The Year of the French

A “circumspect and grippingly authentic” historical fiction classic of a brief but pivotal moment in Irish history and the struggle for independence from England (The London Times)

"I haven't so enjoyed a historical novel since The Charterhouse of Parma and War and Peace." — John Leonard, The New York Times

Named a most distinguished work of fiction by the National Book Critics’ Circle

In 1798, Irish patriots, committed to freeing their country from England, landed with a company of French troops in County Mayo, in westernmost Ireland. They were supposed to be an advance guard, followed by other French ships with the leader of the rebellion, Wolfe Tone. Briefly they triumphed, raising hopes among the impoverished local peasantry and gathering a group of supporters. But before long the insurgency collapsed in the face of a brutal English counterattack.

Very few books succeed in registering the sudden terrible impact of historical events; Thomas Flanagan’s is one. Subtly conceived, masterfully paced, with multiple narrators and a wide and memorable cast of characters, The Year of the French brings to life peasants and landlords, Protestants and Catholics, along with old and abiding questions of secular and religious commitments, empire, occupation, and rebellion. It is quite simply a great historical novel.
 
The 1st volume in Thomas Flanagan’s Irish History Trilogy that continues with The Tenants of Time, set at the turn of the 20th century, and concludes with The End of the Hunt, which covers the Irish War of Independence.