1999: A Novel of the Celtic Tiger and the Search for Peace (Irish Century)

As the economists like to say, my "priors" favorably dispose me to this book. I can't honestly say it's her best work, but it's well up there. It's a great story with plot twists and surprises overlaid with a century of the history of Ireland, emphasis on the last thirty or so. It is so well told that you effortlessly digest the chronology of both the family and the country. There is tragedy to the degree that you wish Henry VIII could have controlled his needs a bit better. The tragedy is rooted in Bloody Bess, the[...] queen, and her plantations; thus, it merely explodes with the better weapons of the last century. Northern Ireland was a bloody battleground, with blame on both sides fairly discussed. And the tragedy of war touches the family, of course. There is comedy, but I won't reveal the ending. And what Ms. Morgan does with words enhances the comedic moments. I read this on Kindle, and I overworked the highlight button. Some of her phrasing is alone worth the price of the book. There are reflective moments, when you know this story could be told about any family in any country in any epoch. The complexities of humanity are explored deftly without preachments . The characters are real. Those from her previous works are consistent and become, I believe, how you would have imagined. Over the course of so many years, the death of a well developed side character is felt as if one knew him/her. It is an amazingly empathetic work. In the end, you ask the question: absent the patrimony of hate which gripped their beloved island, what might have been for each of the main characters?

This is the final book in the series by Llewelyn about the Irish Rising and "the Troubles." Very factual. Information is made easy to follow by the story that is woven around the actual history of the events. It was such a pleasure to follow all the characters through the decades and see them develope fully. It also has a great ending to the series.

Morgan has the Celtic Spirit all wrapped up...this series has captured me from the beginning with 1916 and I could not wait to read the others..After 1972, I had hoped for a final book and then it was published...She has given "Ursula" a wonderful ending to the series...I have read most of her other novels and have loved each and every one...What a great asset to the heart of the Celts!!! For those of us that love stories of a foreign land and people, Morgan's novels are gems with twists and turns in every page...Thank you for these...Keep writing!!

Morgan LLywelyn has produced another compelling novel detailing Ireland's fight for freedom, the last in the Irish Century series. I have always been a fan, and love all of her books, but this series is her masterpiece. She has taken a time period ranging from the turn of the 20th century to the turn of the 21st, and made some sense of the confusing politics and issues of the times by humanizing them with wonderful characters and backing them with well researched information. I can only suppose that the rest of the world was as unaware as I was of what the British did in Ireland in present times. (And I always thought they were so civilized!) I especially like the last 2 books, 1972 and 1999, because the running accounts of what was going on in the US and other countries during the times of Ireland's struggles were also a part of my own life.

From beginning to end, this was an absolutely wonderful series of books. The mark of great historical fiction is to blend the fictional story with real events, and create a seamless whole. This series always delivered, and this last installment was perhaps the best. I couldn't put this book down, as the progression of the Halloran family was tied into the progression of Ireland and Northern Ireland from a state of despair in the early 1970's to a state of prosperity and hope by the end of the last millenium. The Hallorans have almost become like family over the course of these books, and it was great that the author allowed Ursula to stay around to see what hopefully will be a lasting peace. Just a great, great historical fiction series, and a must read for anyone even the slightest bit interested in irish history.