Review of The Execution life and Times of Patrick O'Donnell

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Alexander C Schmoock
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Review of The Execution life and Times of Patrick O'Donnell

Post by Alexander C Schmoock »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Execution life and Times of Patrick O'Donnell" by Gavin O'Donnell.]
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4 out of 4 stars
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In The Execution, Life and Times of Patrick O'Donnell, Gavin O’Donnell wrote a masterpiece that embodied a series of letters inscribed by Patrick O'Donnell while he was incarcerated for the murder of James Carey, who was the mastermind of the phoenix park murders. Patrick addressed these letters to Victor Hugo, who was fighting for his sentence to be reduced at that time. Born in Ireland, Patrick suffered a great deal growing up. His suffering was majorly starvation resulting from the famine that ravaged Ireland. Having been rendered fatherless, his mother struggled to cater to the family with little help from Patrick and his elder brother, Michael, who were grossly underaged. Patrick wrote about moving away from home with his brother at the time of the famine, and he further narrated their lives afterward. The deaths, having to resort to cannibalism due to hunger, and the immense struggle to survive despite all odds fueled a certain level of optimism in Patrick. The saying that life does not always go as planned was very evident in Patrick's life as there were a series of twists and turns that later led up to a terrible fate.

This book was very intriguing. Gavin O’Donnell commenced each letter with a concise explanation that readers would be thankful for. The letters also provided a chronological story that I found fascinating, and I am sure other readers would too. I liked that the book also included a bit of history that interestingly touched on the one-time American president, Abraham Lincoln. He was a slavery abolitionist but did not believe that blacks were equal to whites. The footnotes the author had included also provided more information about some of the writer's words and also corrected the very few instances when the writer was mistaken. The diction of the book is another commendable point. An average reader will have an easy time reading through the pages of this book.

The book doesn't have a lot of negatives to it. The language of the book sounded a bit old-fashioned, but I assume that to be the version of the English language in use at the time the letters were written, so I really won't hold that against the author. Also, I would have preferred that the few instances where the author was mistaken were edited outright and not just corrected in the footnote, as a reader who wasn't so keen while reading the book could be misled by the initial information and not notice the footnotes. Aside from these few issues, I found the book to be really captivating.

I found a few errors in The Execution, Life and Times of Patrick O'Donnell, but I can say that the book was professionally edited. I give it a rating of 4 out of 4 stars. From a general standpoint, I found this book thrilling as it illustrated the final days of a condemned man. I didn't deduct a star because the negative points didn't really affect my enjoyment of the book enough to warrant a deduction of stars. The book was well put together.

I will recommend The Execution, Life and Times of Patrick O'Donnell to readers interested in political issues. It is also highly recommended to students and researchers in the legal field. They will have a fun time reading it while also picking valuable life lessons from it.

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The Execution life and Times of Patrick O'Donnell
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Evelyn Bioseh
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Post by Evelyn Bioseh »

I'm usually not a fan of epistolary novels, but this seems like an amazing book to read. I would probably check it out. Thanks for the review
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Patty Allread
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Post by Patty Allread »

This book sounds historically rich including the horrors of the Irish Famine, the story of O'Donnell's incarceration, and how he got there. Good review!
Aisha Yakub
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Post by Aisha Yakub »

This should be an insightful read. Great review.
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Mmaduabuchi Eze
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Post by Mmaduabuchi Eze »

Childhood trauma can have certain undesirable dispositions in the future. Leaders should learn, from this book, the need to protect children from hunger and other communal disasters. Their mind and body are too young to cope with such pressure.
wmeki510
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Post by wmeki510 »

Evelyn Bioseh wrote: 08 Apr 2022, 10:17 I'm usually not a fan of epistolary novels, but this seems like an amazing book to read. I would probably check it out. Thanks for the review
Yeah. The review is insightful; and this shows that the book is worth reading.
wmeki510
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Post by wmeki510 »

Patty Allread wrote: 08 Apr 2022, 11:37 This book sounds historically rich including the horrors of the Irish Famine, the story of O'Donnell's incarceration, and how he got there. Good review!
Yes. This book is so artistically crafted that I can't help admitting it's a masterpiece.
nwankwo chibuchi
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Post by nwankwo chibuchi »

Traumas from the early stages of life take a toll on people in the long run. Children should really be protected from traumatizing experiences as exemplified in this book. Great review
Ogechi Okonkwo
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Post by Ogechi Okonkwo »

This is an interesting and a fascinating review. I loved how you captured every aspect of the book. I did enjoy reading your review. This is an interesting one.
Mhiz Vyi Vyan
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Post by Mhiz Vyi Vyan »

I do not read epistolary books but this book seems intriguing and I will give it a try. Great review.
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