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Loading... Country: A Novel (edition 2019)by Michael Hughes (Author)
Work InformationCountry by Michael Hughes
![]() None No current Talk conversations about this book. ![]() Hughes begins his story in the middle of a conflict between two members of an rogue IRA terrorist cell group. Achill and Pig, the 'trigger man' who killed eight Brits and the Officer Commander of a terrorist cell, clash over a girl whose father wants her back home. She had willingly come to Achill and he won't give her up. Pig insists the teenager will return to her da. Achill capitulates but throws in the towel. He knows it is his reputation that keep the Brits scared. Let them see what happens without him. He was done. He was going home. And that was the start of it. A terrible business altogether...Wait now till you hear the rest.~from Country by Michael Hughes A tenuous truce has brought temporary peace, but the cell group won't give up the fight. This time, they are sure they have the upper hand with inside information about British plans. Independence is theirs, if they have the heart for it. The tale is violent, gritty, filled with passion and tears. It is an engrossing read, a timeless and compelling story. I was attracted to the novel as a retelling of The Iliad, Homer's story of the falling out between Achilles and King Agamemnon during the Trojan War. It's been a very long time since I last read Homer. The plotline and themes are there to be found, but readers will enjoy this novel if you don't know Homer. Hughes novel has the feel of the epic in the narrative voice, the high passions, the rhythm of the language. I won an ARC from LibraryThing a year ago. After it didn't arrive, I contacted the publisher in the fall and they sent me the published edition. It was worth waiting for. ![]() ![]() no reviews | add a review
Classic Literature.
Fiction.
Literature.
HTML: Published to ravishing acclaim in the UK, a fierce and suspenseful reimagining of Homer's Iliad set in mid-1990s Northern Irelandâ??a heart pounding tale of honor and revenge that "explodes with verbal invention, rapid juxtaposition, brutality and fun" (Times Literary Supplement). Northern Ireland, 1996.
When an IRA man's wife turns informer, he and his brother gather their comrades for an assault on the local army base. But old grudges boil over, and the squad's feared sniper, Achill, refuses to risk his life to defend another man's pride. As the gang plots without him, the British SAS are sent to crush the rogue terror cell before it can wreck the fragile truce and drag the region back to the darkest days of the Troubles. Meanwhile, Achill's young protégé grabs his chance to join the fray in his place... Inspired by the oldest war story of them all, Michael Hughes's virtuoso novel explores the brutal glory of armed conflict, the cost of Ireland's most uncivil war, and the bitter tragedy of those on both sides who offer their lives to defend the dream of cou No library descriptions found. |
LibraryThing Early Reviewers AlumMichael Hughes's book Country was available from LibraryThing Early Reviewers. Current DiscussionsNonePopular covers
![]() GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)823.92Literature English English fiction Modern Period 2000-LC ClassificationRatingAverage:![]()
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“Someday, they knew, the string would be pulled to stop at all. Not yet. When all the pieces were in place. The higher-ups would settle it, find the middle course. Until then, we live and die here below. One nod of the head, one tip of the scales. The way it always was. The way it has to be.”
This book is based on Homer’s Iliad, but I read that book so long ago that I don’t remember the details. I made no attempt to “compare and contrast” the two books. This book is completely enjoyable even if you have never read the Iliad, based on a combination of the vivid (and profane) language and the compelling characters. Set in the 1990s, this book presents the conflict between the IRA and the British as a war, a gang fight and a Gunfight at the O. K. Coral. War is just a pointless mess, no matter the century. The motivations of the characters included pride, vengeance, patriotism and a desire to protect the defenseless, among other things. Women don’t play much of a role here. There is an informer, a whiny wife and a few who are passed around as war prizes.
I listened to the audiobook narrated by the author. That is usually a bad idea, but this author did an excellent job (although it took me a while to get used to the Irish accent). After I finished the book I discovered that the author is also an actor. That probably explains his skill as a narrator. I would be happy to read anything else he writes.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. (