Tipperary

My wooing began in passion was defined by violence and circumscribed by land; all these elements molded my soul. So writes Charles OBrien the unforgettable hero of best-selling author Frank Delaneys extraordinary novel - a sweeping epic of obsession profound devotion and compelling history involving a turbulent era that would shape modern Ireland.Born into a respected Irish-Anglo family in 1860 Charles loves his native land and its long-suffering but irrepressible people. As a healer he travels the countryside dispensing traditional cures while soaking up stories and legends of bygone times - and witnessing the painful often violent birth of land-reform measures destined to lead to Irish independence. At the age of 40 summoned to Paris to treat his dying countryman - the infamous Oscar Wilde - Charles experiences the fateful moment of his life. In a chance encounter with a beautiful and determined young Englishwoman 18-year-old April Burke he is instantly and passionately smitten - but callously rejected. Vowing to improve himself Charles returns to Ireland where he undertakes the preservation of the great and abandoned estate of Tipperary in whose shadow he has lived his whole life - and which he discovers may belong to April and her father.As Charles pursues his obsession he writes the History of his own life and country. While doing so he meets the great figures of the day including Charles Parnell William Butler Yeats and George Bernard Shaw. And he also falls victim to less well-known characters - who prove far more dangerous. Tipperary also features a second historian: a present-day commentator a retired and obscure history teacher who suddenly discovers that he has much at stake in the telling of Charles story. In this gloriously absorbing and utterly satisfying novel a man''s passion for the woman he loves is twinned with his country''s emergence as a nation. With storytelling as sweeping and dramatic as the land itself myth fact and fiction are all woven together with the power of the great 19th-century novelists. Tipperary once again proves Frank Delaney''s unrivaled mastery at bringing Irish history to life. Praise for TipperaryThe narrative moves swiftly and surely.... A sort of Irish Gone with the Wind marked by sly humor historical awareness and plenty of staying power. (Kirkus Reviews)Another meticulously researched journey...Delaneys careful scholarship and compelling storytelling bring it uniquely alive. Highly recommended. (Library Journal starred)