Looking for a new read? Take a look at some of the books our library staff across the county are currently enjoying or recently finished in recent weeks…

 

American Wife – Curtis Sittenfield

Sarah in Cashel Library is presently enjoying America Wife by Curtis Sittenfield.

I am currently reading Curtis Sittenfield’s American Wife. It is a fictionalised account of the life of former first lady Laura Bush. We follow the life of quiet and serious Alice Blackwell from her small town childhood to becoming first lady of the US. Alice is a seventeen year old only child in Wisconsin when she is involved in a tragic accident that haunts her forever. She is a Democrat who never imagined becoming the wife of a Republican President and we see the conflict between her private beliefs and her public persona. Sittenfield’s writing is subtle and compelling and I am looking forward to reading Rodham next.

 

 

 

Stoner – John Williams

Greg in Headquaters has recently finished ‘Stoner’ by John Williams.

I recently read “Stoner” by John Williams which I stumbled on to by virtue of the fact that it was one of John McGahern’s favourite novels (he even wrote the introduction to Vinatge’s 2003 reissue of the book). Something of a literary curio “Stoner” didn’t become a bestseller until fifty years after its original publication. It’s as though it waited patiently for its audience to arrive and, in many ways, this echoes the texture of the narrative. William Stoner is raised on a farm in Missouri by his taciturn parents. He seems destined to live his life as a refrain of theirs but then his father recognizes that the business of farming is changing and insists that William sign up for a University course in Agricultural Science. Once there he finds himself drawn more and more to literature and, exposed to passion for the first time in his life, abandons his father’s plan for his life and decides upon his own. Unfortunately William is poorly equipped to navigate the nuances of such a departure and still clings to the familiar life-map of things you are supposed to do – marry, buy a house, have children. A novel about the importance of passion and the consequences of misguided decisions “Stoner” is rightly dubbed “the best novel you have never read”.

The Oppermans – Lion Feuchtwanger

Denis in Templemore Library recently read ‘The Oppermans’ by Lion Feuchtwanger.

This book is a tale of apparent normality but with  a slow, inexorable rise of evil in the background. First published in German in 1933 and translated into English by James Cleugh, it relates the story of a Berlin-based Jewish extended family in an almost nonchalent way with political and social events intruding occasionally. Yet the writing is so good you are always aware of the , at first, slow then more rapid collapse, of decency and democracy.

‘Since the appointment of the leader of the barbarians to the Chancellorship, very little had changed in the quiet streets of the residential section where Gustav lived. Now, during his first drive through the city, Gustav noticed with distaste the extent to which the barbarians were spreading themselves.’ Such sentences pepper this remarkable book , making you want to read them again. Rarely has a novel captured historical events of such epic proportions while also being so contemporary.
The author was forced to publish the book outside Germany as in August 1933 his German citizenship was revoked by the Nazis.

Originally written as a screenplay commissioned by British Prime Minister Ramsey Mac Donald (this idea fell through), Feuchtwanger used the screenplay as a basis for the novel, which he completed in October 1933. Perhaps now, with the availability of a vaccine for Covid and the demise of Trumpism,  this great work can be read with somewhat less foreboding.  Its re-issue early this year by Persephone Books is timely and necessary.’

 

Agent Sonya : Mother, lover, soldier, spy – Ben Macintyre

Denis also recently finished ‘Agent Sonya : Mother, lover, soldier, spy’ by Ben Macintyre.

Let’s cut to the chase here; this is a wonderful book, perhaps one of the best non-fiction works I have read in years. It’s got everything: love, adventure, travel, danger, murder, history and espionage. There’s even an Irish connection  but more about that later.

Ursula Kuczynskl was a German Jew born into a middle- class Berlin family. From her teenage years in the early nineteen twenties, she was involved in the anti- fascist struggle, joining the youth section of the Communist Party ( KPD). This comittment to Communism was to shape the rest of her life. Within a few years she she was a fully-fledged member of Moscow’s Red Army spy machine, starting in China and spending the next two decades operating in various countries including Poland, The Soviet Union, Switzerland and Britain.

Though a highly-committed Marxist ,Ursula (codename Sonya), was also a mother and home-maker. How she balanced this with a hugely stressful life as a  spy is a central theme of this work also. As the author states : ‘She did not put her work ahead of her children’  (she had three)  ‘but she did believe she could have both a family and a career as a spy.’ She was involved in a failed plot to assassinate Hitler in Switzerland in 1939. She was twice married yet neither husband was the real love of her life. Her one true love, Richard Sorge fellow spy, was hanged in Japan having been betrayed by Stalin.

From her arrival in Britain in early 1940, ‘Sonya’ embarked on perhaps the most important part of her espionage career when she was one of those responsible for ‘running’ Klaus Fuchs the nuclear scientist who passed information to Sonya (by this stage promoted to Colonel in the Red Army) on the British nuclear progamme and who continued to do so when working on the  Manhatten project in the US. This is a story in itself! Yet, despite the murderous betrayal by Stalin which resulted in the deaths of numerous of her friends and comrades, agent Sonya never lost her belief in communism and eventually settled in East Berlin.

The author writes: ‘Ursula Kuczynski was not a feminist. She had no interest in the role or rights of women in the wider world. Like most independent-minded women of her time, she had entered a male-dominated profession and excelled at it, using every possible advantage that her gender gave her’ There certainly was no glass ceiling in the spying profession.
But what about the Irish connection? When Ursula was in Shanghai, the head of the British special branch there ( Shanghai was then an open city) was Inspector Patrick T. Givens from Tipperary who saw it as his mission to round up as many suspected communists as possible and hand them over to the Chinese Nationalists and certain death. Givens retired to Bansha Castle in 1936.

 

The Warlow Experiment – Alix Nathan

Pat in Clonmel Library is currently enjoying Alix Nathan’s ‘The Warlow Experiment’.

Set in 1790s England, the book revolves around 2 main characters; Powyss, the rich and reclusive amateur scientist and Warlow, a local labourer who agrees to live in complete solitude underground for seven years, as part of an experiment.

The premise is quite scary (and based on real events) and – as you might expect – sets in motion a train of unsettling events. Not for the claustrophobic! There’s a rich cast of “supporting characters”. Recommended for those who like historical novels, but the history is not the main event here.

 

Searching for Seán: Remembering Seán Treacy 100 Years On – Niamh Hassett & Daniel Jack

Donal in Tipperary Town Library recently finished ‘Searching for Seán: Remembering Seán Treacy 100 years on’ by Niamh Hassett & Daniel Jack.

This book gives a detailed history of The War of Independence in Sth Tipperary and a great insight into the life of Sean Treacy from a young man growing up in Hollyford/Soloheadbeg to his killing by Crown forces in Talbot St in Oct 1920.He had a great love of the Irish language and Irish history. Éamon Ó Duibhir recalled “In Seán I found a kindred spirit, he loved the country, its people and the language. He became a fluent Irish speaker and strove in fair weather and foul to do his utmost for the cause”. Dan Breen also recalls ” There was not a man on this earth who could lead on Seán Treacy to any course which he did not wish to follow, the truth is that in the matter of patriotic endeavour he was the leader and I was his willing disciple”. The above quotes illustrate that Seán Treacy was immersed in Irish language and culture but above all in the freedom of Ireland from British rule.The book also gives detailed accounts of the Soloheadbeg ambush, the freeing of Seán Hogan from the station of Knocklong, the burning of the RiC barracks in Hollyford, Rearcross and Drangan.The death of Seán Treacy in October 1920 was a major blow to the cause of Irish freedom. Seán had a meeting arranged with his Dublin comrades in Talbot St at a shop known as the Republican outfitters. The British military entered the street from O’Connell St, Treacy was trapped inside, he had no option but to make a run for it out the front door, was surrounded by the police of the G  division, in the following shoot out he was shot in the head and died instantly. This book is a must read for anyone that has an interest in Irish history with a special connection to Tipperary.
Seán Treacy was part of Tipperary’s big four. Seán Treacy is buried in Kilfeacle Cemetry. Who will never more roam to his own native home in Tipperary so far away.