Strongbow: The Story of Richard And Aoife
A fictionalized biography based on true events in 12th-century England and Ireland, and told in alternating chapters by the principals, Richard de Clare--Strongbow--and Aoife. Both are children of warriors who have been stripped of their titles by hostile kings. Richard and Aoife's desires to regain what has been lost bring them together in a war for control of Ireland. The events of the tale are inherently compelling, but for a story grounded in warfare, the battle scenes are rather tepid. The alternating first-person narrations are oddly confusing--it may be hard for readers to keep track of all of the names. Llywelyn (Brian Boru, 1995, etc.) has created a book that, as an introduction to little-known historical incidents and people, is valuable and interesting; as a novel it is flawed. (Fiction. 12+) --Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.