Trinity

My husband is of Irish decent. I read this novel years ago and bought the book for him. He couldn't put it down. When he was done, I reread it and enjoyed it all over again. The storyline is interesting and in the process one learns about the conflict between Catholics and Protestants.

This was highly recommended by my incredibly talented Ireish tour guide as a comprehensive yet entertaining source of Irish history. I have not had time to settle down and read it as I strongly suspect once I do so, nothing else will get done! I will readily find myself captivated with the adventures and struggles of the Irish people in their strife to earn freedom! I know it will be a superb read!

Perhaps the best book ever written regarding this time period in Irish history. Have lived in Ireland and studied Irish history, this book (while fictional) is as close to history lesson as you're going to get. Wonderful book! Mr. Uris, yet again, did his research!

Excellent (historical) novel about a Northern Irish, Catholic family, especially the oldest son, Conor, coming of age before the first World War. This has been a favorite book of mine for many years. If you've grown tired of characters who posses supernatural powers (vampires, wizards, etc) and enjoy fiction of another genre - beginning of the IRA (1910-1913), you'll like Trinity! Trish

Amazingly well-researched book. Too verbose for those not familiar or specially interested in Irish history and political problems.

I am a reader, and I find this book tiring to read. Might be easier with a hard-backed cover.

Discovering a great story teller all over again, it’s been many years since I’ve read anything from Leon Uris, he was one of the first author’s who I admired and started to read book after book from, but over time I moved onto other authors, Maugham, Vonnegut, Brautigan, Kerr, Butler, the Gear’s, and so on, there are so many good author’s I almost forgot about Leon Uris. Then I was in a English Bookstore in Ecuador, couldn’t find any book from the above mentioned group but their was Leon Uris. Well it was a best seller and I know very little about the Irish struggle for independence so why not let’s give it a try. The size of it gave me pause but I read James Michener's Hawaii this year so if I could handle that I could handle this I figured. Turned out I was right not only could I handled it, it was fantastic read a beautifully written story I enjoyed the great depth of research and how complex and interwoven so many characters stories were. We followed the Larkin family for three generations with some historical back story going back to the Potato famine up to first world war. A very in depth look at the politics of various classes and groups and I feel like I have just completed a college level course on Irish history. Have to give it five stars just an amazing accomplishment. Now I have to try to read the rest of his books I won’t forget again how good a writer he was.

Please consider this book for Kindle. I would buy it immediately. I read this book many years ago and now that I've been to Ireland a number of times and am ready to go back next year for the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising I want to read it again. The paperback print is now too small for me. I read most of my books on Kindle and would love it if you would make this one available too. Thank you!

Discovering a great story teller all over again, it’s been many years since I’ve read anything from Leon Uris, he was one of the first author’s who I admired and started to read book after book from, but over time I moved onto other authors, Maugham, Vonnegut, Brautigan, Kerr, Butler, the Gear’s, and so on, there are so many good author’s I almost forgot about Leon Uris. Then I was in a English Bookstore in Ecuador, couldn’t find any book from the above mentioned group but their was Leon Uris. Well it was a best seller and I know very little about the Irish struggle for independence so why not let’s give it a try. The size of it gave me pause but I read James Michener's Hawaii this year so if I could handle that I could handle this I figured. Turned out I was right not only could I handled it, it was fantastic read a beautifully written story I enjoyed the great depth of research and how complex and interwoven so many characters stories were. We followed the Larkin family for three generations with some historical back story going back to the Potato famine up to first world war. A very in depth look at the politics of various classes and groups and I feel like I have just completed a college level course on Irish history. Have to give it five stars just an amazing accomplishment. Now I have to try to read the rest of his books I won’t forget again how good a writer he was.

Please consider this book for Kindle. I would buy it immediately. I read this book many years ago and now that I've been to Ireland a number of times and am ready to go back next year for the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising I want to read it again. The paperback print is now too small for me. I read most of my books on Kindle and would love it if you would make this one available too. Thank you!

In Leon Uris' novels he likes to depict the British in an almost less flattering light than the Germans. And Uris is no fan of the Germans. This is one of the keen insights I have always drawn from one of Uris' novels like Trinity and Exodus. I never knew any better than to hold British integrity n the highest regard. It is not to be according to Uris and certainly not in his terrific novel, "Trinity".

If you are only slightly familiar with the Irish Ciil War than this book will educate you. As with all of Uris novels he has taken a larger than life historical event and wrapped it in a compelling plot line, larger than life characters and prose that is a delight to read. If you like historical fiction, are interested in Irish history or simply want a darn well told story pick pup a copy of "Trinity". You wiil be glad you did.

Having come to "Trinity" after a break of some twenty years since reading the Uris classics "Exodus," "Mila 18" and "Armageddon," it was a very pleasant surprise to be able to discover that old zest for life, that lusty undercurrent which marks his work and fills it with an unmistakable energy. At the same time, "Trinity" enabled me to discover something about my own Irish background, and put the perspective of history into a new position for me altogether. In fact, so tainted were we, some of us, by the version of the other protagonists in that ghastly story, that we had a curious emotion, verging on shame, when it came to being part-Irish and perhaps more importantly, not sufficiently English. I imagine that a great many people know what I mean. It is through books like "Trinity," Keneally's "The Great Shame" and McCourt's "Angela's Ashes," that we are starting, many of us who were not born in Ireland but who have solid links of former ownership (however tenuous they might have appeared), to finally get the gist. I know one person who really had almost a prejudice against their own Irish family of last century, who came away from "Trinity" with a very different perspective indeed.
It's really an awful story, and if you wonder any longer why the troubles have continued so long and so bitterly into the last century and, quite possibly, into this one, you must be reading it upside down. At the same time, it's a great Uris yarn, if one may be permitted to say so. And it doesn't make me ashamed at all, after reading this, to be doing some proper wearing of the green.

It disturbed me to learn, while reading Trinity, that Leon Uris passed away at the age of 78. I'm glad I was reading one of his most acclaimed novels when it did happen, so finishing it made it that much more special. I will admit I did try to read this novel about 15 years ago and couldn't due to its heavy subject matter, but I'm glad I took another crack at it.
I must say that Trinity is a wondrous and expansive novel. Uris weaves many, stories and tales over the years with seamless ease.

We are presented with 3 families of different backgrounds, the Larkens (Catholics), the Hubbles (protestants) and the Weeds (Presbyterians). All have an agenda of their own, whether it be respect, money or carrying on a lineage; we are shown each side and how they play on each other. Uris paints a vast portrait of the Irish lifestyles both rich and poor. Friends made and friends lost abound.
What confused me before reading this novel were the other reviews, some went on to say that Trinity drew two dimensional characters and lacked depth, and I can say that that is furthest from the truth. These characters, such as the hero Conor, or his the love interest Shelly, or the power hungry Weed family, each has their side of their story told, and told well. We are carried from the characters' childhood till there mid thirties, and I felt as though I knew each one in and out. This is Leon Uris's most accomplished work, though not my favorite, Armageddon still holds that title, this is without a doubt a great, fulfilling and richly detailed novel about a period and piece of the Irish struggle and how a few people deal with it.
We did lose a great story teller, R.I.P Leon uris, you will be sorely missed.

I just read Trinity, then the sequel, Redemption. I plan on submitting this review for both novels.

Trinity is an 800+ page saga about Ireland in the late 1800s early 1900s. It took me a good 100+ pages to get hooked on the book, but once hooked, I raced to finish it. I loved the description of Ireland, the religious conflicts, and the incredible characters. This book is great, read it now.

Redemption was also an 800+ page novel, however, not as gripping as Trinity. The first 300+ pages covered plot that had been described in Trinity. For those readers who read Trinity years ago, this may be a bonus. For someone who had finished Trinity a day prior, I wasn't interested. The book gets a bit more exciting with the description of the war being fought which eventually leads back to Ireland. The book then, unfortunately, wimpers out with a quick, gift packaged ending. I am not sorry I read this book, because it brought a bit more closure on the Irish saga for me...however, Trinity is the more impressive novel.

This book was, for the most part, an enjoyable, entertaining and educational read. The characters were well drawn, with both the "good guys" and the "bad guys" having having both good and bad qualities. It is impossible not to admire most of the antagonists at one point or another, even though they may act despicably at other times. The story gives not only a historical background of Ireland of the late-nineteeth, early-twentieth centuries, but provides insight into how the conflict there affected the political and military aspects of the First World War. All in all, there was much to be admired here.

The only real problem I had with the book was that the ending felt tacked on. There were seven hundred pages of meticulous planning, background, and plotting that were followed by one hundred pages of action movie narration. The conclusion is pretty much foregone fron page one, and the whole novel works toward that fated end, and when it comes, as we know it must, it feels a little bit cheesy.

But on the whole, for a fan of good historical fiction, this is a worthy read.

What makes Leon Uris a gift to modern American writers is his ability to allow himself to become totally engrossed in the story which, in turn, draws the reader in with him.

In this book Uris' love for the Irish people comes to fruition as he chronicles the early days of the Irish rebellion against the English colonial occupation. Unlike his other works such as ARMAGEDDON-where he tries to set forth all points of view regarding a subject-he does not even try to justify the partisan politics of Ireland; the English are bad, the Irish are good.

Whether or not you agree with this one-sided mentality and how he represents the political and religious quagmire that is (and was, and probably always will be) Northern Ireland, this is still a great book.

This was the first Uris book I ever read and this made me an instant die-hard fan. The characters are engaging and endearing, almost making you miss then and resent the book for having ended.

The prose is also vintage Uris (this was when he was playing around with multiple narrators and time-frames and yes, he is at his best in this book). But what gripped me was that I had to take a step back and remind myself that Uris is an outsider to this history and these people-as an American Jew he is extremely sensitive to the subject which makes it all the more engaging.

The book is about 800 pages long, so if you are new to Uris you may want to start with something smaller such as MILA 18 or QB VII. But then again, this book is a testament to Uris' talent for detail and heart-warming characters caught in heart-wrenching events, so don't be shy, the summer is long and so is this book. Sit in the sun and enjoy!

*Disclaimer*: if you get a little emotional with good books (like me) you may want to keep some Kleenex handy for the last chapter.

I'm re reading this magnificent tender tragedy again for the third or fourth time.
I have read most of Uris' earlier works as well, but in Trinity he seems to have tapped into a torrent that only the greatest writers have supped at.
This book, dealing with the Catholic/Protestant/British conflicts of the last several centuries, is written with an Irish accent in a way that very few writers could succeed at. This story follows the lives of three different families through the historic voilence, love, hate and tenderness of those times in Ireland, and it is an enthralling read.
The reader must allow a little change from other writing styles to get into the book, but once under way, this book grips you, and grips you more and more. You will be enraged and in tears by turn, but you won't put this masterpiece down, I promise.
I have left out descriptions of the plot details. You will get them directly from the master writer when you read this grand opus.

As an Irish American raised Catholic in a very strict Catholic home and school in a large northern city this book was more personal than I expected. Traveling to Ireland prior to reading this book also gave me some added insight. Uris is a great novelist and this is his best in my opinion. The history and drama of normal people living under tyranny for centuries is moving to the point of immense sympathy and anger. I could not put this book down and it was a great experience. This is a masterpiece without a doubt. I can not believe it took me so long to finally read it. If history and Ireland interest you at all this is a must read. If your a devout fan of Britannia maybe not.

Just like it says, one second after I finished this great story, I flipped back to the first page and read it again. I could tell that Conor got all of his great spiritual and physical strength from his father and grandfar, Tomas and Kilty. I grew so attached to Conor Larkin I wanted to name my son after him. It seemed like such a good, strong name. Actually, in a way, I did name my son after him. Uris put so much passion and honest feeling in this story, I can't begin to explain how it affected my life. An absolute must read!

Kevin Gerard - Author of the Conor and the Crossworlds Fantasy Adventure Series

This great novel captures the deep feeling of a heroic and sorrow-filled life.

I have met men my entire life who claim this is by far their favorite book. And I know many men who named their first-born son Conor, because of the boy and man depicted in this book.

It's heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time.

Uris was a man possessed when he wrote this.

Read this book.

("Gates of Fire" by Steven Pressfield has written a book with similar eternal themes, and one that I have seen have the same effect on many men who have read it.)

I reluctantly picked this book up after receiving it as a Christmas present. Boy was I wrong about my initial impressions. I devoured the entire book in less than a week. I found the story fascinating. The dichotomy between the haves and have-nots in Ireland and the constant struggle was intriguing. The author created well rounded characters, who seemed to suffer unimaginably. The book read like nonfiction. Overall, highly recommended.

I finished reading this boook this morning in a Starbucks before goign to work. I have not cried for at least 14 years and I almost blew it today. The answer to the Irish question as it has been labelled, is easy. It is not a hard answer like some would have you believe. Read the book, see what the reality is of the longest running Occupation by a hostile force in modern history. That is an incendiary comment! Many people share a common sympathy for the plight of the Green Irish. It is interesting to see how this problem developed and what the IRA was. Not what they are now, and were in the 70's and 80's killing civilians and bombing shopping areas with nail bombs, but the Cause they rose for, fought for and died for. While it would be easy to write this book off as written like a soap opera in some of the character developments, it should be remembered that life is often like that. Forbidden love is a reality. When my Mother met my Father, her adopted family did not like him becasue he was English and they were French Canadian Irish. Never mind he was Catholic. His bunch did not like hers because...you get the picture. Years later we find out Mom's real Dad was an Orangeman and her real mother a Catholic and that is why Mom was put up for adoption. Haha. Fiction never holds a candle to real life does it? She finally met her real Mother and her Brothers but because of the scandal her Mother asked her to introduce herself as a friend from the local parish.60 years later! So believing the tale told as it is, was not a stretch. In any case it was well written and tied together in a simple direct way. Definitely a good insight into how the events which led to the Easter Rising in Dublin some years later. It is interesting to note, that the Masonic Lodges(Orangemen) of the time were instrumental in the injustices served in the newly formed United Kingdom, as it is now known. Even more interesting to see the newly developing laws concerning Disclosure of membership in Masonic societies causing a furor in Great Britain currently.
Great read for anyone interested in the IRISH QUESTION? You cannot help but read the book and maybe have an answer too.

This book presents the Irish/British conflict very well. Although I found it to be a long read, it was a lot more readable than a history textbook would have been. I especially liked the fact that all 3 sides (Catholic, Protestant and British) were represented by relatively evenhanded characters.

BUT reading some of the reviews here and gauging the sentiment of the book I found it hard to stomach the blatant hipocracy of the story.

Conor Larkin (the 'hero') visits Australia and his brother's homestead in New Zealand. It does not cross his mind that the Aboriginies and Maouries have been treated at least as badly as his own people. The Irish, justifiably hate the fact that they are treated as a sub species, who have a foreign religion forced upon them and are not considered fit to rule themselves. And yet the Larkins, (and thousands like them), think nothing of taking land from the indiginous people, destroying their culture, their language, their religion and their whole way of life. The British are, (rightly), condemned by Conor for suppressing the Chinese, the Indians and the Africans. Yet he very convieniently fails to care about the natives of New Zealand, Australia and America. Breathtaking arrogance and hipocracy is exhibited by ALL sides in this story.

my family is orange Irishmd hvebeen n us since 1639. and I wasstill taught to b preduse aganst the Catholic church . no wearn of he green theese two books changd my way of thinking..it really open your eys .put Trinity in kindle form. fo all us Irish Ill bu i gin infact both, bu Tinit first. I give these books 5 gold stars.
there are books that change you amd your thought s on religion. I ecommended them to Rosie O DONNALD. SHES GREEN Irish

I first read Trinity at the insistence of my mother (first generation Irish) when I was fifteen. Although I enjoyed it, I never appreciated it for its fluent history, dynamic characters and breathtaking adventure. In light of the "Good Friday" peace accord, I thought the time was ripe for a reread. The best decision I have made all year. I experienced the gambit of emotions and have a better understanding of not only my heritage, but the need for my generation to support that heritage. I would recommend this to any High School English or History class. I also recommend to anyone who enjoyed the history of this novel to try "How the Irish Saved Western Civilization" by T. Cahill.

I had high hopes for Trinity, Leon Uris would tell the story of the Irish Rebellion with the style and excitement he showed in Exodus. The book started well, Michener has shown me how valuable 200 pages of background and story development can be in a historical novel. I was however at first surprised and then dismayed when the book developed the story line of an afternoon soap opera, the characters become caricatures and the story line ends up melodramatic and contrived. I wanted to understand the history of the Irish, Catholic Church, Scotch Irish, and English; and I get a set of late 20th century values, morphed into this late 19th, early 20th century story. As always, Uris's writing is clear and stylish, but the story he tells is far below expectations.
This is Tripe, not Trinity.

As his other work, The Haj, brings clarity to the struggle in the middle east, Trinity put the Irish conflict into focus for me. This is of course a classic and deservedly so. The writing is wonderful throughout and it's so comfortable to be in the hands of such an able storyteller. Don't miss out on this wonderful novel of Irelands fight for independence.

A wonderful work that would make Michener proud. Any author that can write a book of this breadth, relate so much history and make it this compelling is truly a master. This book is about the painful truth of Ireland. It's depressing and hopeless and it really means to be. But not for a minute will you want to put it down. There is something romantic and enticing about a people or a culture fighting to find itself. The oppression and poverty of the Irish people is harrowing and their plight seemingly hopeless, but yet a handful of men can make a difference. The struggle for freedom is ugly and heart wrenching, but Uris makes it so worthwhile.

This book mesmerized me in the same way great books like 'The Grapes of Wrath' and 'To Kill a Mockingbird' did, except those were books I read in high school because I had to and 'Trinity' I read on my own free will as an adult. The plight of the Irish people has been greatly downplayed, both in the media as well as in school history lessons. What the British Empire did to the Irish people was nothing short of a 'holocaust' and Leon Uris is brilliant in bringing their plight to life. I do not have a drop of Irish blood in me (at least, not that I know of) and yet this book still captivated me. I would recommend it to anyone and everyone. And by the way, the sequel, 'Redemption' is every bit as good, perhaps even a little bit better, because you are already familiar with so many of the charcacters.

The "trinity" in the title of this epic novel, set mainly in the first decades of the 20th century, is in reference to the three primary factions who vie for control of the island of Eire. There are the "native" Catholic Irish, second-class citizen in their own land; the Protestant "Orange" transplants who have occupied the north of the island for several centuries and have risen thru hard work and opportunism to social prominence; and there are the aristocratic English, whose 900-year dominance of this troubled, tragic island has never been more tenuous.

The narration in Trinity shifts several times between first and third person as each segment of the story requires, and the characters here are generously crafted, without a single one-dimensional construct to be found. There really are no good or bad guys in Trinity--well, almost none--and I liked that. Perhaps it was his status as an American Jew that gave Uris the capacity to pen this solid novel with neutral detachment. He gives nearly-equal billing to each faction of his "trinity" and makes a game effort to have the characters relay their points of view and tell why it is they see the bloody situation in Ireland the way they do. Uris never judges and he never condescends. He also--bless him--never once, and I mean not once, serves up a frothy Irish stereotype anyplace in his great big stout-hearted warrior of a novel.

In this review, I'm deliberately saying little about the events of the plot, which I'll leave to the reader herself. I'll vouch here that Trinity is a solid, mega-eventful, frequently tragic, bitterly realistic step back in time to an island that is not the fairy tale kingdom it's too often made out to be in popular (especially Irish-American) lore. Here village life rubs shoulders with industrial slums, violent revolutionaries vie with dyed-in-the-wool colonialists, and enough realistic characters appear to fill a small city. There is love, there is murder, there are high hopes dashed to the mud and ambitions fulfilled beyond the loftiest dream. In Trinity, Leon Uris outdoes anyone else who has ever set out to novelize the illogical tragedy that is the north of Ireland.

PS Why no film version of Trinity ever appeared puzzles me. It would translate well into about a ten-hour miniseries.

I have recommended this novel to several friends. The first hundred pages can be a little tough to get through, but perservere. This is my favorite book. I am interested in Irish history and period pieces. The characters are unforgetable. It is a beautifully written book.