Product Description

Bestselling author Edward Rutherfurd has lived in Dublin for the past decade. His meticulously researched and groundbreaking epic novel is both the story of Dublin and that of Ireland.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13378 in Books
• Published on: 2005-05-05
• Binding: Paperback
• 1216 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Few authors are as ambitious as Edward Rutherford. And Dublin: Foundation, the first of a massive two-part epic, is possibly Rutherford's most challenging undertaking yet--and (on the evidence of this first book) could well be his most considerable achievement. Rutherford's sheer readability belies his obvious seriousness. His arm-straining volumes may cover every possible variety of human experience (couched in historical backgrounds of immense detail and authenticity), but he remains a storyteller of no mean skills. From the early books that made his name (notably the much-acclaimed Sarum), through to the more recent blockbuster London, the author has combined a panoramic, Homeric vision with a James-Joyce like concentration on the minutiae of everyday life; the results of this synthesis are brought to perfectly honed effect in Dublin: Foundation.

Parallels with Joyce's Dublin are not appropriate here, though. The scope is far wider and stretches back into history. Beginning in Pre-Christian Ireland as the Kings of Tara reigned autocratically, we encounter the lovers Prince Conall and the beautiful Deidre. An army sized dramatis personae surround the lovers, representing every player in a turbulent era. We are shown many of the key events in Irish history, with parts for Saint Patrick, the Nordic savagery of the Vikings and the battles with the cunning Henry VIII. As this operatic volume ends with the approach of the Reformation, the orchestration of narrative commands total respect. --Barry Forshaw

Synopsis
The history of Dublin is that of the whole island of Ireland. Best-selling author, Edward Rutherfurd has lived in Dublin for the past decade; with the help of some of Ireland's leading historians, he has researched this epic and groundbreaking novel of the city. Rutherfurd managed to encapsulate the drama of Salisbury, Moscow, London and the New Forest in one volume in his previous best-sellers "Sarum", "Russka", "London" and "The Forest". But such was the wealth of new material uncovered for this volume, Rutherfurd has taken the unprecedented step of splitting the hardback publication in two. The first of the two books, "Dublin: Foundation", will take us from prehistory, the High Kings of Tara, the Viking invasion, the machinations of Henry II and the greed of Henry VIII to the burning of the saint's relics in front of Christchurch cathedral in 1538. At the end of this majestically sweeping narrative, Rutherfurd effectively closes the story of the 'Irish' Irish: the descendants of Fingall and Cuchulainn, the princes and Kings of Tara of Brian Boru and the spiritual descendants of Patrick himself.

The second novel, "Dublin: Ascendancy" taking the story of Dublin from the 16th Century will appear in 2006 and in 2007. The two volumes will be combined in a single volume in Arrow paperback.

From the Publisher
The second part of the Irish epic from the bestselling author of Sarum, Russka, London and Dublin.

Customer Reviews

Typically absorbing
A typically absorbing Rutherfurd epic, though it's not clear why he decided to end the narrative in 1923. I learned a lot about Irish history from this and it has sparked my interest to read more.

Other minor criticism: unlike most of his other works, there is no author's note saying which parts are fact, which fiction.

A real disappointment
This is such a shame. Fans of Rutherfurd, like myself will know what to expect, a tale that follows the action based in Dublin through history charting the development of the city and surroundings through a number of dynasties.

I first tried Rutherfurd with the publication of London and loved it, some great historical insights combined with cracking good self contained yarns. I quickly bought Sarum and Russka and loved them too. The Forest continued his excellent form - you really did not notice how long the books were as they were such page turners.

You will understand my great excitement when this book was published and i found................. a painful read. For the first time Rutherfurd is plodding and ponderous, it seems as though he has padded his stories extending our stays in each time period with the result being that this book is such hard work.

If you have suffered through Dublin please don't judge Rutherfurd on this look at his earlier work and you will appreciate what a talented author this man is.

Over-long but readable
I have read and thoroughly enjoyed all of Edward Rutherfurd's previous novels. I therefore approached this one expecting it to be as enthralling and spellbinding as (most of) the others. Unfortunately, by the time I had struggled with the first 200 or so pages (out of 863) I found myself wishing it was over. Rutherfurd always follows the same formula for his novels - tracing various families through the centuries and observing their fluctuating fortunes. But until this one, he has always contained the saga within one volume. This one follows on directly from his previous novel, Dublin, and more than once while reading it I found myself wondering if the whole story could (should?) have been condensed into one volume. Rutherfurd obviously has a very powerful point to make about the suffering of Catholics in Ireland over the centuries, and does so very well (which actually makes me wonder what sales figures are like in Northern Ireland...). His characterisation of members of the Budge family, for instance, rather turns the old British press 'image' of the Irish republican back on the Ulster loyalists. So overall, a good read, but over-long.