1921: The Great Novel of the Irish Civil War

By Morgan Llywelyn

The struggle of the Irish people for independence is one of the epic tales of the 20th century. Morgan Llywelyn has chosen it as the subject of her major work, The Irish Century, a multi-novel chronicle that began with 1916, and now continues in 1921, both a story and a history.

The two big historical names in 1921 are Eamon de Valera and Michael Collins, both famous, mysterious, and familiar Irish figures.

The year 1921 is the year of the Irish Civil War and the year of the separation of Ireland into two nations, south and north. The central character is Henry Mooney, a journalist (based upon the author's grandfather), who struggles for truth in his reporting during the terrible conflict, and falls in love with an Englishwoman in Ireland in the midst of political and military horrors.

The Irish Century Novels
1916: A Novel of the Irish Rebellion
1921: The Great Novel of the Irish Civil War
1949: A Novel of the Irish Free State
1972: A Novel of Ireland's Unfinished Revolution
1999: A Novel of the Celtic Tiger and the Search for Peace

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Publishers
• Release date: Apr 1, 2010
• ISBN: 9781429913157

Morgan Llywelyn

MORGAN LLYWELYN is the author of such highly praised historical novels as the New York Times bestselling Lion of Ireland, Bard, Brian Boru, Finn Mac Cool, Pride of Lions, and 1916. She is celebrated as the high priestess of Celtic historical fiction and has won numerous awards for her historical fiction. She lives near Dublin, Ireland.

Reviews for 1921

[hagelstein_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Llywelyn mixes fiction with a large dose of fact and history in this novel of the struggle for Irish independence. The fictional journalist Henry Mooney rubs shoulders with Michael Collins, Eamon de Valera, Cathal Brugha, and other real-life key figures in the republican and free-state movements. The story builds momentum as it progresses and is propelled in part by extensive research, which helps in understanding the pain and bitterness resulting from this period in Irish history.

[kendrarenee · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A long historical fiction novel that didn't win me over right away. I felt like her style was a little choppy/awkward, and her characters somewhat underdeveloped. The farther I read, though, the better the plot and dialogue seemed to flow. Also, Llywelyn had some really beautiful passages describing the Irish countryside, the war, and the Irish people. It really drew me in, took me back to a time that Llywelyn had obviously researched really really well. Is this woman Irish?? Or just a really good linguist? Anyway, loved the book: entertainment and an education on the Irish Revolution/Civil War all in one.