I plan to reread this again over vacation, as a refresher before I start the second book in the series. ( )

Rutherfurd's Princes of Ireland opens with a lesson in geography, anthropology, and history. I am always learning something new with historical fiction, like the difference between overlords and feudal lords. Did you know that Celtic warriors rode their horses naked? Kissing each other's nipples is a show of forgiveness? Clans buried their warriors standing up, facing their enemies camp, to keep an eye on them? So many customs and traditions and that is not even getting into the politics of the country!
Although I kept making comparisons to Thomas Flanagan's Irish series, Rutherfurd's Ireland is much rowdier than Flanagan's epic tale. People stealing horses for animalistic (pun intended) pleasures was a head scratcher for me. I have heard the rumors of men with sheep, but horses? Mythology and rituals abound. As an example, the success of the season's harvest is dependent on the druid's blessing. All of these details are a vehicle for the clever entanglement of fact and fiction - details so interwoven it is hard to tease them apart.
My favorite part of the story was Rutherfurd's mastermind of the relationship between Margaret and Joan. Margaret's misconceptions and prejudices of Joan were skillful and plausible. It was like a medieval gossip rag. Here is another drama: the king's wish to divorce his Spanish wife for the love of another. The townspeople quarrel about who is in the right. ( )

Excellent Irish history lesson ( )

If you like books in the manner of James Michener, then this one is for you. Rutherfurd has begun the history of Dublin from its earliest days as a small settlement around a dark pool. This book goes up to the Reformation; there is a second volume. I did get lost in the names at times, only because they aren't generally familiar to me. The family tree at the beginning was immensely helpful, as was the pronunciation guide in the back. ( )

I have always been afraid to pick up a Rutherford book, so when I found this one at a used book sale for a buck I decided it was time.

This story begins in the time of St. Patrick in the city of Dublin and continues through the ages, following connected relatives. Seeing Dublin through the eyes of the mighty, the religious, the common man you get a beautiful, yet sometimes brutal portrait of the city and the people who lived there. At over 700 pages, you need to expect it to drag on at times. This is the only reason I could not offer up 5 stars. It appears that true fans of Rutherford find this book not one of their favorites. That alone urges me to continue reading this author. The Dublin Saga is 2 books, so I will move on to that one before venturing further. ( )