These tales are told in a manner Irish tales are meant to be told. The lyrical manner and quiet truth of its telling are a rich and delicious read. From the drama of the Black and Tan War to the romance of an Irish summers evening, Maurice Walsh gets straight into your head. Irish wit never underestimates your intelligence, and this book never does either. Hints and fleeting references always come back to haunt you, and the way each of these short stories seamlessly integrate, you will find yourself smiling in admiration. The Quiet Man really captures the flavor of the time, the idealism of the Irish Republic, the heroism of its defense and the realism of hard choices made for that idealism. This is storytelling at its Celtic best, you will not be dissapointed...

I was happy to find this book republished after years of searching for out-of-print copies. Every story is connected; every story gives a different point of view. Pick up this book and you will become enthralled with the stories of the men and women who lived, loved, and fought during the early years of Ireland's fight for independence. While I realize the book is a work of fiction, I found myself, nevertheless, rooting for each person as he or she struggled with the problems the author put before each of them: alcohol, honesty, familial obligations, moral conscience, the love of country. If you like to read of adventure with your romance(or vice versa), these stories are for you. The cover doesn't do the book justice. The stories are so much more than just John Wayne as "The Quiet Man". At the end of the book I found myself wishing that the author had written another collection of stories continuing the saga of this era and these people.