Review of Far From The Land: A Memoir by Thomas Rice

Product Description: from Amazon.com

"The setting of Far From the Land is rural Ireland in the 1950s. Thomas Rice has written a memoir about a way of life that no longer exists: no running water, no toilets, no electricity, and little access to education, jobs or basic health care. Early on the story plunges into a culture haunted by recent memories of famines and still showing some of the scars from The Great Hunger of the 1840s.
Writing about father-son relationships, the author recalls the night his absentee IRA father returns from England for the first time in ten years. Known as "The Voice" because of his tenor's talent, the impact of his first song, Thomas Moore's haunting tribute to the sweetheart of his martyred friend, Robert Emmet, was beautiful. The poem was titled, She is Far From the Land. No one in the kitchen that night ever forgot it. It was the perfect song, sung by the perfect voice, at the perfect time.
Far From the Land has the benefit of five decades of retrospection as the author brings each of his characters to life with startling honesty, without nostalgia or cliché. Readers will come away with a renewed respect for rural Irish culture and her people."

To say I loved this memior would not be enough to express my feelings as I read this book. I am third generation Irish and knowing what living conditions were in Ireland found this story fascinating. He tells of his absent father who only came around every so often,and how his mother Maggie O'Toole, who was an amazing woman in her own right, held the family together with love and also discipline. Thomas becomes the man at an early age and helps out on the farm, plowing,seeding,harvesting, raising and selling sheep and his ability to work with horses. Thomas's goal is to sell the farm and move to America taking his mother along. That goal is a long time coming.
The story takes place in rural Ireland in the 50's and is a coming of age story of the author and the good times and the bad times that he and his family and neighbors endured to survive. In spite of the hard times the story portrayed how strong and prideful the Irish are of their customs and beliefs. Despite the lack of obtainable education,the poverty, and lack of jobs, these families persevered and did the best with what they had with pride and dignity.
The characters that Thomas writes about are interesting, funny and a joy to read about. The way Thomas wrote his story was so easy to read, I almost could smell the turf burning in the fireplace, or the cold seeping through the cracks in the house in the bleak winters. I felt like I was in the same room as Thomas described the craic( music and entertainment). This is his life, sometimes funny and sometimes sad and very down to earth. I highly recommend this book...Irish storytelling at it's best!!!  

 About the Author
Thomas J. Rice grew up in Ireland. On July 4th, 2009, he celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of his arrival in New York City. He was granted a scholarship to Cornell University, earned a doctorate, and became a college professor and social activist. He lives with his wife in Andover, Massachusetts
I received this book from Lauren Pires, Book Publicist, Jane Wesman Public Relations, Inc. for review. I was not compensated monetarily for my honest review.