The Isles of the Blest

By Morgan Llywelyn

Book Overview

The mighty Connla is weary from the tiresome and bloody battle fought in the name of his father, Conn, and his land, Erin. Willingly he lets himself become intoxicated by the surreal beauty of a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1587541130
• ISBN13: 9781587541131
• Release Date: April 2001
• Publisher: Olmstead Pr
• Length: 170 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 1.0" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

Fun and Philosophical

This is a very interesting book. I was attracted to it because I am always interested in stories about people wandering into the land of faerie, but it turned out to be so much more. Despite its simplicity, it is actually a very philosophical book, raising many questions about the nature of humanity. Connla gets to see what it is like to live in a "perfect" land, but he also comes to appreciate the unique gifts that come with being human and being mortal. It also presents the best description I have ever read of what the Sidhe, or fairies, are like, how they live in the moment because their lives are so long that they have little use for memory, and how they are not really capable of feeling love as humans do. Besides making me think, it was a fun read as well.

Wonderful storytelling for a night by the fire

This is an interesting little book, different from Ms. Llywelyn's normally epic scale. A shortish 200 page fairy tale, this tells the story of Connla's defection to the Sidhe. A nice little tale that you won't regret reading.

The price of eternal life in the land of faery

Morgan Llewelyn is the author of several very good historical novels, mostly set in Ireland. The Isles of the Blest is one of her shorter and lesser known novels, but, along with Bard, it is probably my favorite. The story itself is not original; it is taken from a very old and well known Irish tale. This retelling of it, however, is the best I've read. The story is about a young warrior named Connla who falls in love with Blathine, a faery woman who takes him to her home, The Isles of the Blest. In this faery world, no one ages, time does not pass and pain, suffering and death are unknown. Morgan Llewelyn explores a complex metaphysical dilemma in this book, so it is more than a simple fantasy or folk tale. Connla must choose between mortal life, with all its pain and challenges and this ideal eternal life on the Isles of the Blest. If he chooses the latter, he will lose all of his earthly memories. What makes him reluctant are not only his fond memories of people and places he loved, but the realization that something is lacking in a world of total perfection. Wars are fought, but no one really dies; games of chance are played, but no one can really lose. Connla finds that this takes some of the meaning out of life. On the other hand, he very much loves the beautiful Blathine. Llewelyn has taken a traditional tale and filled it out with more details and speculations than such tales usually contain, at least in the versions that have survived over the years. As much as I enjoyed this book, the ending was a little less conclusive than I would have liked. On the other hand, it may have been the author's intention to leave the reader with a sense of ambiguity about Connla's dilemma. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in fantasy, Celtic myths or faeries. In particular, this book contains some valuable insights and poses some fascinating questions (some of which, perhaps inevitably, remain unanswered) about the mysterious world of faery.

In comparison...

I'll just say that I have quickly become a fan of Morgan Llywelyn's books, having now read all of them. I just can't give this one 5 stars because it's not as good as her "5-star" fare, including 1916 and 1921. But rest assured, if you're interested in Irish folklore, this is a great one.

A great story of the Magic of Erin

This was a very easy read, and keeps in line with the rest Of Morgan Llwelyn novels.. This is nice because it is a break from her lenghtier novels.. I enjoyed very much, and would highly recommend it to any one interested in Myth, Legend, History or just plain enjoyment...