NOVEL: After The Rising – The Irish Trilogy 1

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(8 customer reviews)

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“One is immersed in this epic story immediately and effortlessly… The main characters are so well-drawn that you feel you have heard about them in your own life.” – The Evening Herald

A death in the present—a killing in the past.

After twenty years away, Jo Devereux flies home to Ireland for her mother's funeral — the mother she hasn't spoken to for more than two decades. Every minute there reminds her of all the reasons she left and she has no desire to reacquaint herself with her home village. Or with Rory O'Donovan, her lost love.

Then, she reads her mother's will. Her inheritance is a chest full of letters and journals, written by her grandmother and great-aunt, that answer a long held secret. Who murdered her great-uncle in the Irish Civil War.. and why?  How did what an uprising for Irish freedom and independence degenerate into a bitter civil war where neighbor turned against neighbor, and family against family– leaving a legacy of lies, secrets, and silences for generations to come?

As Jo unearths the bitter, buried history she shares with Rory she finally understands why their love was doomed from the start. But what about now? Can she stay true to both her heart and her heritage? She knows from her own life how the wild energy of rebellion can carry someone away… but what happens after the rising?

A sweeping, multigenerational tale set in the 1920s and 1990s Ireland and 1980s San Francisco. This is the first book in Orna Ross's Irish Trilogy, followed by Before the Fall.

You can buy both books together in a 2-for-1 special, After The Rising & Before the Fall

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8 reviews for NOVEL: After The Rising – The Irish Trilogy 1

  1. M Winlv

    Timely fiction filling in real history

    The title After the Rising crew me in as I knew that I didn’t know much about this period. As an Irish-American I am fascinated by the Rising but confused about the Aftermath. For many of us swept up in 1916 it is hard to fathom 1922. This book helped me see this terrible period and feel the difficulties that in many ways continue to this day. ThAnk you Ms. Ross for this story.

    See original review on Amazon.com

  2. Gwenda Sutton

    Loved this book

    I enjoyed this book so much and am looking forward to starting the next one in this trilogy. I loved going back and forth through the three time periods and seeing how they linked up. The history and the early political situation was well written and easy to understand and the characters all very believable. A great read.

    See original review on Amazon.com

  3. Mary Upton

    What It Means To be Irish

    After the Rising, sweeps the reader into a story which encapsulates the essential irishness of Ireland. The characters bring an immediacy of connection.; warm, human, many layered and at times, harsh. The story unfolds in a landscape drenched in history and extraordinary beauty. I longed to be there, walking on the deserted and wild beaches, savouring a Guiness in a local bar, while tapping a foot and soaking up the craic. Orna Ross does not shy away from the heart break and sadness which permeates Ireland’s history and how the scars continue to reverberate through relationships and political divisions, to this day.
    My only negative observation is that I found the weaving of history somewhat difficult, particulrly reading on Kindle. With a book it is easier to flip back to check on names etc. Despite this, I will remember this book and it’s fascinating characters for many a year.

    See original review on Amazon.com

  4. Cas

    An engaging story

    Very well written story of feuding families caught in the Irish rising. Excellent characters who are thoroughly believable. Issues such as abortion and other social taboos in Ireland at the time add to the drama. I would give this five stars, but it is a little slow and if you cannot read it in a short space of time, it is easy to forget what was going on when you left off. However, I thoroughly recommend it to serious readers.

    See original review on Amazon.com

  5. Lucy

    Atmospheric Ireland

    Nicely written and atmospheric… Very enjoyable.

    See original review on Amazon.com

  6. Phil and Raine

    A wonderful book to savour and enjoy

    Every once in a while a book comes along, which offers both beauty, as well as entertainment, this is such a book. The narrative style and viewpoint change throughout the story and what might seem confusing in the beginning, quickly gives way to a rich tapestry of carefully developed intricacies, which sweep you along with a raw passion. There is a great deal of truth in this work and at times I had to keep reminding myself that it was a work of fiction and not a memoir, the writing really is this personal, in depth and in emotional content. The time periods are captured perfectly and the characters interesting and real. A Great book.

    See original review on Amazon.com

  7. Joan Fallon

    Betrayal, murder and lost friendships

    Ms Ross is a very perceptive writer, who has gone straight to the heart of small town mentality in this fascinating story of a young woman who returns to her home town in Ireland after living in the USA. It’s a town that was split between two opposing factions over Irish independence and, as in a civil war, families were divided. The resentment over past betrayals and treachery still lingers as Jo tries to come to terms with events that shaped her life in a way she did not want. But she was one of the lucky ones, unlike her mother and her aunt. At times it was like reading an Irish Romeo and Juliet, because loving someone from the wrong family was never going to work. I enjoyed this book very much. The prose was lyrical and the characters were very believable. I look forward to reading more of Ms Ross’s books.

    See original review on Amazon.com

  8. Leila Smith

    The sinking sands of Coolanagh

    Orna Ross has written a masterpiece and in this age of exaggeration and hyperbole I hope I can convey just how exceptional is her book After The Rising.

    There is not a spare word nor a trite phrase anywhere in this book – the prose is absolutely gorgeous.

    See original review on Amazon.com