Country
A Novel
گزارش تخلف
کتاب های مرتبط
- اطلاعات
- نقد و بررسی
- دیدگاه کاربران
نقد و بررسی
August 5, 2019
Hughes’s clever conceit in this dark take on political violence—the Irish author’s American debut—is to transport The Iliad from ancient Troy to Northern Ireland in the mid-’90s, during a cease-fire between the IRA and the British. The year is 1996, and Nellie is married to an IRA soldier while simultaneously being an informer for the British. When she fears exposure, she is spirited out of the country, thus paving the way for an SAS roll-up of her husband’s unit. To combat the SAS, Pig, the local IRA head, calls for the support of Achill, the most feared member of his unit. But Achill has a personal grudge against Pig and turns him down. In his stead, Achill’s friend, Pat, goes one-on-one with an SAS officer, Capt. Henry Morrow, even as the powers that be in London, Belfast, and Dublin use the cease-fire to their own, opposing cynical ends. The tragedy that ensues sheds light on what these past and present conflicts have in common. The original gang from The Iliad is represented—Helen, Agamemnon, Achilles, Patroclus, Menelaus, Hector—and it is the author’s language that keeps the story fresh. There is rough poetry in both the self-serving speechifying of the leaders and the violent threats of the rank-and-file. This is a canny update of one of the world’s oldest stories.
Actor and writer Michael Hughes presents this vivid and audacious reimagining of THE ILIAD with a musical brogue that puts the listener squarely in Ireland. The story is set in the North in 1996 during the cease-fire on the eve of peace talks. "The Troubles" provide the backdrop for the Homeric plot and give this story of violence, ancient animosities, and endless rebellion a fine skeleton to build on. Hughes captures the Celtic ambiance in the lilt of the characters' voices. He also does Brits and Yanks equally well. The story recounts the outsider lives of the rebels, highlighting Irish food, drink, and lingo. This audiobook has all the elements of a revenge tragedy--flawed heroes and perfidious informers. An immersive and compelling work. A.D.M. � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
دیدگاه کاربران