A High Meadow

by John Brendan Keane

A High Meadow is full of comedy, tragedy and melodrama, all centred around the village of Ballybobawn and Eddie Drannaghy, the ""Ram of God"" (a former trainee priest who was cynically seduced by the American wife of his cousin, fathered a child and was forced to leave the seminary), and his brothers Murt and Will. John B. Keane weaves an inimitable tapestry of rural people good and bad, weak and powerful; gardai, priests and travelers, and towering above them all the personality of the Ram of God.

Genres: Irish Literature, Ireland

Paperback

First published May 31, 1994

Reviews

[Joel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A novel set in and around a small, rural Irish town, and centered on the doings of two families: The farming Drannaghys and the Cronanes (owners of the town supermarket).

Plot-wise, this is basically Rural Irish Soap Opera. There are deaths (from drownings, to car crashes, to being trampled by a bull); weddings; out-of-wedlock pregnancies; fighting and brawling (everything from simple fistfights to a large group of men ambushing a Travellers' caravan in the dead of night); thefts; police raids; seduction; domestic abuse; malicious gossip; intrigue and plotting.

And yet, the book never feels sensationalized; Keane neither revels in all this mayhem, nor moralizes (despite a warm attitude towards religion). In fact, he takes a kind, understanding attitude towards most human foibles and weaknesses. Only those characters guilty of malice and doing deliberate harm to others earn his judgment.

It's a lovely book; sometimes wise, sometimes sentimental.

[Mhartain O'Treasaigh · Rating 2 out of 5]

The synopsis on the cover of the book, sells the book, I could not get a grip with Novel. In fact I put it down, to give it a miss, only I am partial to John,s Work a bit biased, I began reading it again, It has something for everyone, I found what I liked and enjoyed , other parts are not to my taste but I read it.

[JOE CARROLL · Rating 5 out of 5]

A typical JBK book set in a village in rural Ireland focusing on the envy, jealousy, greed and Small minded attitude of the business and less well off citizens contrasted against the then and long disappeared power of the Church. As always, Keane demonstrates keen powers of observation and awareness of country life in a small far from educated village setting both in people attitudes and the importance of land and stock ownership.
As always, he displays a wicked and dry sense of humour. The author is long since dead and this life from a past generation has long since passed but to me it is still a joy to read and as an avid JBK fan, I can never read enough of this master craftsman's work.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great writing