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Title:	Abstainer, The
Authors:	McGuire, Ian
Genre:	Fiction
Pages:	359
Year:	2021
Language:	English
Description:	In the underground war for Irish independence from British rule, Stephen Doyle and James O'Connor are on opposite sides of the fence. Doyle, an Irish American veteran of the Civil War has arrived in Manchester to join the Fenians, while O'Connor, a Head Constable and newly sober transfer from Dublin, is intent on curbing the Fenian uprising. With an unrelenting pace, this gritty thriller pits these two flawed and complex men against one another in an atmospheric and troubled Manchester, following the real-life 1867 hanging of three Irishmen. [Larger font]
Categories:	Fiction, Culture/Ethnic/Racial, Historical, Political, Social commentary/perspectives, Suspense/Thriller, England, Larger font, 2024 Titles

Reviews

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By: RAUM 003		2025-06-30 10:06:57

Enjoyed by all - very well written and interesting.

By: TEMUK 001		2025-01-16 14:42:20

Those who completed reading the book enjoyed it - historical/social setting, interesting characters, and tension.

By: INVER 029		2024-09-23 14:40:54

Enjoyed by most. Good discussion.

By: TAUR 034		2024-04-15 10:30:32

Well-written - bleak story!

By: THAM 005		2024-01-15 10:06:35

A book with a lot of promise that never quite delivered! We found the epilogue disappointing. Interesting to learn about Irish resistance to British rule in the 19th century.

By: THAM 003		2023-09-29 14:45:38

This was rather a disappointment to most in our group. The ending felt very disconnected from the rest of the story.

By: HAMIL 003		2023-09-14 13:50:32

Well-written - you could easily imagine the living conditions in that era! All the group liked it apart from a couple of us who felt the finish was a disappointing end to the book.

By: CHCH 518		2023-08-07 10:13:48

A very atmospheric novel that several readers struggled with. However we agreed it was well-written with a lot of research done about the period of history the book is set in.

By: HAMIL 066		2023-07-03 15:00:56

This book was not particularly enjoyed by anyone in our group. While well-written (though a sparse style) it felt bleak and dark - Manchester in the 1800s.