Wow, there's a lot in this biography of Thomas Meagher. Meagher was a young Irish revolutionary who barely avoided execution in Ireland, escaped from the penal colony of Tasmania, led a regiment of Irish soldier in the U.S. Civil War, and served as governor of the Montana Territory. The author wants to place Meagher's story in context, so the book covers centuries of English oppression in Ireland, the history of the Australian penal colonies, the politics and major battles of the Civil War, and the settlement of the West under the Homestead Act. Egan crafts a smooth narrative with evocative details, but with so much ground to cover it's necessarily superficial.
Frankly, Meagher's story gets lost in the bigger picture. His personality remains opaque beyond his commitment to justice for the downtrodden, and supporting characters such as his wives get even shorter shrift. He is most famous as an orator, but the excerpts of his speeches are uninspiring.
Meagher led an impressively expansive life, and The Immortal Irishman enumerates the key events competently. However, the scope drained many incidents of their inherent drama.
Frankly, Meagher's story gets lost in the bigger picture. His personality remains opaque beyond his commitment to justice for the downtrodden, and supporting characters such as his wives get even shorter shrift. He is most famous as an orator, but the excerpts of his speeches are uninspiring.
Meagher led an impressively expansive life, and The Immortal Irishman enumerates the key events competently. However, the scope drained many incidents of their inherent drama.
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