Red Sky in Morning: A Novel

Well written, engrossing and informative historical-fiction type book about early 19th Ireland and America. If you want great storytelling, this is for you. If you want happy endings and feel good literature, I would recommend you read something else.

If you're looking for a light hearted tale, this is not it. There is no fairytale ending. This is a gritty, depressing story of the Irish coming to America as uneducated poor people. Not only does Coll have to avoid the psycopath chasing him, he has to try to survive cruel work and devasting disease. It points out that most immigrants had very difficult lives if they were of the lower classes. Even Blacks would not associate with the Irish at that time. America was built by tough people during very tough times. We must give thanks to our ancestors for persevering.

No I would not recommend this book. I did not understand the story line it was complicated. Not good book

Page turner by a relatively new author.

Tired of reading about the good guy and the bad guy, the triumph of good over evil, justice served, love fulfilled? This is the type of Irish prose that borders on poetry. Don't speed read this book. Take in every word.

Cormac McCarthy territory, but don't let that derail you from exploring it. This is a fully realized, brilliant first novel with its own, particular DNA that offers us a glimpse of a future master. I hope Lynch hasn't exhausted his bank of material with this book. With the language that the best Irish writers are known for, against an historical backdrop that any reader of American literature will quickly recognize, Red Sky is brilliant and hopefully a harbinger of even better books to come.

See full review at The Indigo Quill . blogspot . comI received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Red Sky In Morning is a very unique book. It was originally written by the author because he was inspired by a story he watched a documentary on involving an event that happened in Pennsylvania in 1832. It was about 57 Irish railroad workers who were killed (most likely murdered, it is unknown) and how their deaths were covered up. This book is not for the faint of heart. It is very bleak, and it is not necessarily an easy read. The book is separated into 3 parts. The first and last move pretty quickly, but the middle section slowed the pace a bit. The style of writing is definitely an acquired one. If you are well-read in the likes of Cormac McCarthy or Daniel Woodrell, then Paul Lynch's way of storytelling should not phase you. It is not an easy ready if you are not. Lynch uses a sophisticated way of writing, but also excludes quotations to separate dialogue from the rest of the text. This takes some getting used to. The story itself is incredibly well done. Lynch is definitely a budding author entering the scene with something unique and fresh to offer. Red Sky In Morning was definitely different from what I normally read, but I still found it interesting, and especially once I discovered what truly inspired the story, then my level of interest went up a couple notches. So why the 3 star rating? First, I think this book is potentially a great book. Do I think it could be better? Yes. But it does serve well as it is. I think the biggest thing that irked me about this book is misuse of the 'F-word.' Normally I can tolerate swearing in a book if it's strategically placed to show how a person or situation would actually be, or if it reflects the environment of a character. However, if this book takes place in 1832, then the 'F-word" would have still mostly been used for its sole purpose. However, the author uses it here as a derogatory term mixed between old language and it was incredibly unsettling. I felt jolted, because I knew right away it was misplaced. It did not become a derogatory term until the early 90s. Aside from this, I thought the book was great. This just seemed a very big deal to me while I was reading it. If you are a Cormac McCarthy fan, then you will love this book. It has mystery, betrayal, incest, murder, and all the other markings of a brooding historical suspense novel. It definitely is a new work of art, and I look forward to seeing more from Paul Lynch.

Interesting voice of the writer and tone of dark, relentless forces at play. Definitely wanted to see how each vignette would resolve, but at the same time, emotionally wearing...

A writer's delight, or for anyone keen on poetic diction and unconventional grammatic styles. It begins to feel a little attitudinising after the first 100 or so pages, however, so be warned. But yes, for people interested in unorthodox use of language it's well worth reading. The story didn't seem hugely memorable though I seldom read for that reason.

Dark unrelenting darkness, under explored meandering, dips down low then skips to a unsatisfying short ending. Charactersiation ok but comparison to Cormac McCarthy are off the mark!

Good quality

A good read.

Remarkable story writing