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Trinity and Redemption #2
Redemption
Master storyteller Leon Uris, internationally acclaimed author of such bestsellers as Exodus, Topaz, QB VII,Trinity, the Haj and Mitla Pass, continues the epic story of the Irish struggle for freedom in Redemption. A dramatic saga set against the backdrop of growing unrest in Ireland and a world on the brink of the First World War, Redemption weaves together a cast of unforgettable characters that form the heart and soul of three extraordinary Irish families. They love freedom more than life,and they will fight to the death to win it. From the magnificence of New Zealand's green mountains, to the bloody beaches and cliffs of Gallipoli, to the streets of Dublin and the shipyards of Belfast, Redemption follows three Irish Patriots on their odysseys of freedom and passionin a monumental tale of the men and women who loved, fought, and died for the chance to be free.
896 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
About the author
Leon Uris
94 books1,503 followersLeon Marcus Uris (August 3, 1924 - June 21, 2003) was an American novelist, known for his historical fiction and the deep research that went into his novels. His two bestselling books were Exodus, published in 1958, and Trinity, in 1976.
Leon Uris was born in Baltimore, Maryland, the son of Jewish-American parents Wolf William and Anna (Blumberg) Uris. His father, a Polish-born immigrant, was a paperhanger, then a storekeeper. William spent a year in Palestine after World War I before entering the United States. He derived his surname from Yerushalmi, meaning "man of Jerusalem." (His brother Aron, Leon Uris' uncle, took the name Yerushalmi) "He was basically a failure," Uris later said of his father. "He went from failure to failure."
Uris attended schools in Norfolk, Virginia and Baltimore, but never graduated from high school, after having failed English three times. At age seventeen, while in his senior year of high school, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and Uris enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. He served in the South Pacific as a radioman (in combat) at Guadalcanal, Tarawa, and New Zealand from 1942 through 1945. While recuperating from malaria in San Francisco, he met Betty Beck, a Marine sergeant; they married in 1945.
Coming out of the service, he worked for a newspaper, writing in his spare time. In 1950, Esquire magazine bought an article, and he began to devote himself to writing more seriously. Drawing on his experiences in Guadalcanal and Tarawa he produced the best-selling, Battle Cry, a novel depicting the toughness and courage of U.S. Marines in the Pacific. He then went to Warner Brothers in Hollywood helping to write the movie, which was extremely popular with the public, if not the critics. Later he went on to write The Angry Hills, a novel set in war-time Greece.
According to one source, in the early 1950's he was hired by an American public relations firm to go to Israel and "soak up the atmosphere and create a novel about it". That novel would be Exodus, which came out in 1958 and became his best known work. Others say that Uris, motivated by an intense interest in Israel, financed his own research for the novel by selling the film rights in advance to MGM and writing articles about the Sinai campaign. It is said that the book involved two years of research, and involved thousands of interviews. Exodus illustrated the history of Palestine from the late 19th century through the founding of the state of Israel in 1948. It was a worldwide best-seller, translated into a dozen languages, and was made into a feature film in 1960, starring Paul Newman, directed by Otto Preminger, as well as into a short-lived Broadway musical (12 previews, 19 performances) in 1971. Uris' novel Topaz was adapted for the screen and directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
Uris' subsequent works included: Mila 18, a story of the Warsaw ghetto uprising; Armageddon: A Novel of Berlin, which reveals the detailed work by British and American intelligence services in planning for the occupation and pacification of post WWII Germany; Trinity, an epic novel about Ireland's struggle for independence; QB VII, a novel about the role of a Polish doctor in a German concentration camp ; and The Haj, with insights into the history of the Middle East and the secret machinations of foreigners which have led to today's turmoil.
He also wrote the screenplays for Battle Cry and Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.
Uris was married three times: to Betty Beck, with whom he had three children, from 1945 through their divorce in 1968; Margery Edwards in 1969, who died a year later, and Jill Peabody in 1970, with whom he had two children, and divorced in 1989.
Leon Uris died of renal failure at his Long Island home on Shelter Island, aged 78.
Leon Uris's papers can be found at the Ransom Center, University of Texas in Austin. The collection includes all of Uris's novels, with the exception of The Haj and Mitla Pass, as well as manus
Leon Uris was born in Baltimore, Maryland, the son of Jewish-American parents Wolf William and Anna (Blumberg) Uris. His father, a Polish-born immigrant, was a paperhanger, then a storekeeper. William spent a year in Palestine after World War I before entering the United States. He derived his surname from Yerushalmi, meaning "man of Jerusalem." (His brother Aron, Leon Uris' uncle, took the name Yerushalmi) "He was basically a failure," Uris later said of his father. "He went from failure to failure."
Uris attended schools in Norfolk, Virginia and Baltimore, but never graduated from high school, after having failed English three times. At age seventeen, while in his senior year of high school, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and Uris enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. He served in the South Pacific as a radioman (in combat) at Guadalcanal, Tarawa, and New Zealand from 1942 through 1945. While recuperating from malaria in San Francisco, he met Betty Beck, a Marine sergeant; they married in 1945.
Coming out of the service, he worked for a newspaper, writing in his spare time. In 1950, Esquire magazine bought an article, and he began to devote himself to writing more seriously. Drawing on his experiences in Guadalcanal and Tarawa he produced the best-selling, Battle Cry, a novel depicting the toughness and courage of U.S. Marines in the Pacific. He then went to Warner Brothers in Hollywood helping to write the movie, which was extremely popular with the public, if not the critics. Later he went on to write The Angry Hills, a novel set in war-time Greece.
According to one source, in the early 1950's he was hired by an American public relations firm to go to Israel and "soak up the atmosphere and create a novel about it". That novel would be Exodus, which came out in 1958 and became his best known work. Others say that Uris, motivated by an intense interest in Israel, financed his own research for the novel by selling the film rights in advance to MGM and writing articles about the Sinai campaign. It is said that the book involved two years of research, and involved thousands of interviews. Exodus illustrated the history of Palestine from the late 19th century through the founding of the state of Israel in 1948. It was a worldwide best-seller, translated into a dozen languages, and was made into a feature film in 1960, starring Paul Newman, directed by Otto Preminger, as well as into a short-lived Broadway musical (12 previews, 19 performances) in 1971. Uris' novel Topaz was adapted for the screen and directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
Uris' subsequent works included: Mila 18, a story of the Warsaw ghetto uprising; Armageddon: A Novel of Berlin, which reveals the detailed work by British and American intelligence services in planning for the occupation and pacification of post WWII Germany; Trinity, an epic novel about Ireland's struggle for independence; QB VII, a novel about the role of a Polish doctor in a German concentration camp ; and The Haj, with insights into the history of the Middle East and the secret machinations of foreigners which have led to today's turmoil.
He also wrote the screenplays for Battle Cry and Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.
Uris was married three times: to Betty Beck, with whom he had three children, from 1945 through their divorce in 1968; Margery Edwards in 1969, who died a year later, and Jill Peabody in 1970, with whom he had two children, and divorced in 1989.
Leon Uris died of renal failure at his Long Island home on Shelter Island, aged 78.
Leon Uris's papers can be found at the Ransom Center, University of Texas in Austin. The collection includes all of Uris's novels, with the exception of The Haj and Mitla Pass, as well as manus
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 176 reviews
March 21, 2013
nastavak romana Trojstvo
February 28, 2022
If someone were to ask me which man from literature I would most like to date, the answer would be Conor Larkin (from Trinity). But if I were allowed to date TWO men from literature, my second choice would be Rory Larkin (from Redemption). Like Jamie Fraser (from Outlander), the Larkin men are larger than life.
As for the plot of this novel... it was fine. I'm someone who needs to be invested in the characters in order to love a book, so Rory Larkin made it possible for me to absolutely love this book. Redemption has adventure, it has heroics, and it has FANTASTIC characterization.
As for the plot of this novel... it was fine. I'm someone who needs to be invested in the characters in order to love a book, so Rory Larkin made it possible for me to absolutely love this book. Redemption has adventure, it has heroics, and it has FANTASTIC characterization.
August 23, 2019
Connor and Rory Larkin each had that elusive characteristic that made them 'more' than man and the Irish heart that made them human. As I recall the year 1966, it seemed that the real 'Irish Troubles' made news every day. This book, set during WWI, was a precursor of the violence between England and Ireland that took on a life of its own. The characters in this book danced across the pages. The flick of an eyebrow, closing a door by the heel of a boot, wiping away tears with a shirt sleeve are examples of how Mr. Uris shows his characters' humaness. Liam's character was superbly written by the way he went about doing things. He went to visit a lady he did not know. Finding her not at home, he walked around her yard, got a drink of water and sat down in her porch swing and waited for her to come home. He did not know when or even if she would appear. Yet he waited, unworried and unhurried. Please read the book in like manner. Show special attention to the 'real' motives of the hawks.
March 21, 2017
This book was odd. It spent so long rehashing Trinity and spent a weirdly long amount of time in Egypt in WW1. It didn't give me what I wanted, the Irish saga in the 1900s. Bummer.
May 17, 2024
Eine Katastrophe! Für kaum ein anderes Buch habe ich jemals so lange gebraucht, weil der Autor einfach die glorreiche Idee hatte, das erste Buch dieser zweiteiligen Reihe in DEN ERSTEN 400 SEITEN NOCHMAL KOMPLETT ZU WIEDERHOLEN/ "ZUSAMMEN ZU FASSEN". Auch danach ging es nicht wie erhofft um eine Fortsetzung der Geschichte Irlands, sondern ausschließlich um die Schlacht von Gallipolli im 1. WK, über die ich jetzt wenigstens mehr weiß, als ich je für möglich gehalten hätte. Lediglich die letzten 200 Seiten setzen sich mit dem Osteraufstand 1916 und den Folgejahren auseinander. Aber aufgrund der Kürze dann leider auch nicht mehr sehr intensiv. Von daher gabs den 2. Stern nur, weils hier ein Happy End gab, das man sich nach dem 1. Buch so dringend gewünscht hat.
October 12, 2019
This is a book, a book indeed. Telling the story of the Irish troubles in a way that doesn't really glorify anything but offers alternate views. The tale of a family, and the members within it each doing what they feel is best and what they know but with a common theme: the Irish Troubles and a healthy hatred for the British,and, yet, a grudging respect. The author does at times take liberties with the characters and their roles in the story but not in a way that is totally unbelievable, in fact the events contained within are so well researched one feels that one is reading a dramatised factual account rather than a novel. For those with the stamina to read 848 pages of connected but seemingly unconnected story it has my heartiest recommendation.
June 14, 2017
Great sequel to TRINITY. Craftsman-like combination of history and the fictional lives of the next generation of Larkins and Hubbles. The history combines Winston Churchill, the disastrous UK WWII battle (campaign?) at Gallipoli and the continued struggle of the Irish people to escape from beneath the boot heel of Great Britain. Uris proves again that he is a great historian and story teller. No hesitation on placing 5 stars on this one.
March 29, 2019
As in his other complex historical novels, Uris again creates a compelling saga, this time of British and Irish characters who struggle to understand each other during times of national and international change and upheaval. He weaves many plotlines together, and sometimes we can guess chapters ahead what will happen to the characters, but it's still an entertaining read with lots of information about the history of troubles in Ireland and Britain's entrance into World War 1.
March 15, 2022
This book is so bad. It's the work of an author far past his prime who wasn't working with much talent or intelligence in the first place. It's terrible. Leon Uris apparently read a few books on Ireland and considered himself an expert, so he wrote Trinity and this book. But you could find out as much as he knows about Ireland by reading two or three Wikipedia articles. The tension of the period is *not* captured.
The book is about this 19-year-old New Zealand guy of Irish heritage, Rory, who loves to sex it up with the ladies and also rides the horses and fights good. Rory's uncle Conor is his role model, even though he barely knew Conor. Conor was in the IRA and got blown up, and Rory knows he is destined for Ireland himself. Then he goes to World War I. First he stops in Cairo and smokes from a lot of hookahs. Then he fights in Gallipolli and loses all his buddies, including the husband of the New Zealand woman he was shagging most recently. War is a bummer, especially World War I.
It's also about some landed Protestant gentry in Ireland. Some of them are good, some of them are bad, and you know who is which. Uris makes it very clear.
Rory makes it to Ireland and interacts with a couple of the Protestant gentry. By the time I got to this point in the book, I was happy because I was almost finished.
The book is about this 19-year-old New Zealand guy of Irish heritage, Rory, who loves to sex it up with the ladies and also rides the horses and fights good. Rory's uncle Conor is his role model, even though he barely knew Conor. Conor was in the IRA and got blown up, and Rory knows he is destined for Ireland himself. Then he goes to World War I. First he stops in Cairo and smokes from a lot of hookahs. Then he fights in Gallipolli and loses all his buddies, including the husband of the New Zealand woman he was shagging most recently. War is a bummer, especially World War I.
It's also about some landed Protestant gentry in Ireland. Some of them are good, some of them are bad, and you know who is which. Uris makes it very clear.
Rory makes it to Ireland and interacts with a couple of the Protestant gentry. By the time I got to this point in the book, I was happy because I was almost finished.
January 4, 2020
Un repaso inicial de Trinidad, un largo intermedio con el relato de Gallipoli y finalmente, el levantamiento de Pascua del 16 y sus consecuencias. A los efectos de una historia novelada de Irlanda, solo vale la pena la última parte. De pronto, Trinidad hubiera bastado.
August 26, 2023
Redemption
Uris captures the ache in the soul and relationships in blighted Ireland and its tentacles in this sequel to Trinity. His story-telling is superb, heart wrenching, joyful, and tragic.
Uris captures the ache in the soul and relationships in blighted Ireland and its tentacles in this sequel to Trinity. His story-telling is superb, heart wrenching, joyful, and tragic.
April 26, 2024
not as good as Trinity
Half of this repeated Trinity. I enjoyed the section on Gallipoli, but the rest felt poor after Trinity. Too bad.
Half of this repeated Trinity. I enjoyed the section on Gallipoli, but the rest felt poor after Trinity. Too bad.
September 15, 2021
I first read this book in 1995. I stopped half way through because there were parts of it at the beginning was like cut and paste from the first book Trinity which was the basis of this book. My dearly beloved read Trinity and Redemption and challenged me to read Trinity again and read Redemption ..this time don't stop. Do it. I'm glad I did. In the interim I read volumes of the Irish Uprisings. The formation of Ireland. Gallipoli.....WWI....The hotted cold feelings of enjoining England with WWI....( In the background Quebec not wanting to get involved with English problems overseas and not wanting to send Quebecean soldiers to fight a English war....) The breaking down of colonies held fast by England-France-Italy -France....The scandals of worker abuse in the Congo....Its all there.
It was always about the money made on the backs of ill-paid and ill taken care of workers.Wages of sin. Horrendous working conditions.(How about Lowell? where both sets of my grandparents worked in the mills before going back to Quebec.) Self-determination..Self growth...Moving up the economic ladder as difficult as it was. The difficulty of changing from agrarian community to an industrialized arena.Sickines...disease...ingrained poverty ...while others bathed in luxury that defies any form of imagination.....I could go on and on.The brilliance of this book is that doesn't just transcend moments in time. It becomes the moment transcended in all of time.The characters may be fiction...but the events aren't..Please read it..and look around you.
It was always about the money made on the backs of ill-paid and ill taken care of workers.Wages of sin. Horrendous working conditions.(How about Lowell? where both sets of my grandparents worked in the mills before going back to Quebec.) Self-determination..Self growth...Moving up the economic ladder as difficult as it was. The difficulty of changing from agrarian community to an industrialized arena.Sickines...disease...ingrained poverty ...while others bathed in luxury that defies any form of imagination.....I could go on and on.The brilliance of this book is that doesn't just transcend moments in time. It becomes the moment transcended in all of time.The characters may be fiction...but the events aren't..Please read it..and look around you.
July 14, 2022
This is my third Uris novel and again, I could not give less than five stars for this absolutely epic tale. I admire the way Uris layers his story telling from the wide ranging, context-setting narratives from Churchill’s secret diaries to the inner passions and complexities of the central characters namely Rory, Jeremy and to a lesser but still significant extent, Chris. The older characters in the story, Connor, Caroline and Atty had their spotlight in the novel Trinity, yet Uris masterfully uses these characters to lead the plot, as well as guide and develop their younger protagonists. Of course, some of the plots of this story lead to very significant episodes in Irish/British history and Uris embraces these events in his story by giving them over to Seamus (Connor’s lifelong friend) and Theobald (Atty’s son) to explore the consequences and narrate the impact on his characters.
I loved the whole story - yes, almost 900 pages took me quite a bit longer to finish than I had anticipated but such an absorbing tale that draws the reader in on many levels. If I were to critique the book, it would be to let the main characters be a little less ‘perfect’. Their morals, their acumen, their practical attributes, their physical strength and attractiveness and their superior sociability all seemed a little too much at times. For example, at one point, Rory lusts for Atty, but the way he regains his composure and subsequently admonishes himself is a bit over the top.
I loved the whole story - yes, almost 900 pages took me quite a bit longer to finish than I had anticipated but such an absorbing tale that draws the reader in on many levels. If I were to critique the book, it would be to let the main characters be a little less ‘perfect’. Their morals, their acumen, their practical attributes, their physical strength and attractiveness and their superior sociability all seemed a little too much at times. For example, at one point, Rory lusts for Atty, but the way he regains his composure and subsequently admonishes himself is a bit over the top.
September 22, 2022
1) I wanted a book about Ireland (Like Trinity, which was very good). This book is barely about Ireland. The main character spends very little time there, and only the final ~100 pages out of 879. The Easter Uprising is summarized in 30 pages, I was hoping for more historical fiction on that event, and how the Larkin family would be involved.
2) There is a lot of sex which offers absolutely nothing to the plot. If the sex scenes were removed, the book would be 600 pages (I'm not sure that's even an exaggeration).
3) Too much time is spent on the Trinity story which doesn't add any benefit to the Trinity plot, I felt I was reading copy and paste events from Trinity for the 2nd quarter of the book.
4) My pet peeve as a Catholic is when the Catholic heroes aren't true Catholics, and are self admittedly Catholics by name only and not faith. The criticism of the Catholic Church has nothing to do with the plot and felt like Uris just wanted to put his criticisms out there. The affair of Father Dary and Rachel Fitzpatrick is a good example. He just wanted to show a priest who regrets his vow of celibacy and how evil the vow of celibacy for priests is (in his opinion). And again, this had nothing to do with the plot of the story so it's not even a spoiler.
2) There is a lot of sex which offers absolutely nothing to the plot. If the sex scenes were removed, the book would be 600 pages (I'm not sure that's even an exaggeration).
3) Too much time is spent on the Trinity story which doesn't add any benefit to the Trinity plot, I felt I was reading copy and paste events from Trinity for the 2nd quarter of the book.
4) My pet peeve as a Catholic is when the Catholic heroes aren't true Catholics, and are self admittedly Catholics by name only and not faith. The criticism of the Catholic Church has nothing to do with the plot and felt like Uris just wanted to put his criticisms out there. The affair of Father Dary and Rachel Fitzpatrick is a good example. He just wanted to show a priest who regrets his vow of celibacy and how evil the vow of celibacy for priests is (in his opinion). And again, this had nothing to do with the plot of the story so it's not even a spoiler.
July 1, 2023
First - I am a big fan of Leon Uris. But this one - hmmm…. I am unable to put my finger on any particular aspect as why I didn’t quite connect with this book. It took me a great deal of patience; held on to the expectation that he is going to surprise me somewhere during the reading process.
May be it is to do with my taste!?!!
1. I didn’t quite connect with the Ireland / NewZealand / England backdrop with a lot of redundant emphasis on the environment all through the book.
2. Too many characters to remember across varied geographical locations; kind of tough to feel the connect if you skip reading for a couple of days
3. Didn’t find the necessity and depth of the Egypt “pleasure house” episode. I get the point that it served as a conduit for bonding those soldiers and gives an idea of what they really are made of - but does it need to drag for so long !?!
I would have loved to see a Conor Larkin alive and be the protagonist - yes, he is still the protagonist but in a distant aka ghostly sense which didn’t quite go well for me. The Gallipoli episodes scream of Leon Uris but the rest not so for me.
May be it is to do with my taste!?!!
1. I didn’t quite connect with the Ireland / NewZealand / England backdrop with a lot of redundant emphasis on the environment all through the book.
2. Too many characters to remember across varied geographical locations; kind of tough to feel the connect if you skip reading for a couple of days
3. Didn’t find the necessity and depth of the Egypt “pleasure house” episode. I get the point that it served as a conduit for bonding those soldiers and gives an idea of what they really are made of - but does it need to drag for so long !?!
I would have loved to see a Conor Larkin alive and be the protagonist - yes, he is still the protagonist but in a distant aka ghostly sense which didn’t quite go well for me. The Gallipoli episodes scream of Leon Uris but the rest not so for me.
January 11, 2013
1/11/13 continued: Just getting off the peninsula took the lives of all the mules.
Rory met Georgia's first husband, liked him because he really cared for the wounded and dying, and saved his life by getting him on a hospital ship bound for Alexandria.
Rory then headed to Ireland where he wasted no time reconnecting with the Larkin past and destiny. Women who knew Connor thought he had been reincarnated in Rory even though he was going by Landers. Rory was disabled somewhat but still managed to help the Irish cause after 'the Rising' which led Brodhead to sentence 90+ to death by firing squad. 80 were commuted to prison terms and later released (along with over 1,000 captured elsewhere) after Rory and Carolyn killed Brodhead whose body would never be found.
Rory returned to NZ, to his father, and to Georgia. 'had a daughter named Rory - conceived before the war in Europe and a son named for his dad, Liam after his return.
I will never see the Irish conflict the same again.
Rory met Georgia's first husband, liked him because he really cared for the wounded and dying, and saved his life by getting him on a hospital ship bound for Alexandria.
Rory then headed to Ireland where he wasted no time reconnecting with the Larkin past and destiny. Women who knew Connor thought he had been reincarnated in Rory even though he was going by Landers. Rory was disabled somewhat but still managed to help the Irish cause after 'the Rising' which led Brodhead to sentence 90+ to death by firing squad. 80 were commuted to prison terms and later released (along with over 1,000 captured elsewhere) after Rory and Carolyn killed Brodhead whose body would never be found.
Rory returned to NZ, to his father, and to Georgia. 'had a daughter named Rory - conceived before the war in Europe and a son named for his dad, Liam after his return.
I will never see the Irish conflict the same again.
November 4, 2019
Sequels are rarely equals, and this novel is no exception. Taken on its own terms, it is an epic worthy of Uris, though not his best work. Taken as a follow-up to the exceptional Trinity however, it is a little disappointing. Much of the action takes place in New Zealand and at Gallipoli, and while the novel does follow the fate of the Larkin clan, there is rather little devoted to the Easter rebellion and nothing at all about the civil war that finally birthed the Irish Free State in a form that was to endure for decades. To be sure, the extensive depiction of the disastrous campaign on the Gallipoli Peninsula is a good (albeit gut-wrenching) read, and Uris' handling of some of the strategic and psychological difficulties faced by the various characters is good to very good indeed, but as a whole it is no better than the sum of its parts, and not all of those parts are terribly compelling reading.
November 9, 2011
This is one of the most un-heroically written, poorly devised, mundane novels I've ever essayed to read cover to cover. To be quite candid, in light of my fondness for its 'prequel' - namely, the rather robust, fast-paced "Trinity" - I hung in there, oh so many years ago, as I tried to galvanize the story line of Redemption unto manifest positive inertia.
However, again, the tacky plot line, admixed with a very 'stunted', counter-linear skein of character development, eventually overtook my efforts to complete this fetid saga, as I ultimately threw the book, literally, away into a literal garbage bin !
No offense ultimately directed at Mr. Uris, who from the best of my macro-estimation, has written a whole sketch of great tomes- not the least of which include the aforementioned Trinity, QB VII, and another favourite of mine, Exodus.
However, again, the tacky plot line, admixed with a very 'stunted', counter-linear skein of character development, eventually overtook my efforts to complete this fetid saga, as I ultimately threw the book, literally, away into a literal garbage bin !
No offense ultimately directed at Mr. Uris, who from the best of my macro-estimation, has written a whole sketch of great tomes- not the least of which include the aforementioned Trinity, QB VII, and another favourite of mine, Exodus.
April 6, 2021
Redemption was my choice for a vaca beach read, based on my memories of immersion into "a big fat paperback" and my wish for that escape once again. My wish was fulfilled. Very few write an historical novel like Leon Uris. Facts, fiction, love, passion, idealism, and power. Power used for the good, power used for evil. For my taste, the war chapters a bit too long, but acceptable. Upon resurfacing, my tragic awareness of male ego power, money, and a good measure of schadenfreude that will continue to send young women and men to their deaths is increased. They will go, under the delusion/lie of idealism when in reality they are pawns, available death pawns for the wealthy, power dominated male (usually) chess masters.
The history of Ireland is tragic. War is tragic. Idealism is tragic. Redemption present some balance, some redemption, some understanding to these three tragedies.
The history of Ireland is tragic. War is tragic. Idealism is tragic. Redemption present some balance, some redemption, some understanding to these three tragedies.
September 24, 2017
Lo mismo que hace 20 años, tuve que abandonar la lectura de este libro por encontrarlo compositivamente mal encarado. Amé y amo rotundamente "Trinidad" pero esperaba leer otra historia diferente aunque relacionada: la de Rory Larkin, sobrino de Conor. Pero me encontré con que el autor estaba reescribiendo Trinidad, sin llegar a sus propios talones, como si se tratara de un copy and paste y un resumen. Insoportable.
Pienso volver muchas veces a leer Trinidad. Me sigue emocionando. Pero dos veces lo intenté con Redención y no creo que reincida. A veces el escritor tiene que dejar ir una obra. Y en este caso se aplica a rajatabla aquello de que "segundas partes nunca fueron buenas". Una pena.
Pienso volver muchas veces a leer Trinidad. Me sigue emocionando. Pero dos veces lo intenté con Redención y no creo que reincida. A veces el escritor tiene que dejar ir una obra. Y en este caso se aplica a rajatabla aquello de que "segundas partes nunca fueron buenas". Una pena.
January 16, 2012
I usually enjoy and like Leon Uris' books.
This one was good for about 300 pages then it was drawn out and boring for 350 pages.
And finally it went back to being good for the last 200 pages.
The middle 350 pages was all about the British war aganist the Turks.
It had way too much information and details about war.
The Irish problem with Britain and the characters were
interesting in the first 300 pages then the book took
me to the Turkish war (which had some Irish fighters).
Then the end of book went back to the things and people from the first pages and gave conclusions and where are they know information.
This one was good for about 300 pages then it was drawn out and boring for 350 pages.
And finally it went back to being good for the last 200 pages.
The middle 350 pages was all about the British war aganist the Turks.
It had way too much information and details about war.
The Irish problem with Britain and the characters were
interesting in the first 300 pages then the book took
me to the Turkish war (which had some Irish fighters).
Then the end of book went back to the things and people from the first pages and gave conclusions and where are they know information.
March 25, 2021
Having loved Leon Uris's Trinity, I decided to read the follow-up, Redemption, and am very glad I did. This lengthy novel follows Rory Larkin, the nephew of Conor Larkin, the "hero"of Trinity, from New Zealand, through the Gallipoli campaign in World War I and eventually to Ireland. Rory, along with several other memorable characters are willing to risk their lives in their passion for freedom, as were the strong people. like Conor, from the century before. A compelling read. Uris is a master at creating a long, detailed epic that lets the reader enjoy fiction and learn real history in a marvelous way.
September 12, 2021
a horrible mish mash
This feels like the kind of book that was published without ever going to an editor. It’s a very strange idea. Ensure the author goes back over many of the chapters which were covered in the first book and adds more detail of insight or twists in the tale. The idea is actually pretty good and a lot of the writing is what plan and some of the research is excellent. But it’s absolutely apparent The foundation planning was botched. Perhaps it would have been better to give it a tiny summary of the backdrop at the beginning of each chapter and then proceed into the new additions. I don’t know what would’ve worked but this doesn’t.
This feels like the kind of book that was published without ever going to an editor. It’s a very strange idea. Ensure the author goes back over many of the chapters which were covered in the first book and adds more detail of insight or twists in the tale. The idea is actually pretty good and a lot of the writing is what plan and some of the research is excellent. But it’s absolutely apparent The foundation planning was botched. Perhaps it would have been better to give it a tiny summary of the backdrop at the beginning of each chapter and then proceed into the new additions. I don’t know what would’ve worked but this doesn’t.
March 30, 2011
I have yet to read a Leon Uris book that I don't love. This is the sequel to "Trinity" (or sometimes a prequel, though it was written later) and my Irish heritage had me drawn into this story before I even began. Uris writes historical fiction in such an engaging and detailed manner, that I really do come to think of the characters as true historical figures. It's been years since I read "Trinity", but he makes this one accessible even to readers who never picked that one up. Highly recommend it if you dig historical fiction!
July 29, 2012
After reading "Trinity," I cannot have been the only one who hunted high and low for "Redemption." I see from other reviews that I am not the only one who was, let's say, mildly appalled by what I found. "Redemption" has all the earmarks of a novel written for contractual purposes and I'm frankly surprised Uris put his name to it. In my opinion, it is not the genuine article, not by a long shot, and if you're still chasing around to find a copy by the time you read this, then stop. Go on to something else.
August 2, 2020
Uris weaves a masterful narrative around a revolutionary Irish family across Ireland, New Zealand, Egypt and the infamous cliffs of Gallipoli. Rich with history, event and misdeeds of a Colonial England, Redemption does not shy away from the human aspect of the story, exploring the pains of war and revolution across several generations without losing its poignancy. To quote from the blurb; Redemption is a "monumental tale of the men and women who loved, fought, and died for the chance to live free".
February 24, 2022
A tad long but worth the effort
Uris is one of my favorite authors. I read this book probably 25 years ago when it was first published. It is the sequel to "Trinity" , which I also reread. One of the problems with sequels is the author must summarize the first book, so that the sequel can stand on its own. At almost 900 pages, this is quite a tome. I thought the part on Gallipoli seemed endless, but I understand it establishes the relationships for the final part of the book. That said it is still a classic, written by a master. Worth the effort.
Uris is one of my favorite authors. I read this book probably 25 years ago when it was first published. It is the sequel to "Trinity" , which I also reread. One of the problems with sequels is the author must summarize the first book, so that the sequel can stand on its own. At almost 900 pages, this is quite a tome. I thought the part on Gallipoli seemed endless, but I understand it establishes the relationships for the final part of the book. That said it is still a classic, written by a master. Worth the effort.
April 19, 2019
Leon Uris historical novels are amazing. His ability to create characters with so much depth is awesome, and he continuously makes me cry, sob really. The father-son relationship was particularly "relatable" to me and that more than likely made me enjoy the book more.
I can't wait to start another one of his novels. This one was hard to put down and I found myself reading only a few pages at a time in the end because I didn't want it to end.
Strongly recommend.
I can't wait to start another one of his novels. This one was hard to put down and I found myself reading only a few pages at a time in the end because I didn't want it to end.
Strongly recommend.
June 22, 2019
This was a terrific read. I had read Trinity and loved it, this being a sequel I was not expecting it to be as good, but if anything I liked it even better. Great characters, as always and for the first time I understood what happened at Gallipoli and the Irish Easter Rising (boy did I have that wrong). Some important lessons to be learned about politics and warfare---if only they would be.
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