Tipperary

By Frank Delaney



Though this book is a couple of years old, I still wanted to read and review it. Partially because the subject matter is dear to my heart, but also because Tipperary did not fare as well in reviews as Ireland, also by Frank Delaney.

So, did I like it?

My answer would have to be a resounding yes! Granted, Tipperary starts off requiring the reader to think a little more than some novels. Frank Delaney gave the book two narrators in two different time periods. Ultimately in doing so, it truly works to the reader's advantage.

The first narrator is Charles O'Brien. Born in 1860 in Tipperary, he is the son of well-respected parents who run their own farm. Charles has no interest in taking over the family business so he sets out to become an herbal healer to the country folk of Ireland. After apprenticing with Dr. Egan, Charles gains a bit of notoriety for his skills and gets called to Paris to treat Oscar Wilde, a fellow Irishman. There, he meets April Burke, young at the age of eighteen, especially in comparison to Charles O'Brien's then age of forty. Age knows no bounds, and Charles immediately falls in love with April, only to be rebuffed time after time.

The second narrator is a man in the next generation who has found Charles O'Brien's journal. This second voice is actually what gives the novel validity and depth because he explains what O'Brien is talking about in relation to what else was going on in history at that point in time. Partway through the story though, you discover that this second voice is not just a very helpful guidebook. He is actually linked to the characters the reader comes to embrace.

Tipperary is a multi-faceted book about Ireland and her geography, her history and her traditions. It is a book about war and rebellions, about genealogy and roots that run deeper than can be seen from the surface. Tipperary is a book about love of land and family; it is a story about the many passions of life.

Reading Frank Delaney's Tipperary will enthrall the soul and make the reader wish for the spell to never be broken. It is a delightful journey of highs and lows, of trials and felicity. Tipperary must be traversed by anyone who thrills at finding passions in life.