The Wild Irish

Rating:
Summary: Amazing Adventure
Review: An amazing tale about a little known pirate named Grace O'Malley who had the audacity to demand an audience with Queen Elizabeth when England was raiding Grace's homeland of Ireland. Granted this audience, Grace proves herself to be as astounding an orator as she is a pirate. This is a wonderfully written novel by Robin Maxwell, one of her best, and I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about women in history whose voices have been silenced. This is also a wonderful read for anyone who is interested in the Elizabethan Age, particularly Ireland as is was hundreds of years ago.

Amazing research and a very fine novel. EVERYONE should read this book!

Rating:
Summary: Wild, Swashbuckling Fun! Also Amazing History Lesson
Review: I love historical fiction, and I love pirates - especially when they are women. This book is a fabulous blend of the two! A glimpse into Elizabeth I's fear and dread of aging, losing her sexuality, and her power, toward the end of her glorious reign, as well as an honest look at the social conditions of the day regarding "a woman's place" through the eyse of two very powerful women, (and several power-hungry men). Grace O'Malley's life story, and struggle for her country, is amazing and should have been explored in a novel (or hey, even plain old history!) more often. While I have found Robin Maxwell's novels to be a bit more "simple" than I prefer in terms of character development, plot & dialogue, I truly enjoyed this story.

Rating:
Summary: A Queen and a Pirate and the Irish Quest for their Future-
Review: Robin Maxwell creates a wonderful novel based on both historical fact and legend when she creates a very plausible,possible conversation between Elizabeth I, Queen of England and the infamous Irish pirate Grace O'Malley. Delving almost magically between imagination and fact the author brings to life the people of Elizabeth's court and the Irish chieftains known to Grace O'Malley. The is a tale of the ensuing struggle of the Irish clans to claim their own leadership while at the same time, submitting and/or pretending to submit to English rule in order to gratify their own needs and desires. The clash of two quite unique cultures is a central point that seems to run through this novel and yet both sides are drawn to certain aspects of each others lives.
Elizabeth I and Grace O'Malley's conversation puts the human heart into this novel revealing both it's warmth and love as well as it's hard cold side when betrayed. This is a clear and amazing look at the life and times of two very strong and independent women and how they grapple with the complicated Irish quest for their future.

Rating:
Summary: Reclaiming Grace...
Review: The last book I read was "Wild Irish" by Robin Maxwell. It's the fourth book in her series of fictional novels centered on the life and times of Elizabeth I. In this novel, Maxwell's attention turned to the the waning years of Elizabeth's life and her ongoing struggle to colonize Ireland. Her nemesis in the novel is Grace O'Malley, the pirate queen and "Mother of the Irish Rebellion." The first part of the novel is based on the historical meeting of the Queen and Grace, and then fictionalizes the retelling of Grace's own life and what brought her before the queen. That is, namely, to beg a truce of the queen to save her son from the clutches of the dastardly English governor of Ireland and to hopefully establish some peace. As the cousel between Grace and Elizabeth closes, the queen grants the Irish pirate's request. A wary trust to say the least, though both women have developed greater respect for one another as powerful women in a world of men.

But Elizabeth soon finds herself sending Robert, Devereaux, ear of Essex, to quash the ongoing Irish rebellion. Suffering from syphilis and outnumbered in troops, O'Malley convinces Essex that a truce can save many a life. Essex, in turn, makes peace with the Irish but when he returns to England, the queen denounces him and brands him a traitor to the crown for personal and political reasons.

Like her three preceeding novels, this is a mixture of fiction and history. IMO, the first part of the novel is much more interesting and you can tell the author has a profound respect for the sea-loving Irish noblewoman, Grace O'Malley. The second part of the book is more of a war story, in which Grace plays a much lesser part.

If you like late Renaissance history and don't want to read a book that exhalts Elizabeth as the ruler of a golden age, then give this one a try.

Rating:
Summary: Reclaiming Grace...
Review: The last book I read was "Wild Irish" by Robin Maxwell. It's the fourth book in her series of fictional novels centered on the life and times of Elizabeth I. In this novel, Maxwell's attention turned to the the waning years of Elizabeth's life and her ongoing struggle to colonize Ireland. Her nemesis in the novel is Grace O'Malley, the pirate queen and "Mother of the Irish Rebellion." The first part of the novel is based on the historical meeting of the Queen and Grace, and then fictionalizes the retelling of Grace's own life and what brought her before the queen. That is, namely, to beg a truce of the queen to save her son from the clutches of the dastardly English governor of Ireland and to hopefully establish some peace. As the cousel between Grace and Elizabeth closes, the queen grants the Irish pirate's request. A wary trust to say the least, though both women have developed greater respect for one another as powerful women in a world of men.

But Elizabeth soon finds herself sending Robert, Devereaux, ear of Essex, to quash the ongoing Irish rebellion. Suffering from syphilis and outnumbered in troops, O'Malley convinces Essex that a truce can save many a life. Essex, in turn, makes peace with the Irish but when he returns to England, the queen denounces him and brands him a traitor to the crown for personal and political reasons.

Like her three preceeding novels, this is a mixture of fiction and history. IMO, the first part of the novel is much more interesting and you can tell the author has a profound respect for the sea-loving Irish noblewoman, Grace O'Malley. The second part of the book is more of a war story, in which Grace plays a much lesser part.

If you like late Renaissance history and don't want to read a book that exhalts Elizabeth as the ruler of a golden age, then give this one a try.

Rating:
Summary: The Irish Pirate Queen
Review: The legend of Grace O'Malley, Pirate Queen of Ireland, has been told by many Irish storytellers. Her story has been passed on from generation to generation, inspiring awe and gratitude in the hearts of many. However, you won't see this remarkable woman's tale in many history texts. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if few people outside of Ireland have ever even heard of her. This amazing woman, who fought for her beloved country, has been forgotten or simply overlooked by many history professors. Why? Why else? She was a woman in a man's world.

The story of Grace O'Malley is an astonishing one. She was a daughter, a mother, a wife and lover. But, most of all, Grace O'Malley was a fighter. She was Ireland's saving grace for years during the English invasion of the 1500's. She fought side by side with men to defend her beautiful homeland. The daughter of a pirate and a one herself, she was well equipped to fight and battled with everything she had.

Robin Maxwell's novel The Wild Irish is a historical account of this woman's life and the life of another female figure of the times, Queen Elizabeth. In this book, the aging Grace and Queen Elizabeth meet secretly to discuss the ongoing tragedies occurring in Ireland. The women come to an agreement, but will they keep their word? The destinies of two countries lie in their hands.

The book is an extraordinary read. This version of the O'Malley tale is quite intriguing. A sizeable part of the story is told in Grace's own narrative. As she speaks, you can't help but be whisked back in time to accompany her on all her past adventures. She is, somehow, rough, abrasive, and gentle altogether as she tells her side of the conflict.

As a reader, you are also allowed a peek into the minds of several other characters, including the Lord Deveraux, Queen Elizabeth's trusted confidante and ex-lover. Robert Deveraux, owing a great deal to the Queen, is sent to Ireland to quell the uprising of the Irish. Will he remain loyal to England or be swayed by the persuasive Grace O'Malley and her kin?

Robin Maxwell has written a fantastic epic, rich in history and legend. However, you may need to take a few notes. The characters can become confusing. The clans in Ireland during the 1500's were quite numerous and it can be difficult to keep track of them all. In spite that, though, the novel is a marvelous piece of literature and should be on the reading list of anyone who loves Irish or historical fiction. When you are finished, pass the book on. Spread the word of this amazing woman who is often forgotten in the rich pages of history.

Rating:
Summary: Discovery Channel could do it better
Review: What kept me reading The Wild Irish was that I wanted to figure out whether or not Robin Maxwell was one of the authors of historical novels about Anne Boleyn that I had quite enjoyed or whether she was had written that Anne Boleyn novel that I never could finish. As I ploughed through this average tale of the little known 16th century Irish pirate-heroine, Grace O'Malley and Elizabeth I, it wasn't until the very end of the book that I realized that it was Philippa Gregory's writing in The Other Boleyn Girl that I was yearning for and not that of Robin Maxwell's The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn.

Thankfully, the most compelling character in this book is the Pirate Grace O'Malley who tells her life story in the first half of the book during a secret fireside confidence with Elizabeth I. Unfortunately, the choice of this literary device, gives the reader the impression that the are simply reading the prelude and that the real story has yet to begin.

When I finally settled into Grace O'Malley's story, on page 186, and accepted that this was how the entire novel would be told, suddenly the point-of-view changed and the book became a story told from an omniscient narrator. Grace O'Malley fell away as central figure, to be replaced by Robert Devereaux, Earl of Essex, suspect former lover of the queen, mentally affected by syphilis and sent to Ireland on the near-impossible task of quelling the rebellion in the hopes of regaining the queen's favour.

As I close the final pages on this book, I describe this book as: curious but average and historically compelling but fictionally lacking. While I am thankful that it made me aware of an Irish historical figure that I never knew existed, I wonder whether I would have preferred hearing the tale on a one-hour presentation on the Discovery Channel rather than through Robin Maxwell's writing.