Men Withering

by Francis MacManus

There is little need to introduce the writing of Francis MacManus. For many years his books have charmed all who have gently relaxed into his world of Irish rural life. For over three decades, he wrote in English and Irish for publishers on both sides of the Atlantic. He has written essays, reviews, short stories, biographies, travel books, history and, above all, novels. The biographies range from the life of that Italian master of the sensual, Giovanni Boccaccio, to a life of the most austere of Irish saints, Columban of Bobbio. The novels also range over a wide area of human life - Ireland in the eighteenth century, New Mexico in the twentieth. Men Withering is centered around the life of the famous Irish poet, Donnacha Ruadh Mac Conmara. Francis MacManus was on the staff of Radio Éireann since 1947.

Paperback

First published January 28, 1988

Reviews

[Clare O'Beara · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was obliged to read this book in school in Dublin. It was awful. I can't think of a worse book to give a young person, except perhaps Lord of The Flies, which I refused to read. Even the title is a deterrent to teenage girls.

This book is the third of a trilogy and we had not read the first two, nor had we any idea of their contents. By this time the protagonist is an old man. He is blind. He is mostly deaf. He babbles. Yes, it says that he babbled.

This old man is making his way around Ireland hoping to rejoin some of his family. He gets the odd lift on a horse and cart, and there are soldiers marching around, with pikes. No read could be slower. The man had no idea of what events were occurring around him. Nor did we readers. If there was any significance to the soldiers, or if it was just part of normal life, we hadn't a clue.

I was unable to finish this book, and I read several books a week. I loved books. I had read To Kill A Mockingbird and The Lord of The Rings. If I came back to it now, perhaps, I would get more out of it. However, I won't. It's made too bad an impression on me, just because it was an appalling choice to force on young people. Goodness knows how many young adults were put off reading for life by such books.