- Frank Delaney is one of my all-time favorite authors.
I also recommend:
- The Linen Queen by Patricia Falway
Summary from GoodReads:
Brimming with fascinating Irish history, daring intrigue, and the drama of legendary love, The Last Storyteller is an unforgettable novel as richly textured and inspiring as Ireland itself.
My Review:
Here’s the thing about Frank Delaney – when that blurb on sites like GoodReads and Amazon refer to him as “unparalleled” when it comes to Irish History, they aren’t exaggerating.
Delaney is the real deal.
I’ve loved this series ever since reading the first page about Ben and Venetia in Venetia Kelly’s Traveling Show. I was drawn in by the whimsical, perfectly illustrated cover of that book, and since then I have been wooed and won over by the lyricism of Delany’s storytelling ability.
There are times when a writing is so powerful you can hear the accent, or the coloring of the speech, and it is that way with this book. When Delaney talks about the old storytellers, when he describes the way the voice sounds, the rising and falling of the rhythms, I feel transported, and am enchanted right along with the characters who, enviably, get to hear more than I do.
That’s right, I said enviably. It’s not often I envy a character, but man.. This book made me do so.
While I loved the continuation of Venetia and Ben’s story, I have to say the diverging into the old tales (there was one story in particular that had me gasping – think banshee) is what made this book a treasure to me. I felt as if I were part of that privileged circle that gets to experience what it must have been like to listen to the Bard’s of old.
Mr. Delaney, thank you. You do those Bards credit – and personally, I think you should sign your name “Frank Delaney, Bard” from now on.
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