Mercy First And Last

Mercy First And Last

by Katie Hanrahan

Overview

The youngest daughter of a prominent radical politician, Sarah Curran comes of age in an era of rebellion and revolution, buffeted by tragedy and scandal. She has long known Robert Emmet, but not until she is caught up in the fevered calls for Irish independence does she fall in love with the budding revolutionary leader. Her father forbids their union, but a child raised in a climate of insurrection veers towards her own small rebellion. Determined to win her father's acclaim, she strives to raise his fortunes through marriage to Ireland's future ruler, certain that the uprising cannot fail---even as Emmet's plans fall apart with deadly consequences.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

01/09/2017
Hanrahan engages readers with her portrayal of women struggling in a patriarchal society, focusing on the true story of Sarah Curran, whose personal rebellion against her dictatorial father nearly destroyed her. Sarah was the daughter of noted Irish lawyer John Philpot Curran, champion of Catholic emancipation and defender of accused traitors to Ireland in the late 18th century, a tumultuous period of Irish rebellion against British rule. Hanrahan’s book is replete with powerful characters, and John is portrayed as a tyrant with his wife and children; when he discovers Sarah’s clandestine courtship with—and subsequent engagement to—revolutionary leader Robert Emmet, he beats her almost to death, then disowns her. When Robert becomes a hunted man after a botched uprising, he begs Sarah to elope and leave Ireland. After a slow start, the novel begins to have a more feverish cadence, bringing to life a passionate rebel and her place in Irish lore. (BookLife)

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780996713122
Publisher: Newcastlewest Books
Publication date: 08/20/2016
Pages: 282
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.77(d)

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