Orna Ross – After The Rising & Before the Fall

After The Rising & Before the Fall by Orna Ross is a special centenary edition of the first two books in an Irish Trilogy. Two historical fiction novels in one, I was in my element!

A family saga that sweeps the years and generations as it transports us from the present day right back to the 1920s, 1960s and 1970s. Jo Devereux has returned to the Irish village she grew up in. It’s twenty years since she left her family and the man she loved. She has only come back for her mothers funeral, but now she wants answers. Searching through papers bequeathed by her estranged mother, Jo uncovers astonishing truths about her grandmother and great-aunt – secrets of a cold-blooded murder with consequences that ricocheted down the generations into her own life.
Urged on by Rory O’Donovan, her lost love and the son of her family’s sworn enemies, Jo is tempted to reignite the fires of rebellion. Can she ever go back to the life she’d made for herself in San Francisco? Or will what she’s learning about her heritage incite her to cast off caution – and claim what should have been hers?

As the story unfolds we are shown the whole bitter and bloody picture that is the Irish Civil war. A war that broke families and friends apart. Orna Ross has depicted this terrible war with such emotion running through the story. It does make for a very deep and thought-provoking read. She expertly weaves the history of Irelands ‘troubles’ with Jo’s search for answers that spans the decades and explores the history of the Irish conflict that is still part of our lives to this very day.

These novels definitely educated me as I know some of the history but Orna Ross has taught me a lot more. I do love to be entertained and educated, as I often find when I read any historical fiction novel. The blending of fact and fiction makes this story steeped in intrigue. The fact that the historical conflict created enemies of entire families and the turmoil this led to created (and still does to this day) so much bitterness. Religion itself is and always was a major player In Ireland this is another theme that is dealt with in this captivating and beautifully written book. The themes the author deals with bring all the taboo subjects, unwanted pregnancy and even mental health and the roles these things have within the conflicts of the past.

Thanks to Anne Cater of Random Things Tours and Orna Ross for the very special Centenary Edition of this book.