The Kings in Winter

by Cecelia Holland

Book Overview

From the acclaimed author of Pillar of the Sky: "A great study of a character in conflict and a recommended read for lovers of Irish history." --Historical Novel Society Set in Ireland during the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 031286888X
• ISBN13: 9780312868888
• Release Date: February 2000
• Publisher: Forge
• Length: 205 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.5" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

A historical novel of character

What makes Holland so distinctive among historical novelists (along with Rosemary Sutcliffe) is that while others write plot-driven action-adventure stories only slightly more literary than the Hardy Boys, she writes modern, character-driven novels of psychological realism that just happen to be set in medieval history. Understandably, those who only enjoy swashbuckling heroes on epic quests would find them dull and confusing. But if you want to get a sense what it might have felt like to be a medieval Irishman, this story of Muirtagh O'Cullinane is a miniature masterpiece. Muirtagh is a complex man caught in a complex political and personal situation, torn between allegiance to his king, family loyalty, and an oath he swore not to continue the feud between his clan and the MacMahons. (Much of this takes place before the novel opens and is revealed through conversation rather than straightforward exposition--you have to pay attention to understand it). The working out of his personal dilemma as he struggles to maintain his own integrity in the midst of the routine treachery of Irish dynastic politics is really the subject of the novel. The war is only background.Muirtagh is one of the most fully realized characters in historical fiction, and The Kings in Winter is one of Holland's best.

Nicely Done Tale of the Battle of Clontarf

The confrontation at Clontarf (near the expatriate Scandinavian colony of Dublin) between the Norse world and the Irish king Brian Boru, which ended in the total route of the vikings (who had come from all over the North to seize Ireland) and the death of the famous high king himself, has always seemed to me a fitting subject for a great work of fiction. It resonates in the great Norse sagas, as so many famous Icelanders and Norsemen took part in it, and historically because it was a turning point in the Irish battle against the viking incursion. Ms. Holland here offers a very nice literary rendering of the time and its events in this, her tale of a renegade clan chief, driven to side with the insurgent king Maelmordha and his viking allies in their doomed bid to unseat Brian the high king. Muirtagh o' Cullinane is a fascinating anti-hero who is too small to fight sword to sword against bigger men and so has perfected his archery as a counterweight in the world of warriors. An accomplished harpist, and thoughtful beyond the measure of most of his contemporaries, Muirtagh is the victim of a generational feud with the clan mac Mahon which has all but wiped out the bulk of his kin. Struggling to suppress the blood feud for fear it will result in the wholesale destruction of his remaining family members, Muirtagh is finally drawn back into it through the killing of his younger brother. Driven into exile and outlawry as a result of this killing and his dramatic response to it, Muirtagh finds uneasy comradery with his country's viking enemies and is present at the final showdown which resolved the longstanding threat of the Dublin vikings. Although the story is somewhat slow in the beginning, it picks up sharply with the killing that forces Muirtagh into exile and becomes truly fascinating when he finds himself in the company of viking killers in Dublin. The overall depiction of Irish clan culture and the final battle at Clontarf are wonderfully done though I must admit I thought the ending rather a letdown. I would have preferred something less anti-climactic in its denouement and which also served to resolve many of the threads Holland had earlier sewn into her tapestry, rather than the almost tossed off finish to this tale that she offers. But, on balance, this one's a good one and will, I suspect, please those who, like me, enjoy the tales of older times, particularly when set around the North Atlantic world of old Europe. SWMThe King of Vinland's Saga

Heart-breaking and unforgettable

I read this book when it was first published, when I was in my early teens, and I've never forgotten it. I'm happy that it's back in print.An earlier poster summarized the plot pretty well, so I won't rehash it. It's not a book for those who want bodice-ripping, swash-buckling "historical" fiction. As in all her books, Holland achieves her effects quietly and with economy, conveying passion without sentimentality and fleshing out her well-researched historical knowledge with rare sympathy and insight into human nature. Her books, including this one, seldom have happy endings, so those looking for a feel-good read should go elsewhere. Those who want a challenging and thought-provoking trip to the past need seek no further.

A Modern Classic

This is wonderful example of historical fiction in the modern style.The language is clear and spare with great rhythm, the canvas personal and character driven . There is no pretense at creating some fanciful re-creation of Medieval Irish speech in the Masterpiece Theater style. The Ireland of the Kings in Winter was politicaly complex, and the resulting conflicts sometimes brutal. Ms Holland writes precisely and directly about these subjects with great style and art.I hope the publishers will soon re-issue The Firedrake and Rakossy, two other early Holland novels.

Recycled gold

I have always loved this book, and still treasure my crumbling old paperback edition. For me, "The Kings" defined purely and precisely what COULD be done by combining history and fiction, but so rarely WAS done. To see it available again to a world of new readers delights me. This book is pure Holland: powerful, lyrical and stark, with characters of great humanity and complexity, a story both comprehensible and immediate; tragic and inevitable. Livened with intelligence, wit and plain hilarity, made utterly real by the thousands of details shown so frankly and clearly that they had to be true, and the reader's transportation to the world of ancient Ireland is complete. Buy it. Read it: You can't read it only once. Buy it for your friends, your co-workers, your mother (I did; they all loved it). And treasure your own edition as I have done mine.