Transatlantic by Colum McCann

It would be hard for Colum McCann to top Let the Great World Spin, one of the best novels I have read in years.  And he doesn't come close in Transatlantic.  I did enjoy many parts of this novel, appreciated the creative way he brings disparate lives together (as he did in Let the Great World Spin), and loved his portrayal of Lily.  But the story was not as compelling.
He is an amazing writer and weaves the words beautifully, I think, although the NY Times reviewer does not agree:

Such pretty, creative-writing-class flourishes are unnecessary and distracting — they pull the reader’s attention away from the real achievement of this novel: its deeply moving portrait of Lily and her descendants, whose stories of hope and survival are played out against the vast, backlit diorama of a century and a half of Irish-American history. 

I learned a lot in this book about Irish history, Frederick Douglass and Senator George Mitchell. I found myself doing research while reading the book to catch me up on my Irish history.

The first section of the book, the transatlatic flight of Alcock and Brown, was really gripping. Again, I was not aware of this event.

So, in summary, I am really glad that I read the book, I would recommend it, but it was not as good as the other McCann novel that I read. Maybe I'll try another!