Review: Makes Me Yearn for More
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 14, 2012
This is an outstanding book by Tim Vicary. The title made me think of a song I have called Grace by the Dubliners.  Interestingly, that song and it's history is mentioned at the end of the book.About the Book:Catherine, a wealthy, highborn heiress but during her medical training, falls for a fellow student, Sean, of lesser breeding. Catherine's not hiding her moral support of Sinn Fein but Sean is hiding a dreadful secret, one Catherine discovers by accident when her life is put in danger by Sinn Fein rebels. However, that doesn't change the way Catherine feels about Sean. When she does give herself to him, she has no regrets. Only when Catherine comes face to face with the murder of a police commander does she start to question what's really necessary to win Irish freedom.Meanwhile, her father, Sir Jonathan, has dark secrets of his own as he works to get control of the rebellion and find Michael Collins. Even as he makes a deal with the devil, he knows it's wrong and can only end badly.He engages the services of Andrew and even as he is asking Andrew to commit the foul act of eliminating Collins, Sir Jonathan thinks Andrew might be a fine choice of a husband for Catherine. Although Catherine's heart is set for Sean she begins to see some good qualities in Andrew, as well, up to a point.My Take:A great book and though most of the characters were pitted against each other, I took to each and every one of them.  It's hard to say what I wanted to happen as I wanted each character to succeed which was impossible. The very main characters, Kee the policeman, Andrew the young man scarred in the war and who recently lost his house to arson, Sean freedom fighter, and Catherine the traitor to her class, were so complete that one minute I was angry with them and the next I was pulling for them to 'win'. I can't say enough about how good the writing is and how completely the story takes the reader in.The bit of history the book explores is just enough for me to wonder how much is historical fact and how much is simply excellent story telling. As I read the book, my appetite was whetted for more history of that time.  How did the Irish win, when did they win, and why do we have Ireland and Northern Ireland?A more absorbing book which engages the reader would be hard to find, though perhaps those reading other genres might differ. However, my special genre is Science Fiction, and yet this book had me from the very start.Recommendation:I most highly recommend this book to anyone who likes historical fiction, tragic love stories, or just plain good books.