The Last Storyteller: A Novel Of Ireland (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
". . .every legend and all mythologies exist to teach us how to run our days. In kind fashion. A loving way. But there's no story, no matter how ancient, as important as one's own. So if we're to live good lives, we have to tell ourselves our own story. In a good way. A way that's decent to ourselves."A marvelous story that weaves together mythology, local folktales, Irish history of the 1950s, and the art and craft of storytelling. The main character,Ben, writes down his early life's story to share with his two children, and as we read his account we are immersed into the character and characters of Ireland. I love the masterful storytelling of this book and the suspense, watching how Ben was caught up in bad situations and choices, and his struggle back to a life of peace and contentment. As I was reading I totally expected to give this five stars. I wanted this book to go on forever (obviously an unreal wish). I felt the ending was just okay, not up the rest of the book. Anticlimactic. I think I expected an ending that left me glowing in the magic I found in the rest of the book and instead I found just a nice tidy ending. Still, if you love storytelling or Ireland, I would heartily recommend the book. I found this book in the library and read it not knowing it was the third in a trilogy. I was enough engrossed that I probably will at some point want to read the two earlier books, but I wasn't thrilled. What I liked best was the story itself, which had a great plot, a flawed but admirable hero, and a true villain. And I loved the very ending. But the story about the story--that is, all the myths retold, the part about the old storyteller, the gypsies, etc.--struck me as pretentious and not particularly interesting.
What do You think about The Last Storyteller: A Novel Of Ireland (2012)?
Amazingly detailed tale woven between the past and the present. I really enjoyed it.
—kwistaff
Almost hard to read in the beginning - the story developed in layers.
—JenniferMurphy
This is a great read! Read it in two days. Could not put it down!
—Rollo11
Great writing! I will read more from this author.
—Justine
