Kings of the Boyne: 1690; The Battle Draws Ever Closer

Gr 10 Up—In 1690, the deposed James II gathered a Catholic army to battle for control of Ireland against the newly instated king of England, William of Orange, a Dutch Protestant. This fictionalized historical account of the Battle of the Boyne plays with perspective to give readers a more than complete understanding of the Jacobite and Williamite forces clashing in Ireland, where, propelled by religious fervor and the dream of a free Ireland, the Irish joined both sides of the war. Readers with knowledge of British and Irish history will immediately recognize a well-researched novel. The third-person narrator shifts focus primarily (although not exclusively) among Gerald O'Connor, a young Irish Catholic soldier fighting for James II; James himself; King William; and Daniel Sherrard, a young Irish Protestant soldier fighting in William's forces. Owing to the many voices, it will become difficult for teens to feel emotionally attached to the characters, despite their careful development. This slowly plotted book dwells more on the attitudes, motivations, and aspirations of individuals rather than on the action of battle, which doesn't begin until well over halfway through the work. Most likely only advanced readers and history buffs will be patient enough to make it to the gruesome scenes of war, where both muskets and scythes are employed. By the end, readers, like the characters, will realize with sadness that "war is stupid."