Customer Reviews (3)

"My children cried, by mountain, valley, and stream..."
"What do I have?" said this fine old woman,
"What do I have?" this fine old woman did say,
"I have four green fields; each one was a jewel . . ."


The tragedy is that this wonderful book is out of print. Leon Uris and the Irish then-Mrs. Uris, Jill, collaborated on this work, which grew out of Uris' research for his novel, TRINITY.

The photographs are haunting, each one a poem. Few places on earth are more beautiful or have had the soil moistened by more tears. Irish history is sorrowful yet uplifting, and the result is the "terrible beauty" this book speaks of and to.

Published in 1978, this picture essay captures an Ireland that was still on the margins of Europe, a fly in the amber, that had not quite shaken off the Nineteenth Century.

Thirty years on, Ireland has transmogrified into a EuroYuppie haven, and until recently, had the fastest-growing economy in Europe. In 1978 (or even in 1990, when I was there), Dublin could be walked entire in a day; no longer.

It's a fair bet that upscale condos, Tesco Supermarkets and the golden arches now stand in many places pictured in this book. All of which makes IRELAND: A TERRIBLE BEAUTY more valuable than before.

Outstanding
From what I understand, the inspiration for this book came out of Leon Uris' research for the novel, "Trinity".

It's a pity that this book is out of print.It is an excellent photographic journal -- Jill didthe photography, and Leon wrote the narrative.It gives a very realportrait of Ireland, and how this moment in history has arrived.You willnot find these pictures in any travel brochure -- they are quiteremarkable.

sensitive portrayal with outstanding photographs of all clas
sensitive portrayal with outstanding photographs of all classes of Irish people ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

from inside front cover
"Queen's Bench Courtroom Number Seven -a seething legal battleground for a contest between a famous novelist and a doctor who claims he has been libeled...

"Author Abraham Cady first became aware of Jadwiga concentration Camp when he learned that it was the place where his family was exterminated.This terrible revelation gave impetus to his decision to write a great book that would shake the consciousness of the human race.And with the publication of 'The Holocaust' his goal was accomplished.

"Eminant surgeon Sir Adam Kelno-knighted by the Crown for his contributions to medicine-has been mentioned in 'The Holocausts' one of Jadwiga's most sadistic inmate/doctors, working directly under an SS Colonel.Kelno denies this-and plans to stand and fight to prove once and for al that Cady is a liar.

"Is there truth to Abraham Cady's allegations? was Adam Kelno a madman at Jadwiga-capable of performing atrocities?or was Adam Kelno simply an ordinaryy man caught in an insane situation?" ... Read more

Product Description

As the best-selling author of Exodus, Mila 18, QB VII, and Trinity, Leon Uris blazed a path to celebrity with books that readers could not put down. Uris's thirteen novels sold millions of copies, spent months on the best-seller lists, appeared in fifty languages, and have been adapted into equally popular movies and TV miniseries. Few other writers equaled Uris's fame in the mid-twentieth century. His success fueled the rise of mass-market paperbacks, movie tie-ins, and celebrity author tours. Beloved by the public, Uris was, not surprisingly, dismissed by literary critics. Until now, his own life and work--as full of drama as his fiction--have never been the subject of a book.

In Leon Uris: Life of a Best Seller, Ira Nadel traces Uris from his disruptive youth to his life-changing experiences as a marine in World War II. These experiences, coupled with Uris's embrace of his Judaism and desire to write, led to his unprecedented success and the lavish excesses of a career as a best-selling author. Nadel reveals that Uris lived the adventures he described, including his war experiences in the Pacific (Battle Cry), life-threatening travels in Israel (Exodus), visit to Communist Poland (Mila 18), libel trial in Britain (QB VII), and dangerous sojourn in fractious Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic (Trinity). Nadel also demonstrates that Uris's talent for writing action-packed, yet thoroughly researched, novels meshed perfectly with the public's desire to revisit and understand the tumultuous events of recent history. This made him far more popular (and wealthy) than more literary authors, while paving the way for writers such as Irving Wallace and Tom Clancy.

Customer Reviews (8)

Bumpy Uris, not at his best
Here's a Leon Uris novel I could have done without. I picked it up on a recent vacation, thinking an historical novel would be a nice change of pace. Alas, Uris disappoints.

The book opens with a mass market pot-boiler kind of intrigue, involving the protagonist, his wife and his Hungarian lover. The details and conflicts of these involvements drag on, uninteresting, cliched and over-written, for at least 80 pages.

A few chapters, very few, focus on Israel's 1956 conflict with Egypt in the Sinai, and more specifically the Mitla Pass, the mountainous area of the Sinai just north of the Suez Canal.

Then readers are treated to a bizarre family history of diverse characters who are only marginally connected, and have little or no bearing whatever on the supposed main topic of the story---that is, what happened in 1956. These lengthy middle chapters are redeemed somewhat by somewhat more sophisticated writing, three notches above pot-boiler status, but still far from a major literary achievement.

By the time Mitla Pass came out in 1988, Uris had several other novels under his belt, many of them raving successes. But in this effort, besides for writing a seeming auto-biographical story-line, Uris was obviously somewhat spent.

Read Mitla Pass if you don't mind diving into a mediocre novel, with limited historical information, and an extremely uneven writing style. And hang on. It's a bumpy ride.

Bumpy Uris, not his best
Here's a Leon Uris novel I could have done without. I picked it up on a recent vacation, thinking an historical novel would be a nice change of pace. Alas, Uris disappoints.

The book opens with a mass market pot-boiler kind of intrigue, involving the protagonist, his wife and his Hungarian lover. The details and conflicts of these involvements drag on, uninteresting, cliched and over-written, for at least 80 pages.

A few chapters, very few, focus on Israel's 1956 conflict with Egypt in the Sinai, and more specifically the Mitla Pass, the mountainous area of the Sinai just north of the Suez Canal.

Then readers are treated to a bizarre family history of diverse characters who are only marginally connected, and have little or no bearing whatever on the supposed main topic of the story---that is, what happened in 1956. These lengthy middle chapters are redeemed somewhat by somewhat more sophisticated writing, three notches above pot-boiler status, but still far from a major literary achievement.

By the time Mitla Pass came out in 1988, Uris had several other novels under his belt, many of them raving successes. But in this effort, besides for writing a seeming auto-biographical story-line, Uris was obviously somewhat spent.

Read Mitla Pass if you don't mind diving into a mediocre novel, with limited historical information, and an extremely uneven writing style. And hang on. It's a bumpy ride.

Mitla Pass- one of the most uncompromising works of Uris
This is perhaps the first book where I read about a character who was made the way Gideon Zadok was. Every hero had to be loved. Hated at least. Mixed emotions never existed in my life then towards a particular character. But Gideon, who blundered his way through fame, marriage and relationships found me loving him to bits one minute and hating him to pieces the next.

One of the best works of Uris, if not for the historical value of the book- for the sheer joy in discovering Gideon Zadok.

As a book, Exodus and Redemption are my favorites, but if I go by characters, I still wouldn't know if I love or hate Gideon Zadok.

wonderfully written book!
In my (very) humble opinion this is Leon Uris' best written book.

The story of Gideon Zadok as he hunches down in the desert with the Israeli Army awaiting attack the book is mostly flashbacks through Gideon's life and his family's history. Utilizing a variety of narrative styles and a mix of narrators to give the reader a full perspective of events as they transpire, Uris also is able to flow from one time frame to the next with mastery and grace.

For me, however, the true gem of this book is the character of Gideon Zadok himself; not the most likeable of people (cheats on his wife, is self-centered unabashedly) but for all of his very obvious faults you cannot help but sympathize and identify with him. I love stories where the main character is unlikable yet through the author the story is constructed in such a way that the reader is pulled into the characters world and forced to walk their path along with them, creating a perfect binary between protqagonist and reader.

Uris, as far as I am concerned, is at his absolute best in this book and it is definately worth catching!!!

leon uris' great job on mitla pass
Mitla Pass is a layered, inspirational tale of love, war(amidst other things) and portrays the main character in a realistic and gritty manner.I first read the book when I was 12 years old and it has remained my favourite novel of all time. Gideon Zadok's struggle is very moving and his remniscing of loved ones helps to emphasise his conflict with himself and those around him. Mitla Pass spans over generations, but contrary to what one might think, you don't lose track.Uris's writing style is exceptional and captures the different settings of the novel beautifully and brings out their individuality. ... Read more

Product Description
In 11 novels written over four decades, Leon Uris has chronicled the unceasing fight of dedicated individuals against the forces of oppression, in particular fascism, communism, and imperialism. In the tradition of the historical novel, Uris sets his work during times of crisis (World War II, the founding of Israel, the Irish fight for independence), providing his plots with both political and social tensions as well as personal conflicts. Uris's themes include the indomitability of the human spirit, the power of patriotism, and the restorative capacity of romantic love. Through an exploration of these plots, themes, and characters, this study recognizes Leon Uris as a writer whose examination of good and evil in the context of contemporary history raises important issues that have confronted us all. ... Read more