1949: A Novel of the Irish Free State

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Description

Ursula Halloran, the daughter of a famous revolutionary, comes of age in the turbulent 1920s. An education in Switzerland broadens her worldview, but Ireland has become a repressive Catholic state where women are second-class citizens. Married women cannot hold jobs and divorce is illegal. Fighting against the stifling constraints of church and state, Ursula forges an exciting career in the fledgling Irish radio service. Her life is torn apart when she finds herself caught between two men who love her in very different ways. Refusing to surrender her hard-won independence to marriage or her illegitimate infant to an orphanage, she flees to Europe. There she takes a job with the League of Nations and is caught up in the terrifying outbreak of World War II. Hard decisions and desperate situations stand between Ursula and any hope of returning to the land she loves.

Reviews

"The book captures the excitement, wonder and pathos of this period of contemporary history."--Irish American News

"Llywelyn's feat is a remarkable one, which will help countless readers come to terms with the complexities of the Irish century, from the Easter Rising right up to the new millennium."--Irish America Magazine on the Irish Century series

"Llywelyn may rightly lay claim to the title 'Novelist Laureate of the Irish'."--James O'Neill O'Brien, O'Brien Clan Foundation

"[Her] great strength is her ability to communicate sweeping historical events through the eyes of both passive bystanders and active participants."--Booklist on 1949

Author Bio

Since 1980, MORGAN LLYWELYN has created a body of work chronicling the Celts and Ireland, from the earliest times to the present day. Her critically acclaimed novels, both of history and of mythology, have been translated into many languages. Her books include 1916 and Bard: The Odyssey of the Irish. Llywelyn lives in Dublin.