No comments about The North from the Air.

1 comments about ROUND IRELAND WITH A FRIDGE..

1. Fun, easy, short, comical read

2 comments about Knopf Guide: Ireland (Knopf Guides Ireland).

1. Don't expect to find nice hotels or a good place to eat with these guides - they focus on the art, history and culture of the country. I used this guide, along with a "practical" one while traveling in Ireland and found it very handy for gaining a deeper understanding of Ireland. The background information "Ireland as seen by writers" in particular, is especially insightful. In a nutshell - use Lets Go or something for hotels, but use this to get the most out of your trip.



2. I cannot reccomend this book highly enough!
   
   This book is not so much a travel guide (although it is that too to an extent) as it is a pocket sized, crash course in everything you need to know to truly appreciate your trip to Ireland.
   
   This book is filled with wonderfull artwork and photograpy and contains sections on history, cuisine, geology, arts, flora and fauna, just about everything you'd want to know about Ireland and what makes it a special place to visit.
   
   You will feel that you have a much broader general understanding of Ireland after you read this book.
   
   The book itself is nicely sized for travel, with a solid, vinyl cover.
   
   You will need a more detailed "travel guide" to compliment this book on your trip as this book does not go into many specifics such as directions to individual sites, route planners, times, fees etc. It is also lacking detailed local maps. For these things pick up a "Fodors Guide" which has them and IMHO makes the best Travel Guide series.

4 comments about A Polish Son In the Motherland.

1. When does a personal journey make for beautiful reading? When it tells a remarkable story in language that stimulates the very feelings that moved the author. Kniffel's journal is such a book, a model for any similar attempt. The story, though it happens to be about a modern Polish-American seeking lost family connections in Poland, is the universal one of a stranger's quest in a strange land. Its language is deftly lyrical, never too much for the situation, almost always on target, so that the "strangeness" is allowed to speak for itself. And to an American reader the particulars are wonderfully strange -from the coughing, stalling Maluch automobile the author uses in pursuit of back-country relatives, to the phallus-shaped mushrooms eagerly gathered to feed the American guest (the feeding is hilariously incessant). Kniffel's discovery of lost family is touching and remarkable in itself; but even more impressive is how, as a child in Michigan, he remembered almost every word about the old country spoken to him by his beloved mother and grandmother. Those words became keys with which Kniffel unlocked his lost world, and, it turns out, a missing part of himself.



2. I, of Polish descent, thoroughly enjoyed reading this book about the author's trip to Poland to find his grandmother's family. I wish I could live there and meet the Polish people. His descriptive writing shows that he enjoyed his visit and the citizens. The Polish surnames may confuse non-Poles.



3. Leonard Kniffel grew up in Michigan with a Polish grandmother who immigrated as a young woman. This instantly resonated, as my grandmother also immigrated from Poland as a child, and many of his memories of large Polish family gatherings, Polish mass, and family life rung so true to my own. At twenty-five, I am finally embracing my Polish heritage, in no small part inspired by this book. Leonard lands in Nowe Miasto Lubawskie, the town near where his grandmother is born, and quickly makes a network of local friends: Adam, a local entrepreneur and his new landlord, the elegant and sensual Pani Wituchowska, with her memories of grandeur before the war, local journalists Ryszard and Grazyna, the mayor, and innumerable relatives that he discovers on his quest to trace his grandmother's roots in Sugajno. The touching narrative is filled with bittersweet images of modern Poland, of its Communist legacy and strong will to survive, fervent Catholicism, and the legacy of Jewish indifference: a good part of the novel traces the author's struggle to divine what happened to the headstones in the local Jewish cemeteries, and he is shocked by how the Polish Jewish history seems to have evaporated into thin air. Most importantly, he reconnects with his Polish roots in a visceral way, embracing Polish cuisine (hunting for wild mushrooms in forests with Adam's mother), culture, and storytelling. A wonderful tale of family, friendship, being a stranger in a strange land, and rediscovering the important things in life. Dziekuje bardzo!



4. I loved this book which was given to me as a gift. I've visited Poland nine times since 1972. Leonard Kniffel captures the communist and post-communist Poland very accurately. His observations are honest as he discusses the good and bad in present day Poland. Needless to say the good far outweighs the bad!

3 comments about MOVING TO IRELAND: A Guide to Living and Investing.

1. This book would be valuable for someone moving from the U.K. to Ireland, especially if he/she is retiring and has money to invest. It provides facts and advice that I believe to be accurate in that context. The information is much less useful for those moving from other countries. There is a presumption that one understands U.K. culture and law, and only needs to have Irish differences pointed out. The bias toward England is not obvious from the promotional material. Potential expats from the U.S. etc should look elsewhere.



2. Many, many thanks to the reviewer from Dublin. For future ex-pats from US (and other countries), does anyone have any recommendations?



3. Nearly ten years after publication, it is showing its age. Not recommended now, though it once had very useful tips. Anything else I could say about this book is already adequately covered by other reviews here; used to be quite useful, but not so much these days.

No comments about Nordic Landscapes: Region and Belonging on the Northern Edge of Europe.

1 comments about Place Apart.

1. Anyone who has ever been baffled by the seemingly mindless intransigence of politics in 'Norn Iron' (and, let's face it, who hasn't?) should beg, borrow or steal this superb book. Politicians are a product of their society and this is the most brilliantly insightful book I have ever read on Northern Irish society. What other writer would sit through the tedium of EIGHT Free Presbyterian services in various locations so as to ensure she had a proper understanding of that peculiarly Ulster phenomenon? Who else has attempted to get to know what South Armagh is really like behind the facile 'bandit country' cliches?

   Most of those who hold forth on the subject either lack a real understanding of the North or bring a Unionist/Nationalist agenda to bear on their writings. Murphy manages to be both harshly critical of some sectors of Northern society (Orangemen, Provos) whilst retaining sympathy for them as individuals and attempting to understand how they come to hold the beliefs they do. Only one figure becomes uglier the more closely she observes him - Ian Paisley. Her description of the near hypnotic power which his sermons exerted on his listeners was chilling.

   Dervla Murphy's combination of thoroughness and keen insight, together with her fluid writing style, make this an enthralling read. Now well over 20 years old, it is still the best portrait of Northern society yet written. Highly recommended.

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No comments about Tourism, Landscape, and the Irish Character: British Travel Writers in Pre-Famine Ireland (History of Ireland & the Irish Diaspora).

No comments about Jeanie Johnston: A Voyage Against All Odds.

3 comments about Master Book of Irish Placenames: Master Atlas and Book of Irish Placenames.

1. We were looking for a book that explained the origin of Irish place names, but this wasn't it. This is a fine book for genealogical researchers, as it associates surnames with places. If you're looking for the Irish Gaelic origins of place names, try to find a copy of "Dictionary of Irish Place Names" by Adrian Room. We were glad to score the last copy from a distributor.

   I'm sure Mr. O'Laughlin is a great researcher in his field, but I'm disappointed that we were a bit misled by this book's title and didn't find what we were looking for. I'm sure we'll put the book to good use eventually, though!




2. This is a great book for genealogical researchers- for beginners or seasoned researchers, this book will give you the places to either start your search, or give you ideas on places you have not thought of.



3. I found Skeafe in County Cork in the 17th Century! Plus this book is hardbound which really helps because I can really tear through the paperbacks. It is the first place I look.