Against the Wind: Memoir of a Dissident Dubliner
James A O'Brien
Set in Dublin during the years of the Second World
War and in England during the post-war years of
the 1950s and 1960s Against the Wind is a lively
and compelling memoir.
It is the story of a young man of independent mind and feisty
spirit who refuses to accept the constraints and strictures of a
closed Irish society. And who through economic necessity, at a very
young age, is forced to live and work in ‘Pagan England’ the land
of ‘the enemy’. There he learns to ‘like the English’ and learns of
‘freedoms that he knew very little about’ in ‘holy Ireland’.
A wealth of varying and informative material and the ability to
anchor the personal securely within the public domain gives this
memoir a universal appeal.
The narrative has all the ingredients for a compelling read –vivid
and varied characters brought alive on the page, compelling setting
and historical relevance and interest. The prologue whets our
appetite for what is to come and the mixture of recollection, poetry
and historical information drawstrings the narrative together well.
Astute observation and character portrayal are the strengths of the
work, as is the accessible tone of the narrative voice in which the
author employs a light touch that has just the right amount of wit and sobriety.
Author - James A O'Brien.
Narrator - Gary Furlong.
Published Date - Sunday, 22 January 2023.
Location:
United States
Description:
Set in Dublin during the years of the Second World War and in England during the post-war years of the 1950s and 1960s Against the Wind is a lively and compelling memoir. It is the story of a young man of independent mind and feisty spirit who refuses to accept the constraints and strictures of a closed Irish society. And who through economic necessity, at a very young age, is forced to live and work in ‘Pagan England’ the land of ‘the enemy’. There he learns to ‘like the English’ and learns of ‘freedoms that he knew very little about’ in ‘holy Ireland’. A wealth of varying and informative material and the ability to anchor the personal securely within the public domain gives this memoir a universal appeal. The narrative has all the ingredients for a compelling read –vivid and varied characters brought alive on the page, compelling setting and historical relevance and interest. The prologue whets our appetite for what is to come and the mixture of recollection, poetry and historical information drawstrings the narrative together well. Astute observation and character portrayal are the strengths of the work, as is the accessible tone of the narrative voice in which the author employs a light touch that has just the right amount of wit and sobriety. Author - James A O'Brien. Narrator - Gary Furlong. Published Date - Sunday, 22 January 2023.
Language:
English
Chapter 1
Duration:00:00:10
Chapter 2
Duration:00:04:11
Chapter 3
Duration:00:09:29
Chapter 4
Duration:00:12:56
Chapter 5
Duration:00:04:38
Chapter 6
Duration:00:07:04
Chapter 7
Duration:00:04:18
Chapter 8
Duration:00:04:05
Chapter 9
Duration:00:06:01
Chapter 10
Duration:00:09:45
Chapter 11
Duration:00:09:35
Chapter 12
Duration:00:12:00
Chapter 13
Duration:00:12:51
Chapter 14
Duration:00:17:07
Chapter 15
Duration:00:06:23
Chapter 16
Duration:00:10:28
Chapter 17
Duration:00:05:43
Chapter 18
Duration:00:07:38
Chapter 19
Duration:00:09:24
Chapter 20
Duration:00:13:12
Chapter 21
Duration:00:12:57
Chapter 22
Duration:00:04:48
Chapter 23
Duration:00:14:15
Chapter 24
Duration:00:06:15
Chapter 25
Duration:00:12:37
Chapter 26
Duration:00:11:52
Chapter 27
Duration:00:04:20
Chapter 28
Duration:00:08:41
Chapter 29
Duration:00:13:52
Chapter 30
Duration:00:03:21
Chapter 31
Duration:00:03:00
Chapter 32
Duration:00:02:33
Chapter 33
Duration:00:00:18