Four Stories Till the End

by Zoran Zivkovic

Description

This major new history book tells of the last great famine in European history. First-hand accounts and writings by four contemporary real people are used to give a complete and personal picture of the historic tragedy. Elizabeth Smith - An English lady who was a landlords wife in Wicklow. John MacHale - the Catholic archbishop of Tuam, who was hated by British politicians and his many Irish enemies though much loved by his devoted flock for his radicalism and concern for the poor. Sir show more Charles Trevelyan - the infamous Assistant Secretary to the Treasury, the senior official who oversaw relief efforts in Ireland. John Mitchel was an Irish nationalist whose passionate views on British government in Ireland helped create a deep sense of grievance among the Irish diaspora, especially in America. His most famous judgment may be 'The Almighty, indeed, sent the potato blight. But the English created the Famine.' Each of these characters brings a unique perspective, influenced by who they were, what they witnessed, and what they stood for. Human failings are evident in the actions and personalities of each of them: whether this be Trevelyan's unflinching commitment to administrative rectitude over and above all other considerations, Smith's instinctive abhorrence of Catholicism, MacHale's disputatious nature, or the ferocity of Mitchel's hatred of everything English. By retelling the well-known events of the Irish Famine through the lives and experiences of these four very different individuals, this allows for an intimate perspective on these tragic years. show less

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DRFP 260 reviews

Much like with Zivkovic's The Bridge this book left me wondering what the point was. Something to do with death or purgatory maybe? The meaning aside, this book was written in an incredibly boring manner. The repetitions, not uncommon for the author, were extremely tedious this time round. You knew every time the narrator would be disturbed. You knew how many times. You knew an item would be left behind. You knew the visitors would waffle on about things the narrator didn't want, agree with or care about. You knew he would only make terse or minor polite statements in response to his visitors. And this happened every single time!

The entire book was just so repetitious and uninteresting to read and this is the first time I can say that show more about a Zivkovic book. Pretty disappointed with this. Maybe one to skip from his bibliography. show less

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