There is nothing I like better than settling down with a good book. You know, the kind that not only has a great plot, but likable characters and good prose; one that will sweep you away to far off lands or time gone by. If you like this type of book then I highly suggest you read Frank Delaneys The Last Storyteller.
The book is the last of his Irish historical fiction and in my mind the best. Delaney interweaves Irish mythology into a story set in the turbulent 1950s Ireland. He goes back and forth, as all good storytellers do, taking his readers with him.
The book jacket suggests the book is about Ben, a collector of stories who finds himself caught up with rebellious gunrunners all the while trying to find his former wife and love his life the actress Venetia Kelly. If this name sounds familiar it is because she is the subject of Delaneys previous book Venetia Kellys Traveling Show. Yet the book is much more than this, it is a wonderful collection of mythology that Delaney says he either collected or made up himself. You cannot tell which is which.
How to describe Delaneys use of prose? This always eludes me when I am trying to convince someone to read one of his books. He is an author who can, in a few short words, describe a scene that would take others paragraphs. One of my favorite quotes from the book is from Ben as he sits in an Irish pub, Using no energy, I eavesdropped on the silence around me, punctuated by snatches of idle conversation. This is the type of style Delaney is famous for and why I continue to read his work.
If you ever sat at the feet of a great storyteller and were awed by his ability to hook you in and keep you, then I highly recommend The Last storyteller.
The book is the last of his Irish historical fiction and in my mind the best. Delaney interweaves Irish mythology into a story set in the turbulent 1950s Ireland. He goes back and forth, as all good storytellers do, taking his readers with him.
The book jacket suggests the book is about Ben, a collector of stories who finds himself caught up with rebellious gunrunners all the while trying to find his former wife and love his life the actress Venetia Kelly. If this name sounds familiar it is because she is the subject of Delaneys previous book Venetia Kellys Traveling Show. Yet the book is much more than this, it is a wonderful collection of mythology that Delaney says he either collected or made up himself. You cannot tell which is which.
How to describe Delaneys use of prose? This always eludes me when I am trying to convince someone to read one of his books. He is an author who can, in a few short words, describe a scene that would take others paragraphs. One of my favorite quotes from the book is from Ben as he sits in an Irish pub, Using no energy, I eavesdropped on the silence around me, punctuated by snatches of idle conversation. This is the type of style Delaney is famous for and why I continue to read his work.
If you ever sat at the feet of a great storyteller and were awed by his ability to hook you in and keep you, then I highly recommend The Last storyteller.
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