A Life of Picasso: Vol. IV – a flawed but ‘astounding’ book
John Richardson’s new volume is clever and flamboyant

In this thoughtful, “impeccably researched” book, Terence Dooley narrates the “tumultuous history” of Irish country houses in the early 20th century, said Gareth Russell in The Times. During the War of Independence (1919-21) and the civil war that followed it, the IRA burned down some 300 of the country’s biggest houses – a fifth of the total. Some were buildings of great architectural value – such as the vast Palladian mansion Summerhill House in Meath, known as the “wonder of Ireland” – while others were relatively small.
It’s usually assumed that the IRA targeted the “Big House” because it was a “symbol of foreign oppression and condescension”, said Andrew Gailey in Literary Review. Expelling their Anglo-Irish owners was “an act as much moral as political” that would “herald the birth of the new state”. Yet very often, Dooley contends, the motives for the burnings were less exalted. Many, he shows, were “impromptu responses to Black and Tans atrocities”, while others were driven largely by the “desire to take land”.
The question of land – and who owned it – was of course highly emotive in Ireland, said Adrian Tinniswood in The Daily Telegraph. After the Land War of the late 19th century, pitching tenant farmers against their aristocratic overlords, much of Ireland’s farmland had been redistributed to the former. Yet “vast swathes of untenanted lands” still surrounded most country houses – a red rag to the young and landless IRA volunteers.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
His argument will enrage some in Ireland, who prefer to see the IRA as heroic freedom fighters, not “sordid land-grabbers”. But it’s typical of Dooley’s “nuanced” approach that he accepts “the two are not mutually exclusive”. In dismantling “the myths surrounding the burning of the Big House”, he has surely written the “definitive account”.
Yale University Press 368pp £25; The Week Bookshop £19.99
The Week Bookshop
To order this title or any other book in print, visit theweekbookshop.co.uk, or speak to a bookseller on 020-3176 3835. Opening times: Monday to Saturday 9am-5.30pm and Sunday 10am-4pm.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Book reviews: 'The Thinking Machine: Jensen Huang, Nvidia, and the World’s Most Coveted Microchip' and 'Who Is Government? The Untold Story of Public Service'
Feature The tech titan behind Nvidia's success and the secret stories of government workers
By The Week US
-
Mario Vargas Llosa: The novelist who lectured Latin America
Feature The Peruvian novelist wove tales of political corruption and moral compromise
By The Week US
-
How to see the Lyrid meteor shower
The explainer A nice time to look to the skies
By Devika Rao, The Week US
-
Book reviews: 'The Thinking Machine: Jensen Huang, Nvidia, and the World's Most Coveted Microchip' and 'Who Is Government? The Untold Story of Public Service'
Feature The tech titan behind Nvidia's success and the secret stories of government workers
By The Week US
-
Mario Vargas Llosa: The novelist who lectured Latin America
Feature The Peruvian novelist wove tales of political corruption and moral compromise
By The Week US
-
Exploring the three great gardens of Japan
The Week Recommends Beautiful gardens are 'the stuff of Japanese landscape legends'
By The Week UK
-
One-pan black chickpeas with baharat and orange recipe
The Week Recommends This one-pan dish offers bold flavours, low effort and minimum clean up
By The Week UK
-
G20: Viola Davis stars in 'ludicrous' but fun action thriller
The Week Recommends The award-winning actress plays the 'swashbuckling American president' in this newly released Prime Video film
By The Week UK
-
6 must-see homes in Boston
Feature Featuring a factory-turned-loft in South Boston and a wraparound roof deck in South End
By The Week US
-
Cartier at the V&A: a 'dazzling' show
The Week Recommends A 'once-in-a-lifetime' display of the French jeweller's 'exquisite' objects
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK
-
What is Free Speech?: a 'meticulous' look at the evolution of freedom of expression
The Week Recommends Fara Dabhoiwala provides both history and critique while 'correcting misconceptions'
By The Week UK