Strongbow: The Story of Richard & Aoife - Softcover

Llywelyn, Morgan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0862782740 ISBN 13: 9780862782740

Publisher: The O'Brien Press, 1993

Synopsis

This title presents the dramatic story of the Norman conquest of Ireland in the 12th century. It is full of battles and warfare, but a story of love, too, between an unlikely pair - wilful and wild Irish princess Aoife, and Strongbow, the greatest of the Norman knights to come to Ireland. It also presents a clash of cultures and a vivid story of one of the Greats of Irish history.

About this title

About the Author

Historian and novelist Morgan Llywelyn was born in New York City, but after the death of her husband and parents in 1985 returned to Ireland to take up citizenship in the land of her grandparents and make her permanent home there. After making the shortlist for the United States Olympic Team in Dressage in 1975, but not making the team itself, she turned to writing historical novels exploring her Celtic roots. The most successful of these was Lion of Ireland - The Legend of Brian Boru, which was published in 1980 and has sold into the millions of copies. She received the Novel of the Year Award from the National League of American Penwomen for her novel The Horse Goddess as well as the Woman of the Year Award from the Irish-American Heritage Committee for Bard: The Odyssey of the Irish. The latter award was presented to her by Ed Koch, then-mayor of New York City. Morgan is also the author of A Pocket History of Irish Rebels for the O'Brien Pocket Books Series. In 1990 Morgan Llywelyn turned to writing for the young reader, with the publication of Brian Boru, Emperor of the Irish, a biography in the novelistic style, by The O'Brien Press, Dublin. For this book she won an Irish Children's Book Trust Bisto Award in 1991. Her second book for the young reader is Strongbow, The Story of Richard and Aoife (The O'Brien Press) 1992, for which she won a Bisto Award in the Historical Fiction category, 1993 and the Reading Association of Ireland Award, 1993. Her third novel for young readers, entitled Star Dancer, (The O'Brien Press) was drawn from her experience of the world of showjumping and dressage. She has also written The Vikings in Ireland, an exploration of what actually happened when the Norsemen landed in Ireland. Morgan's latest book for children is Pirate Queen, the story of Grace O'Malley, told partly through letters from Granuaile to her beloved son. It is a thrilling tale of adventure that brings this unorthodox and inspiring historical figure to life.

From Booklist

Gr. 9-12. A well-treated story of a medieval couple, Aoife (Red Eva) MacMurrough, an Irish princess, and Richard (Strongbow) de Clare, a Norman knight. The characters are real, resurrected by Llywelyn's lively art, and lead lives compatible with the times--sometimes lovely, sometimes violent. The two principals take turns--in alternate chapters--telling their stories. The style is reminiscent of E. L. Konigsburg and an effective means of introducing youth to the Middle Ages. Readers will gather a good knowledge of Irish history while following the excitement of early Irish politics and warfare; Ireland is not given much space in medieval studies, so this novel contributes to a more complete picture of that era. The love between Aoife and Richard is wonderfully free of saccharinity but tender in its realism. The progress of the plot features their adaptation to invasion and other external events while preserving their dignity and sensitivity as persons. Gary Young

About this edition

• Publisher: The O'Brien Press
• Publication date: 1993
• ISBN 10: 0862782740
• ISBN 13: 9780862782740
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 160