Covering the eighty-plus years of the life of Minnie O’Brien,The Banyan Tree is a rich saga of rural Ireland in the twentieth century. In prose as lushly layered as the land it describes, Nolan lovingly details the triumphs and tragedies of this spirited woman, who struggles to keep body and soul, as well as her modest hopes, alive. While her three grown children have long since moved away, she is determined to keep her family’s farm from the tightening grip of her unscrupulous neighbor, in the hope that one day her youngest will return to claim what is rightfully his. Weaving from the gentle world of Minnie’s youth to the harder realities of the present, this sage and soulful story pays homage to a feisty individual spirit as well as a rich collective past.
Eileen G. (dulcimerlady) from CASTLE ROCK, WA wrote on 6/16/2006...
Intriguing novel by this author who is mute and paralyzed - he had to type it by having someone hold his head while he tapped at a typewriter with a stick attached to his forehead. His use of language is especially well honed, painstakingly descriptive and unusual. This is a well thought-out story, a rich saga of rural Ireland in the 20th century, spanning 80+ years of a feisty individualistic woman. A good read, and I really enjoyed it.
Matthew R. from POTTSVILLE, PA wrote on 10/29/2005...
The story of an Irish farm woman-the events and people during her 80 plus years of life.