Abstainer, The
McGuire, IanIn the underground war for Irish independence from British rule, Stephen Doyle and James O'Connor are on opposite sides of the fence. Doyle, an Irish American veteran of the Civil War has arrived in Manchester to join the Fenians, while O'Connor, a Head Constable and newly sober transfer from Dublin, is intent on curbing the Fenian uprising.
With an unrelenting pace, this gritty thriller pits these two flawed and complex men against one another in an atmospheric and troubled Manchester, following the real-life 1867 hanging of three Irishmen. [Larger font]
Pages
359
359
Year
2021
2021
Reviews
23-09-2024
Enjoyed by most. Good discussion.
16-04-2024
Well-written - bleak story!
15-01-2024
A book with a lot of promise that never quite delivered! We found the epilogue disappointing. Interesting to learn about Irish resistance to British rule in the 19th century.
29-09-2023
This was rather a disappointment to most in our group. The ending felt very disconnected from the rest of the story.
15-09-2023
Well-written - you could easily imagine the living conditions in that era! All the group liked it apart from a couple of us who felt the finish was a disappointing end to the book.
07-08-2023
A very atmospheric novel that several readers struggled with. However we agreed it was well-written with a lot of research done about the period of history the book is set in.
04-07-2023
This book was not particularly enjoyed by anyone in our group. While well-written (though a sparse style) it felt bleak and dark - Manchester in the 1800s.