The Wild Irish

Title: The Wild Irish
Author: Robin Maxwell
Reading level: All
Hardcover: 378 pages
ISBN #:9780060091439
Received From: I bought it
Publisher: Harper Collins
Group Genre: Historical Fiction
Cover: B+
Overall: B-

"Elizabeth, Queen of England, has taken on the mighty Spanish Armada and, in a stunning sea battle, vanquished it. But her troubles are far from over. At home she is challenged at every turn by the brilliant but reckless Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, whose dangerous mix of passion and political ambition drives the aging queen to distraction. Just across the western channel, her colony—Ireland—is embroiled in seething rebellion, with the island's fierce, untamed clan chieftains and their "wild Irish" followers refusing to bow to their English oppressors. Grace O'Malley—a notorious pirate, gunrunner, and "Mother of the Irish Rebellion"—is at the heart of the conflict. For years, she has fought against the English stranglehold on her beloved country. At the height of the uprising, Grace takes an outrageous risk, sailing up the Thames to London for a face-to-face showdown with her nemesis, the Queen of England. The historic meeting of these two female titans set the stage for the telling of the little-known but crucial saga of Elizabeth's Irish war, a conflict at the very root of every subsequent Irish uprising. "

I love Robin Maxwell's books and this one was no exception. She has a knack for piecing together historical facts and fabulous fiction. Although this book wasn't my favorite (that would be Signora da Vinci) I still commend the author for writing about such a little known time period in Elizabeth I reign. I've always thought this time period to be overshadowed and really enjoyed Robin bringing it back into the light. Grace was a fascinating character and I loved the way she and Elizabeth butted heads. Also Essex although sickly, and winy was one of my most notable characters. But it seemed to me as is the author's writing style changed a little in this novel. It was more jumpy and I can see with it being more of a war based fiction (and also following the three main characters). But I love her other novels where you can really dig your heels in and get involved with the characters. In The Wild Irish there was soo many clans and courtiers and soldiers I feel as if I need to re-read the book (which isn't a bad thing) to grasp all the events that had occurred. I did however enjoy learning more about the Irish/English conflict and found it interesting to see both sides of the story. So in my opinion this was a good book with a great plot but if your looking for this authors best I would try one of her other novels (much praise for Signora da Vinci).

LOL=Lots Of Love