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 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.
Named the most distinguished work of fiction in 1979 by the National Book Critics' Circle.
- ISBN10 0099304708
- ISBN13 9780099304708
- Publish Date 3 August 1989 (first published 19 July 1979)
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 10 February 1994
- Publish Country GB
- Publisher Cornerstone
- Imprint Arrow Books Ltd
- Edition New edition
- Format Paperback
- Pages 658
- Language English