THE REBELS OF IRELAND

The final novel in Edward Rutherford's Dublin saga takes listeners through the final days of British control, full of tension and violent rebellion, to freedom. "Gentle banter" [the author's own words] about an explosion early on is handled with a delicate lightness by John Keating and sets the tone early. Though more passionate later on, as Ireland becomes a political powder keg, Keating's reading shifts gracefully with the various aspects of Rutherford's novel, which weaves the passions and hatreds of its rebels into family drama, then uses those fictional stories to show listeners the history of Ireland. The growing intensity leaves listeners with the sense of having been there. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/ SEP 06]