Fools of Fortune

by William Trevor

Other authorsFrancine Prose (Introduction)

Paperback, 2006

Status

Available

Call number

823.914

Genres

Collection

Your library

Publication

Penguin Classics (2006), Paperback, 208 pages

Description

Fools of Fortuneby William Trevor - a classic early novel from one of the world's greatest writers Winner of the Whitbread Prize for Best Novel of the Year Murder and revenge during the Irish Civil War The Quintons have lived in the old house in Cork for hundreds of years. Though Anglo-Irish Protestant, they sympathize with the cause of independence and secretly fund Michael Collins' fighters. But one of their workers is an informer to the British, and when he's murdered on their land, though they know nothing of it, the Black and Tans come seeking revenge. Till now young Willy Quinton has led a pleasant, cosseted life. But the murder of his father and sisters by British soldiers brings him to a point when he can only contemplate revenge himself. He sets off for Liverpool with hatred in his heart. Will he survive? Will the cycle ever be broken? 'To my mind William Trevor's best novel and a very fine one' Graham Greene William Trevor was born in Mitchelstown, Co Cork, in 1928. He spent his childhood in Ireland and was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, but has lived in England for many years. An acknowledged master of the short-story form, he has also written many highly acclaimed novels- he has won the Whitbread Fiction Prize three times and been shortlisted for the Booker Prize four times. His most recent novel was Love and Summer(Penguin, 2010).… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member bcquinnsmom

Set in Ireland, the story is told in different voices: the main ones those of Willie Quinton, and his cousin, Marianne. Willie tells his story in kind of an unwritten letter format, looking back over the years. The same is true of Marianne.

The story that follows is tragic. But after reading The

Story of Lucy Gault, I'm beginning to wonder if maybe William Trevor is able to write anything but tragedy. Willie tells of the years of his childhood, which was tragically interrupted after his mother and father became involved in the cause for Irish independence from Britain after WWI. It was at that time that a group known as the Black & Tans came in to Ireland from England.

minor digression:
Back to the internet I went for more help with Irish history and found that the Black and Tans were mostly former soldiers sent to Ireland by the government in London after 1918 to assist the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) in its work against those who pressed for independence, usually violently.

back to the storyline:
Anyway, without giving away the show, the peaceful childhood life enjoyed by Willie is interrupted having to do with the conflict between the IRA and the Black and Tans. He goes on to the school his father had attended; and it is then that he meets his cousin Marianne for the first time. It was love at first sight. At their next meeting tragedy strikes which affects both Willie & Marianne and the rest of the family.

Fools of fortune is really about the sad legacy of the troubled times in Ireland; it is about obsession & justice. While it may be a very quick & easy read, don't let that fool you. The book is quite complex.

If you are at all interested in Irish history, you will enjoy this book. Plus, William Trevor is a great story teller, leading me to want to grab up everything this man has written.

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LibraryThing member pdebolt

This is a beautifully written, haunting novel that shows the dominance of the past over the present. One horribly wrong decision sets into motion a chain of events that culminates in destruction that endures for generations. It is also a story of enduring love and the consequences of that love.

Willliam Trevor is a consummate writer.

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LibraryThing member japaul22

I really like Trevor's writing. The style is simple and straightforward, but the plot and characters are always deeply drawn. This novel begins during the Irish war for independence in the early 1900s and introduces a family whose house is burnt down, killing several family members, by the Black

and Tans. The aftermath of this for the remaining family members is the subject of the book.

Though I really liked this, it wasn't my favorite book by William Trevor, which remains The Story of Lucy Gault.

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LibraryThing member Kristelh

Reason Read: Reading 1001 Oct botm
This book was written by William Trevor in 1983 and it is a historical work of fiction and starts out comparing a house in Dorset with a house in Kilneagh, England and Ireland and the backdrop is a protestant family with roots in both England and Ireland. It is

about violence of terrorism and the injury to the innocent that has devastating long term effects. The style is different in that each main character does an inner dialogue with the other person, but never puts the words in a letter and never really talks with the other person. There are 3 main characters; Willie, Marianne, Imelda but the secondary characters are very important and sometimes more sympathetic than any of the 3 main characters. I had a hard time engaging with the novel. It probably was the structure and also the fact that these characters were so frustrating. I am glad I read it and I do think it deserves its place on the 1001 list. It also was the winner of the Whitbread Award for best Novel.

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LibraryThing member lamour

A novel set in Ireland commencing with the 1916 Uprising and its consequences for its Irish and English characters. Each chapter or section is narrated by a different character so you experience the same situation from different viewpoints.

At the crux of the plot is the burning of an English

mansion with the occupants inside and some die. Willi, a young Irishman, murders the English soldier who led the soldiers who burnt the house. His fleeing to Italy to escape the Black & Tans led to the upsetting of many lives because he left so many family and friends behind who missed him.

Made into a film in 1990.

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