie Mullen. Thankfully, the latter ladies were part of the celebrations of the milestone.
Fittingly, the anniversary was marked by the issuing of this lavish and detailed history by such an eminent figure as Lonergan, a member of the Royal Irish Academy among many other roles and honours. He takes us on a journey marked by incredible determination on the part of the trio of founders.
Lonergan’s text is very well complemented by the range of illustrations, from photographs to billboards and programme covers, and a comprehensive listing of every production by Druid. This is a commendable celebration.
Ireland's first professional theatre company outside Dublin is profiled.
Wuthering Heights, by Emily Brontë. Published by Penguin Classics, €14.50
Who isn’t aware of the story of Wuthering Heights? Adapted too many times and in different ways, the majority of people know a version of the story. However, nothing compares to reading the original, which was written in 1847.
When it was originally published, few could believe such a torrid tale of love, sometimes even violent, between Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, the orphan who had been raised as her brother, but who ended up a bitter man. Emily Brontë wrote this book, her first, sitting at the same table as her sisters Charlotte (writing The Professor) and Anne (penning Agnes Grey).
This was at Haworth Parsonage, where the sisters lived with their father and surviving sibling, the painter Branwell Brontë, following the death of their mother and two older sisters. The book continues to surprise and challenge readers to this day.
Wuthering Heights.
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