The Rising of The Moon by Martin, William - 1987

New York: Crown Publishers, Inc, 1987. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Fine/Fine. 8vo. SIGNED by author to ffep. Quarter green cloth over blue paper boards. 474 pp. Light bruising to corners of boards. Dust jacket mildly bumped to extremities. The story of two Irishmen and the young woman whose love they share. These three play out their destiny against the Boston of fabled Mayor James Michael Curley and the Ireland of renowned rebel Padraic Pearse. They meet their fate on the Galway shore on Ireland's most famous Sunday, Easter 1916. The story begins as Padraic Starr arrives in Boston seeking to help run guns to rebels preparing to rid Ireland of British rulers. But Starr knows he has another task at hand - to convince his cousin, Tom Tracy, a rising young politician, that he has some unfinished business in Ireland. For Tracy, however, returning to Ireland symbolizes a step backward. What's more, he has fallen in love with a beautiful Jewish girl, Rachel Levka. A fervent Zionist, she quickly identifies with Starr's cause and discovers she is not only losing faith in Tracy, but is developing a passion for the lusty Starr. Despite a multitude of barriers, Starr and Tracy secure the guns and with Rachel set sail for Ireland. In the tumultuous voyage that follows and in the climactic action on the Galway coast, these three confront rebellion, history, and ultimately, themselves. An ocean apart as close as a heartbeat, Ireland and America come together in this explosive novel of bitterness and betrayal, passion and hope.