The Road to Vinegar Hill: A 1798 Love Story

Originally published in Britain in 1989, this historical novel will be republished in the U.S. to coincide with the 200th anniversary of Ireland's 1798 Rebellion against British Colonial rule. McHugh guides readers through the era's complicated politics and social structure in a straightforward style. Through the eyes of the two main characters, Nuala and Conal, we see Irish society from the point of view of its Protestant Anglo-Irish rulers and its dispossessed Catholic aristocracy. The former, corrupt and bankrupt, are manipulating an increasingly fragile balance of power, while the latter have been reduced to the level of peasants themselves, albeit educated ones. Fleeing France during the revolution (where, like many Irish gentlemen, he was schooled), Conal has returned home to discover his family seat in ruins, the land now commandeered by a British landlord. Although horrified by the bloodthirsty excesses of the French revolutionaries, he is equally appalled by the plight of the Irish peasantry, persecuted and exploited by a greedy colonial regime. He is torn between the revolutionary process, headed by the United Irishmen faction, and his love for Protestant Nuala. Building in a tight crescendo to the 1798 cataclysm (which, interestingly, united both Irish Protestants and Catholics against the British crown), McHugh's meticulous research, including maps that detail the historical battles, makes this a solid, rewarding read. (Sept.)