History and Mystery

Use this forum to discuss the March 2020 Book of the month, "House of Eire" by June Gillam.
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Lisa A Rayburn
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History and Mystery

Post by Lisa A Rayburn »

As a long time student of every aspect of Ireland, I have read anything and everything I could get my hands on about the country. I was delighted with the authenticity the author displayed when describing the country. I was equally as pleased with the way she was able to work in the mystery aspect while still staying respectfully true to Irish history and tragedies. She really seems to have done her homework! Based on what you read in the book, do you think (as I do) the author was successful in her realistic depiction of Ireland and its history? Why or why not? What parts of the book made you feel that way?
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Post by Dorcas Serwaa Adu »

The author did a fantastic job. You know with the setting, though I know nothing of Ireland, images such as buildings, statues and even the arrangement of settlement gave me a vivid picture of how the place was like. And the history behind them worshiping virgin Mary is amazing.
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Post by ElizaBeth Adams »

I have never been to Ireland, so I don't know how accurate of a judge I am. However, after reading this book I felt like I had gotten a glimpse of the country. The places that the author described felt real. Castles, cliffs, a Catholic church service, bed and breakfasts with twin beds and no air conditioning... All of these details made the setting feel real.
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Post by AntonelaMaria »

Kelyn wrote: 02 Mar 2020, 23:20 As a long time student of every aspect of Ireland, I have read anything and everything I could get my hands on about the country. I was delighted with the authenticity the author displayed when describing the country. I was equally as pleased with the way she was able to work in the mystery aspect while still staying respectfully true to Irish history and tragedies. She really seems to have done her homework! Based on what you read in the book, do you think (as I do) the author was successful in her realistic depiction of Ireland and its history? Why or why not? What parts of the book made you feel that way?
I have never been to Ireland but I read some and watched even more so I had some idea about it. But only when I finished the book did I felt that I get what an amazing job author did with the whole story. It is a well researched book but also I loved the amount of history she put into the story...it didn't feel overwhelming.
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Post by vermontelf »

I do believe the author did a good job with the setting and the people of Ireland. The mystery was dealt with well and nicely pulled in some history. I really enjoyed that aspect, however I was very disappointed by the history that was shared as they toured about museums/monuments. I thought so much more could have bee brought in, even just in the discussions of what to include in the history section of the amusement park. I seem to be one of the only ones saying this, but I thought there was huge potential for history and it was hardly touched upon, and the repetitive story instead of multiple stories, seen while touring, really bothered me. In fact the historical aspect actually made me lose respect for the book.
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Post by Clorinda Donovan »

I have never been to Ireland and so I cannot be a true judge of her. Still it seemed authentic.
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Post by Adedayo+23 »

ElizaBeth Adams wrote: 05 Mar 2020, 10:16 I have never been to Ireland, so I don't know how accurate of a judge I am. However, after reading this book I felt like I had gotten a glimpse of the country. The places that the author described felt real. Castles, cliffs, a Catholic church service, bed and breakfasts with twin beds and no air conditioning... All of these details made the setting feel real.
I quite agree. The vividly detailed portrayal of places and events in the book gave it a realistic feel that went far beyond just imagined fiction.
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Post by [Danielle] »

Dorcas Serwaa Adu wrote: 04 Mar 2020, 23:02 The author did a fantastic job. You know with the setting, though I know nothing of Ireland, images such as buildings, statues and even the arrangement of settlement gave me a vivid picture of how the place was like. And the history behind them worshiping virgin Mary is amazing.
I recently visited Ireland and adored it. I'm not normally a murder mystery fan, but I'm wondering if this might be a good one to try because of the Irish imagery.
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Post by Brenda Creech »

I have never been to Ireland, but based on other books I've read I think the author did a very good job with the history that was in the book. I don't like books with more history than the story! I felt the amount the author included was about right.
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Post by Jocelyn Eastman »

I’ve read some history on the famine referenced in the book so that part of it seems true to my own research into it. The rest I guess are from the author’s own travels that are noted in her acknowledgments.

Having recently read a book where a lot of Basque history and lore was interwoven too much I thought this was the right balance for someone who was new to the history of Ireland. If they were interested in more, they could research more in depth with other sources.
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Post by Jocelyn Eastman »

B Creech wrote: 07 Mar 2020, 20:48 I have never been to Ireland, but based on other books I've read I think the author did a very good job with the history that was in the book. I don't like books with more history than the story! I felt the amount the author included was about right.
I agree with this and the premise that they were traveling and were tourists made it feel like it belonged in the story. It didn’t feel contrived.
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Post by Lisa A Rayburn »

AntonelaMaria wrote: 06 Mar 2020, 08:42 I have never been to Ireland but I read some and watched even more so I had some idea about it. But only when I finished the book did I felt that I get what an amazing job author did with the whole story. It is a well researched book but also I loved the amount of history she put into the story...it didn't feel overwhelming.
Dorcas Serwaa Adu wrote: 04 Mar 2020, 23:02 The author did a fantastic job. You know with the setting, though I know nothing of Ireland, images such as buildings, statues and even the arrangement of settlement gave me a vivid picture of how the place was like. And the history behind them worshiping virgin Mary is amazing.
ElizaBeth Adams wrote: 05 Mar 2020, 10:16 I have never been to Ireland, so I don't know how accurate of a judge I am. However, after reading this book I felt like I had gotten a glimpse of the country. The places that the author described felt real. Castles, cliffs, a Catholic church service, bed and breakfasts with twin beds and no air conditioning... All of these details made the setting feel real.
I've never been either, though I hope to in the future. (Although I do hope my bed and breakfast does not have twin beds! :lol2: ) I found the images that the author painted for us very realistic as well. Reading the book, for me, was like getting a tour (or mini tours) through the country. I felt the history was an added bonus to the story, especially since it seemed so well-researched. The best thing about it, though, at least to me, was that history was integrated into the story. It didn't feel in the least like the author was doing a lecture on the history of Ireland. Thanks to you all for dropping by and commenting!
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Post by Jocelyn Eastman »

vermontelf wrote: 06 Mar 2020, 09:42 I do believe the author did a good job with the setting and the people of Ireland. The mystery was dealt with well and nicely pulled in some history. I really enjoyed that aspect, however I was very disappointed by the history that was shared as they toured about museums/monuments. I thought so much more could have bee brought in, even just in the discussions of what to include in the history section of the amusement park. I seem to be one of the only ones saying this, but I thought there was huge potential for history and it was hardly touched upon, and the repetitive story instead of multiple stories, seen while touring, really bothered me. In fact the historical aspect actually made me lose respect for the book.
I thought it was because she was a tourist and they were visiting tourist attractions. How do you think the author could have done it otherwise?
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Post by Susmita Biswas »

I loved the way the author described everything. It was so powerful that I could actually had a clear image.
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Post by ms_vinkel »

Kelyn wrote: 07 Mar 2020, 21:17 The best thing about it, though, at least to me, was that history was integrated into the story. It didn't feel in the least like the author was doing a lecture on the history of Ireland.
Thanks! You have reassured me that I won't be bogged down by the facts and skip pages of the book. Just like some of the members, I've also never been to Ireland so I probably won't know the accuracies or any inaccurate details when reading the book.
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