"American expat Monagan ("Jaywalking with the Irish" rode the Celtic Tiger, the decade of unprecedented Irish prosperity beginning in the mid-1990s, with serious trepidation that traditional Irish culture would be snared in its teeth. Simultaneously modern and ancient, enchanting and coarse, deeply melancholy and wildly exuberant, Monagan's Ireland is a fascinating paradox painted in (sometimes excessively) lyrical prose. Yet it is his bittersweet search for permanence in a changing world rather than his description of a country that gives his book relevance beyond the average travelog. Because Ireland's boom and subsequent bust were more dramatic than those of nearly any other country, it is a perfect microcosm for examining the loss and confusion reverberating around the post-recession globe. VERDICTMonagan's quest for continuity in a land struggling for its identity is a journey all readers, from armchair adventurers to economists, can share. Although the author occasionally gets carried away with melodramatic language and self-indulgent tangents, he presents a timely and humorous perspective on Ireland and the modern world." (Library Journal) Check Our Catalog
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