Exit Unicorns

By Cindy Brandner

Book Overview

In this sweeping and powerful epic the journey begins in the 'terrible beauty' of Northern Ireland during a time when conflict reigns and no one is spared from tragedy and sorrow, the time known as The Troubles. It is the spring of 1968 in Belfast and James Kirkpatrick has just lost his father under suspicious circumstances, Casey Riordan is released from prison after five years and Pamela O'Flaherty has crossed an ocean and a lifetime of memories to find the man she fell in love with as a little girl. All three lives are on a collision course with each other against the backdrop of the burgeoning civil rights movement and a nation on the brink of revolution. They come from disparate backgrounds-Jamie a wealthy aristocrat whose life is like an imperfect but multi-faceted jewel-brilliant, flawed and with a glitter that is designed to distract the observer. Casey, a card-carrying member of the Irish Republican Army, who must face the fact that five years away has left him a stranger, a misfit in his own neighborhood where not everyone is sympathetic to a convicted rebel. Pamela, who has come to Ireland in search of a memory and a man who may not have existed in the first place. Through it all runs the ribbon of a love story: love of country, the beginning love of two people unable to resist the pull of each other regardless of the cost to themselves and those around them, and the selfless love of one man who no longer believes himself capable of such emotion. It is an electrifying tale of a people divided by religion and politics, a tale of love and danger, of triumph and tragedy. Ultimately it is the story of that 'terrible beauty' herself-Ireland-and how nation is bound to one's identity, woven into the weft of all we become.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0978357078
• ISBN13: 9780978357078
• Release Date: April 2018
• Publisher: Starry Night Press
• Length: 518 Pages
• Weight: 1.94 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Powerful and visceral - the panultimate historical novel

Cindy Brandner's "Exit Unicorns" is one of very few books I care to read a second time -- in this case, over and over again. Her characters are precisely drawn -- strong, decisive, passionate -- and through their very strength and passion, used as pawns by those for whom Ireland's "troubles" are a smokescreen for another agenda. The magnificently contrasting language -- rich and colorful for the wealthy Jamie, stark and spare for the renegade Casey -- is the first indicator of endless clashes, clashes of values, desires, ambitions, responsibilities. Visceral and provocative, Brandner's story plumbs the depths of anger, despair and loss. Dark shadows of political intrigue blur the lines between friend and foe, turn a blind eye to murder and rape. Even romance can be used to further "the cause."Written from the poverty-stricken Catholic side of the conflict, the "other than official" version of history is placed in our grasp. The thousand year long machinations of a cruel, stubborn and stupid British governmental policy in regard to Ireland is clearly revealed as the real reason behind the bloodshed. This is an important book, as a novel, as history, and as a much-needed means of shaping the world's conscience in relation to Ireland.

A big, big story

If you like the Outlander series, you have to read Exit Unicorns - Cindy Brandner does for Ireland what Diana Gabaldon does for Scotland. This story brings the Irish troubles to life, full-throttle and technicolor. Along the way, Cindy weaves in vital historical background, luscious descriptive passages, and a love story that will leave you breathless. The passion and complexity of her subject matter is captured in a such a way that every time I read "IRA" or "Ulster" or "Belfast" in a headline now, I think of Cindy's characters, and wonder what they're up to.

Leaving You Breathless

I have had the opportunity of reading 'Exit Unicorns' and am flying through its pages a second time. Cindy Brandner possesses a unique gift, shared only with the most effective writer's in history, to weave a tale of intrigue, love, and adventure, sewn into the fabric of real historical events that leaves you breathless and wanting more. Her characters easily become a part of you, the images she portrays of Ireland with its rich and tragic heritage course through your heart and mind long after the book has been put down. Great things are to be seen from this talented author, this spinner of tales, this conjuror of emotions. I believe she will prove to be a true leader and inspiration to new and accomplished writer's alike.

masterful story telling

I read Exit Unicorns after Christmas and it is the best book I have read in ages. The poetic flow of her writing is beautiful but the way she weaves the lives of her characters with Ireland's history is truly masterful. Cindy Brandner is a great writer and leaves you loving her characters.