Nearly tossed because his social politics seem awry, but not sure his book deserves the low average rating. He is writing from a Catholic viewpoint about an outdated financial crisis. But the main problem is, the book's challenging mix of gritty details, profiles and magazine pieces. Far more informative, less self-involved than Bryson, it still misses Ireland's mystery. As a Swedish immigrant says to him, Ireland is in fact a very big country. Being disjointed is part of its nature. Still, should be better for the houses it earned him.