A Star Called Henry

A Star Called Henry (1999) is a novel by Irish writer Roddy Doyle. It is Vol. 1 of The Last Roundup series. The second installment of the series, Oh, Play That Thing, was published in 2004. The set of the novel is the era of political upheaval in Ireland between the 1916 Easter Rising and the eventual truce signed with England in 1921, seen through the eyes of young Henry Smart, from his childhood to early twenties. Henry, as a member of the Iris... more

A Star Called Henry (1999) is a novel by Irish writer Roddy Doyle. It is Vol. 1 of The Last Roundup series. The second installment of the series, Oh, Play That Thing, was published in 2004. The set of the novel is the era of political upheaval in Ireland between the 1916 Easter Rising and the eventual truce signed with England in 1921, seen through the eyes of young Henry Smart, from his childhood to early twenties. Henry, as a member of the Irish Citizen Army, becomes personally acquainted with several historical characters, including Patrick Pearse, James Connolly and Michael Collins. Later, he becomes a gunman in the ensuing guerilla war against the British, setting barracks on fire, shooting G-men and training others to do the same. It is only at the end of the novel that Henry realises how little the endless violence and killing of innocent people has to do with the concept of a free Ireland, or the prospect of a better life in Ireland. A Star Called Henry depicts the War of... less