FRANK DELANEY

Riveting . . . Readers will quickly warm to [Frank] Delaneys vividly described Ireland of the 1950s, its fully realized inhabitants, and the dynamic political and personal relationships that make for a remarkable story.Publishers Weekly (starred review) If were to live good lives, we have to tell ourselves our own story. In a good way. So says Ben MacCarthys beloved mentor, and it is this fateful advice that will guide Ben through the tumultuous events of Ireland in 1956. The national mood is downtrodden; poverty, corruption, and an armed rebellion rattle the countryside; and although Ben wants no part of the insurrection, he unknowingly falls in with an IRA sympathizer. Yet despite his perilous circumstances, all he can think about is finding his former wife and true love, Venetia Kelly, who after many years has returned to Ireland with her brutish new husband, a popular stage performer. Determined not to lose Venetia again, Ben calls upon every bit of his passion and courage to win her back, while finally reconciling his violent past with his hopes for a bright future. Brimming with fascinating Irish history, daring intrigue, and the drama of legendary love, The Last Storyteller is an unforgettable novel as richly textured and inspiring as Ireland itself. A colorful, leisurely tale, with dark moments as well as humor and grace.The Star-Ledger A magical tale [that] weaves in a jackpot of Irish myths.Bookreporter Character-rich and dramatic.Library Journal

My wooing began in passion, was defined by violence and circumscribed by land; all these elements molded my soul. So writes Charles OBrien, the unforgettable hero of bestselling author Frank Delaneys extraordinary novela sweeping epic of obsession, profound devotion, and compelling history involving a turbulent era that would shape modern Ireland. Born into a respected Irish-Anglo family in 1860, Charles loves his native land and its long-suffering but irrepressible people. As a healer, he travels the countryside dispensing traditional cures while soaking up stories and legends of bygone timesand witnessing the painful, often violent birth of land-reform measures destined to lead to Irish independence. At the age of forty, summoned to Paris to treat his dying countrymanthe infamous Oscar WildeCharles experiences the fateful moment of his life. In a chance encounter with a beautiful and determined young Englishwoman, eighteen-year-old April Burke, he is instantly and passionately smittenbut callously rejected. Vowing to improve himself, Charles returns to Ireland, where he undertakes the preservation of the great and abandoned estate of Tipperary, in whose shadow he has lived his whole lifeand which, he discovers, may belong to April and her father. As Charles pursues his obsession, he writes the History of his own life and country. While doing so, he meets the great figures of the day, including Charles Parnell, William Butler Yeats, and George Bernard Shaw. And he also falls victim to less well-known characterswho prove far more dangerous. Tipperary also features a second historian: a present-day commentator, a retired and obscure history teacher who suddenly discovers that he has much at stake in the telling of Charless story. In this gloriously absorbing and utterly satisfying novel, a man s passion for the woman he loves is twinned with his countrys emergence as a nation. With storytelling as sweeping and dramatic as the land itself, myth, fact, and fiction are all woven together with the power of the great nineteenth-century novelists. Tipperary once again proves Frank Delaneys unrivaled mastery at bringing Irish history to life. Praise for Tipperary The narrative moves swiftly and surely. . . . A sort of Irish Gone With the Wind, marked by sly humor, historical awareness and plenty of staying power.Kirkus Reviews Another meticulously researched journeyDelaneys careful scholarship and compelling storytelling bring it uniquely alive. Highly recommended.Library Journal (starred)

BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Frank Delaneys The Last Storyteller.In the summer of 1943, as World War II rages on, Ben MacCarthy is haunted by the disappearance of his wife, the actress Venetia Kelly. Searching for purpose by collecting stories for the Irish Folklore Commission, he travels to a remote seaside cottage to profile the enigmatic Miss Kate Begley, the Matchmaker of Kenmare. Ben is immediately captivated by her, and a powerful friendship is forged. But when Charles Miller, a handsome American military intelligence officer, arrives on the scene, Miss Begley looks to make a match for herself. Miller needs a favor, but it will be dangerous. Under the cover of their neutrality as Irish citizens, Miss Begley and Ben travel to London and effectively operate as spies. As they are drawn more deeply and painfully into the conflict, both discover the perils of neutralityin both love and war. Steeped in colorful history, The Matchmaker of Kenmare is a lush and surprising novel, rich as myth, tense as a thriller, and, like all grand tales, harrowing, sometimes hilarious, and heartbreaking.

BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Frank Delaneys The Matchmaker of Kenmare.January 1932: Ben MacCarthy and his father watch a vagabond variety revue making a stop in the Irish countryside. After a two-hour kaleidoscope of low comedy, juggling, tumbling, and other entertainments, Bens father, mesmerized by Venetia Kelly, the troupes magnetic headliner, makes a fateful decision: to abandon his family and set off on the road with Miss Kelly and her caravan. Bens mother, shattered by the desertion, exhorts, Find him and bring him back, thereby sending the boy on a Homeric voyage into manhood.Interweaving a host of unforgettable creationsKing Kelly, Venetias violent, Mephistophelean grandfather; Sarah Kelly, Venetias mysterious, amoral mother; and even a truth-telling ventriloquists dummy named BlarneyFrank Delaney unfurls a splendid narrative that spans half the world and a tumultuous decade.

In the summer of 1922, Robert Shannon, a Marine chaplain and a young American hero of the Great War, lands in Ireland. He still suffers from shell shock, and his mentor hopes that a journey Robert had always wanted to maketo find his family roots along the banks of the River Shannonwill restore his equilibrium and his vocation. But there is more to the story: On his return from the war, Robert had witnessed startling corruption in the Archdiocese of Boston. He has been sent to Ireland to secure his silencepermanently. As Robert faces the dangers of a strife-torn Ireland roiling in civil war, the nations myths and people, its beliefs and traditions, unfurl healingly before him. And the River Shannon gives comfort to the young man who is inspired by the words of his mentor: Find your soul and youll live.

HEAVEN HELP THE SAILOR ON A NIGHT LIKE THIS.old folk prayerIn late December 1951, laden with passengers and nearly forty metric tons of cargo, the freighter S.S. Flying Enterprise steamed westward from Europe toward America. A few days into the voyage, she hit the eye of a ferocious storm. Force 12 winds tossed men about like playthings and turned drops of freezing Atlantic foam into icy missiles. When, in the space of twenty-eight hours, the ship was slammed by two rogue wavessolid walls of water more than sixty feet highthe impacts cracked the decks and hull almost down to the waterline, threw the vessel over on her side, and thrust all on board into terror.Flying Enterprises captain, Kurt Carlsen, a seaman of rare ability and valor, mustered all hands to patch the cracks and then try to right the ship. When these efforts came to naught, he helped transfer, across waves forty feet high, the passengers and the entire crew to lifeboats sent from nearby ships. Then, for reasons both professional and intensely personal, and to the amazement of the world, Carlsen defied all requests and entreaties to abandon ship. Instead, for the next two weeks, he fought to bring Flying Enterprise and her cargo to port. His heroic endeavor became the worlds biggest news.In a narrative as dramatic as the oceans fury, acclaimed bestselling author Frank Delaney tells, for the first time, the full story of this unmatched bravery and endurance at sea. We meet the devoted family whose well-being and safety impelled Carlsen to stay with his ship. And we read of Flying Enterprises buccaneering owner, the fearless and unorthodox Hans Isbrandtsen, who played a crucial role in Kurt Carlsens fate.Drawing on historical documents and contemporary accounts and on exclusive interviews with Carlsens family, Delaney opens a window into the world of the merchant marine. With deep affectionand respectfor the weather and all that goes with it, he places us in the heart of the storm, a biblical tempest of unimaginable power. He illuminates the bravery and ingenuity of Carlsen and the extraordinary courage that the thirty-seven-year-old captain inspired in his stalwart crew. This is a gripping, absorbing narrative that highlights one mans outstanding fortitude and heroic sense of duty. One of the great sea stories of the twentieth century [a] surefire nautical crowd-pleaser.--Booklist e (starred review)Frank Delaney has written a completely absorbing, thrilling and inspirational account of a disaster at sea that occasioned heroism of the first order. In the hands of a gifted storyteller, the simple courage of the ships captain and the young radio man who risked their lives to bring a mortally wounded ship to port reveals the essence and power of all true couragea stubborn devotion to the things we love.Senator John McCain

Dramatic, adventurous, heroic, romantic. . . these historical chronicles, legends, myths, tall tales and fables, featuring warriors, kings, monks, explorers and clever common folk, imaginatively tell the history of Ireland. Philadelphia InquirerThis New York Times bestselling epic saga is an unforgettable tour de force that marries the intimate, passionate texture of the Irish spirit with a historical scope that is sweeping and resplendent. In this celebrated work of historical fiction, storyteller extraordinaire Frank Delaney takes his readers on a journey through the history of Ireland, stopping along the way to evoke the dramatic events and personalities so critical to shaping the Irish experience.In the winter of 1951, a storyteller, the last practitioner of an honored, centuries-old tradition, arrives at the home of nine-year-old Ronan OMara in the Irish countryside. For three wonderful evenings, the old gentleman enthralls his assembled local audience with tales woven from Irish mythology, narratives of foolish kings, fabled saints, and Irelands enduring accomplishments before moving on. But these nights change young Ronan forever, sparking a coming of age journey as he sets off on a years-long pursuit of the elusive, itinerant storyteller and the glorious tales that are no less than the saga of his tenacious and extraordinary isle.