The Quiet Man and Other Stories

Rating:
Summary: aka Green Rushes
Review: "The Quiet Man" story first appeared in the 11 February 1933 Saturday Evening Post. John Ford read it that year, and obtained the film rights in 1936.

Author Maurice Walsh had finished four interconnected stories (tentatively titled "Green Rushes") about the IRA and the Black & Tans in 1920s Ireland. He changed names and made minor additions to The Quiet Man to fit it into Green Rushes (Shawn Kelvin became Paddy Bawn Enright, Big Liam O'Grady became Red Will O'Danaher). The current book (minus the Prologue) mirrors Green Rushes, originally published in 1936.

I love the movie, but the book reveals more of the REAL Ireland. Maurice Walsh captures the spirit of the country and her rural folk. His writing transports the reader to Erin with poetic language and unforgettable characters.

For additional history, see "The Complete Guide to the Quiet Man" by Des MacHale. Walsh wrote more about Hugh Forbes in "The Small Dark Man", available used.

Rating:
Summary: Lovely stories of Ireland in the 1920's
Review: I was happy to find this book republished after years of searching for out-of-print copies. Every story is connected; every story gives a different point of view. Pick up this book and you will become enthralled with the stories of the men and women who lived, loved, and fought during the early years of Ireland's fight for independence. While I realize the book is a work of fiction, I found myself, nevertheless, rooting for each person as he or she struggled with the problems the author put before each of them: alcohol, honesty, familial obligations, moral conscience, the love of country. If you like to read of adventure with your romance(or vice versa), these stories are for you. The cover doesn't do the book justice. The stories are so much more than just John Wayne as "The Quiet Man". At the end of the book I found myself wishing that the author had written another collection of stories continuing the saga of this era and these people.

Rating:
Summary: Stories of the Irish/English conflict, circa 1920 ring true
Review: I was happy to find this book republished after years of searching for out-of-print copies. Every story is connected; every story gives a different point of view. Pick up this book and you will become enthralled with the stories of the men and women who lived, loved, and fought during the early years of Ireland's fight for independence. While I realize the book is a work of fiction, I found myself, nevertheless, rooting for each person as he or she struggled with the problems the author put before each of them: alcohol, honesty, familial obligations, moral conscience, the love of country. If you like to read of adventure with your romance(or vice versa), these stories are for you. The cover doesn't do the book justice. The stories are so much more than just John Wayne as "The Quiet Man". At the end of the book I found myself wishing that the author had written another collection of stories continuing the saga of this era and these people.

Rating:
Summary: Lovely stories of Ireland in the 1920's
Review: These tales are told in a manner Irish tales are meant to be told. The lyrical manner and quiet truth of its telling are a rich and delicious read. From the drama of the Black and Tan War to the romance of an Irish summers evening, Maurice Walsh gets straight into your head. Irish wit never underestimates your intelligence, and this book never does either. Hints and fleeting references always come back to haunt you, and the way each of these short stories seamlessly integrate, you will find yourself smiling in admiration. The Quiet Man really captures the flavor of the time, the idealism of the Irish Republic, the heroism of its defense and the realism of hard choices made for that idealism. This is storytelling at its Celtic best, you will not be dissapointed...