The Year of the French
Thomas Flanagan
NYRB Classics
In 1798, Irish patriots, committed to freeing their country from England, landed  with a company of French troops in County Mayo, in westernmost Ireland. They were  supposed to be an advance guard, followed by other French ships with the leader of  the rebellion, Wolfe Tone. Briefly they triumphed, raising hopes among the impoverished  local peasantry and gathering a group of supporters. But before long the insurgency  collapsed in the face of a brutal English counterattack.Very few books succeed  in registering the sudden terrible impact of historical events; Thomas Flanagan's  is one. Subtly conceived, masterfully paced, with a wide and memorable cast of characters,  The Year of the French brings to life peasants and landlords, Protestants and Catholics,  along with old and abiding questions of secular and religious commitments, empire,  occupation, and rebellion. It is quite simply a great historical novel.Named the most distinguished work of fiction in 1979 by the National Book Critics' Circle.