Thomas Flanagan

You’d think from this list that I was a big fan of historical novels, but mostly I’m not. They have to be terrific. Thomas Flanagan wrote three, all set in Ireland, and they’re better than terrific; they’re Literature. The Year of the French is first, and the most accessible; The Tenants of Time and The End of the Hunt are a little more demanding, but worth the effort. One wishes he could have written more.