As they have since birth, Joseph Brennan and his sister, Breege, are living on the Irish farm of their ancestors when Mick Bugler arrives from Australia to claim his late uncle's farm next door. The inevitable happens. Joseph initially befriends him, Breege falls in love with him, there is a battle over land, there's a murder and some madness. This is not, however, a book of cliches written by a professional Irishman. With her inimitable gift for describing the occasions of heartbreak, O'Brien brings Joseph's love for his land to the level of his sister's love for both him and his rival, Bugler. A classic drama ensues, involving the full range of human bonds and betrayals, leavened by the human comedy.
"A mood akin to that of WUTHERING HEIGHTS - and indeed the spirit of Emily Bronte seems to hover over this novel..." (Irish Times)
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Wild Decembers begins lushly with a prologue that's as much a prose poem as a map, full of cautionary demarcations. "Cloontha it is called--a locality within the bending of an arm," Edna O'Brien writes of her setting in western Ireland. With its "relics of battles of the long ago" and memories of the potato famine still in the soil, it's clear that "the enemy can come at any hour." This time, the enemy appears in the form of Mick Bugler--described variously as a "dark horse," a "caveman," and "the Shepherd"--who has returned from Australia to claim his late uncle's farm. To Joseph Brennan, as native to tiny Cloontha as its relics, the stranger who has taken possession of the farm next to his is briefly a novelty, less briefly a friend, and finally excites in him a fear and a love of boundaries that proves murderous.
O'Brien's Irish hero recites biblical, Greek, and Irish history, mingling them until the world's story, as he sees it, is a tribute to immovable men such as Moses, who he swears settled Cloontha for the likes of him. Unmarried and devoted to the sister with whom he lives, Joseph is so blind with love for the life and land he and his forebears have earned--and with the will to preserve them against the barest change--that his own inability to give way is his undoing. Inevitably, his sister Breege and Bugler fall in love, but, in a landscape where everything is a contest of ownership and men measure their stature against a woman's fidelity, this love thrives exuberantly, though not lastingly, like "flowers that are hatched in the snows." In her 11th novel, O'Brien gives as good as Shakespeare: there's a little of Iago in the town fool, a deliciously nasty cripple named Crock, and a little of Ophelia in pretty Breege. The author means to break your heart, and her startling and redemptive prose leaves you as nostalgic as Joseph Brennan for what might have been, as eager for the next chapter as you are disquieted by its implications. --Amy Grace Loyd
4 1.5-hour cassettes
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Shipping:
US$ 10.65
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Seller: WeBuyBooks 2, Rossendale, LANCS, United Kingdom
Condition: Good. Most items will be dispatched the same or the next working day. A copy that has been read but remains in clean condition. All of the pages are intact and the cover is intact and the spine may show signs of wear. The book may have minor markings which are not specifically mentioned. A tan to the pages. Foxing to the pages. Seller Inventory # wbb0025116357
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: AwesomeBooks, Wallingford, United Kingdom
Perfect Paperback. Condition: Very Good. Wild December (Roman) This book is in very good condition and will be shipped within 24 hours of ordering. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. See all our books here, order more than 1 book and get discounted shipping. . Seller Inventory # 7719-9780752833842
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: WeBuyBooks 2, Rossendale, LANCS, United Kingdom
Condition: LikeNew. Most items will be dispatched the same or the next working day. An apparently unread copy in perfect condition. Dust cover is intact with no nicks or tears. Spine has no signs of creasing. Pages are clean and not marred by notes or folds of any kind. Books may contain a remainder mark on an outside edge but this shoul. Seller Inventory # wbs9533379558
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: WeBuyBooks 2, Rossendale, LANCS, United Kingdom
Condition: VeryGood. Most items will be dispatched the same or the next working day. A copy that has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. Seller Inventory # wbs9434037977
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Bahamut Media, Reading, United Kingdom
Perfect Paperback. Condition: Very Good. Shipped within 24 hours from our UK warehouse. Clean, undamaged book with no damage to pages and minimal wear to the cover. Spine still tight, in very good condition. Remember if you are not happy, you are covered by our 100% money back guarantee. Seller Inventory # 6545-9780752833842
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Ammareal, Morangis, France
Softcover. Condition: Bon. Couverture différente. Edition 1999. Ammareal reverse jusqu'à 15% du prix net de cet article à des organisations caritatives. ENGLISH DESCRIPTION Book Condition: Used, Good. Different cover. Edition 1999. Ammareal gives back up to 15% of this item's net price to charity organizations. Seller Inventory # F-521-240
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Iridium_Books, DH, SE, Spain
De poche. Condition: Used - Good. Seller Inventory # 9780752833842-B
Quantity: 1 available