Best book to read this year
Most compelling story – a MUST read. Such a brave and honest account of a family who was thrown into grief. Gill
Beautifully written
I have just finished reading this book and had to write. Timothy’s account of that dreadful day in August 1979, and the aftermath, had me gripped from the first page. It is beautifully written, very sad, but also very moving. I thought it was lovely that his siblings took such care of each other while their parents were recovering in Sligo Hospital, and that they have no feelings of bitterness about what happened. Tim’s final goodbye to Nick was so sad but also very hopeful. The photo of him with his children on the beach at Classiebawn in August 2004 shows a man finally at peace. A wonderful book.Louise Haugh
Excellent
I really enjoyed this book. Unfortunately a true story which at times is very sad but I found it really interesting and so well written. Lizzy
From a Clear Blue Sky offers a clear view of what is really important
I have just finished reading From a Clear Blue Sky by Timothy Knatchbull. I found myself unable to put it down, and when I did put it down the thought of it still rattled around my brain.
In the book Timothy talks about his long journey, from identical twin hood, through trauma and on through recovery not only from the trauma itself but the devastating loss of what to him, was a part of him, his brother.
It is beautifully written and offers clear fact finding but also shares with the reader some of the internal struggles and miseries. I think that this might make it sound sad and mawkish but it is anything but. It offers a clear view of what is really important. Relationships with the people that surround one and the book ultimately leaves one with the feeling of optimism not only that a happy life can still be achieved, but as is often the case for me, a wonder at the human psyche to recover.
I think it was particularly poignant to me because it neatly displayed how, when we consider and begin to understand our past and how events form us personally that we are set free to make progress. I am clear that it is only in having some understanding of our past that we are free to say goodbye to some of the sadder aspects of our formation; and these are not necessarily dramatic events, and then gain clarity that allows us to be free, to let go and move on peacefully with our lives. Angela Hackett
Enlightening
Uplifting, tragic, heart warming and heart wrenching. Wonderful book. No self pity, just a frank and open account…no human being should have to go through. What a wonderful family. Sarah
Well worth the read
A well written moving story written by an intelligent and generous person. You can learn from reading it. Anna
Simplicity, truth, anguish and love
I bought this indelible book just by chance and have been overwhelmed by its simplicity, truth, anguish and love. I have no association with Lord Mountbatten nor his family but the contents and the author’s journey after his tragic loss left me overwhelmed and tearfully joining him at every painful stage and event.
I just had to leave this comment as a mark of my appreciation to Timothy Knatchbull for his emotional courage in reliving the tragic event and its stark impact on his and his family’s lives. I cannot remember where I was on that fateful day in August 1979 but will never forget the numbness it left and the feeling of emptiness. An unimaginable sense of sorrow and also anger rippled from every quarter and it has been humbling to read of Timothy’s conciliatory words and comments relating to the perpetrators of this obscene crime. R Martinez
Recent Purchases
The book is a fascinating description of the events leading to the tragic fate of Lord Mountbatten at the hands of the IRA. Athough sad,it makes interesting and enlightening reading. Duncan
Book that explains everything
It is a very moving and brilliantly written book that explains everthing. As a child I spent some summer holidays in Mullaghmore and Bundoran and the descriptions of Donegal are spot on. I love Donegal because of those hoildays: the beaches, the cow pats, the hedgerows, the purple and red flowers and the donkeys. All the good things that helped Tim Knatchbull’s recovery. M Rochford
Tears to my eyes
I remember this happening but was not really old enough to realise the emotions brought about by this brutal action. Stirring truth about the mindset of the IRA and the emotions of sorrow, despair and anger felt by all rightminded people. A Howden
Peaceful feelings for the future
This wonderful, insightful book shows us how to live peacefully with those who seek to do us harm and to go forward with a rewarding life. It is a personal story that awakens in us the knowledge that we can forgive our enemies and in this way help peace to come to our world. Hopefully this book written by Tim Knatchbull, From a Clear Blue Sky, will soon be available to purchase from American bookstores. Mary Mel French, former American Chief of Protocol
A powerful account by a remarkable person
I must say that at times I found this story so distressing I had to put it down, and couldn’t read it straight through without days in between. The author describes a journey back to Ireland, primarily with the intention of being able to say goodbye to his brother, who had been taken from him suddenly and brutally. The political questions are secondary to the emotional journey of confronting pain and loss, but the author open-mindedly and generously considers the political backdrop to the events he describes and the developments of later years, rejoicing in the end of the Troubles, and accepting the resulting prominence of certain controversial political figures.
What is most striking about the book is the author’s ability to return to childhood, and evoke the tenderness of the child while writing as a man in middle life, who has lived courageously and successfully, but not without a large amount of suffering. The two personae – that of the child and that of the adult – seem to exist concurrently as strong presences in the book. This ability to evoke the emotions of childhood is a quality which even great stylists cannot always do convincingly. The book is at times deeply painful to read, but it is a tender symphony of love to a lost brother, and a compassionate account by a man with extraordinary insight into himself and outreaching love for other people. It is also, in its way, a celebration of life and joy as well. All in all, a tough read, but I strongly recommend it. Mrs MC Williams
A great and eye-opening read
I really enjoyed this book from start to finish. I was a teenager in Ireland when Mountbatten’s boat was bombed and I remember the incident but my memory lacks clarity. This book helped to fill the gaps and was a pleasure to read. It mixed the historical account of the events with the personal and painful journey of Timothy Knatchbull and his family and made the reader feel included in their life story. V Dowley
A moving insight
I remembered the bombing and was shocked and saddened at the time. The story of the events that took place and the journey taken by the whole family is gripping and inspirational at the same time. A great read of real history. Colin G Blake
Deeply moving
This is a beautifully written, deeply personal account of human tragedy. What impresses most is the author’s compassion and lack of bitterness throughout his search for answers. It is a text book study of grief- the grief of losing a twin, your other half. But it is also deeply interesting in terms of recent political and Royal history. CE Jones
A clear understanding
I only bought and read this book because of the moving interview I heard with the author on the radio, when I heard him speaking about the events of 1979 and the subsequent emotional and political fallout that followed, I felt compelled to read the full account. This is a story that all families can relate to and understand, its a story of love and honour bound with a full sense of history and patriotism. Knatchbull could easily have wallowed in self pity, but he doesn’t, instead he shows remarkable fortitude and strength in the intimate and caring style in which he has chosen to tell this most personal story. It’s a beautiful book, and the family at the core could be from almost any walk of life, at no point does the fact that Mountbatten, being the grandson of Queen Victoria make it difficult for the reader to identify with the family and character’s within. This is a history book, a story book, and a window looking into our structure and very being as a nation, its a book about ordinary people in an extraordinary situation. The book also gives us a remarkable insight to subjects that are usually misunderstood or misplaced, such as IRA activity and government policy and structure at the time of the so called “troubles” in Ireland. I was incredibly moved by some of the accounts within this book, it must have been so very difficult to have covered the more sensitive issues, but as I say, its not indulgent, just a thoroughly good read. K Thompson
A necessary book
This is an intelligent, brave and moving book which tells of the terrible event which shatters a family. Much more than an account of the violence committed on the day in question, the book charts the writer’s journey back to his childhood and the ways in which he eventually moves from grief to mourning for what he, his brother and his family have lost. The book is detailed in its research and incorporates Timothy Knatchbull’s journal entries as he comes, many years later, to revisit the places, people, and experiences of that time. Utterly compelling. Dr. B Jay
Totally gripping
This well written book is shatteringly honest and endlessly page-turning. It’s so very readable, yet so often not an easy read and at times I had the uncomfortable feeling of peering through an open window upon a family’s most private moments. However, it was impossible to avert my eyes and I must thank Timothy Knatchbull for opening them just that bit little wider. I found myself googling so many aspects of this book, in the quest for further knowledge and found how very little I really know of Ireland’s troubled history.
This book encompasses so much, so seamlessly. Mountbatten’s colourful life in the navy and within the Royal Family. A beautifully written portrait of our Queen, quite moving and very human, that should dispel any remaining myth of her stiffness once and for all. The raw pain of losing loved ones so violently – and yet the beauty of family and friendships, united in their grief. This is a book about a murderous day on a sunny August Bank Holiday. Yet, much more than this, it is a book about survival. R Abrahams
A compelling read. Thoroughly recommended
An extremely interesting and readable book, which affected me on many levels, raised many questions, answered quite a few too, and moved me to tears in places.
Having missed much of the immediate aftermath of the bomb due to his own severe injuries, the author goes back many years to Ireland to try and come to terms with the loss of his family members, and in particular with the devastating loss of his identical twin brother. After reading the book, I was able, for the first time, to imagine what it must be like to have an identical twin – and to lose one. I should think that other identical twins would find this book of particular interest.
Perhaps because the author seems to have written the book as much for his own benefit as for anyone else’s, it has a very intimate feel. The events are considered in chronological order, from the viewpoint of the author himself and many witnesses, helpers, medical staff, family members and local people. The heart-warmingly non-judgmental attitude of the author and his parents that comes across in the book encourages the reader to view the situation in a rational and understanding way and makes it accessible for readers across all divides. Understanding and an attempt at forgiveness are very much on the agenda here, in a scenario where hatred and incomprehension would perhaps, sadly, be the norm.
It was interesting to catch a glimpse of the conflicting emotions and the complex situation that the local Irish people had to deal with at the time and to see how much the experience affected them even all these years later. I loved the footnotes and became addicted to flipping forwards to see which people the author had spoken to again at a later date and to gain as much background information as I could.
The book really took me back to that period and made me wonder why Irish history was not part of the author’s or our school curriculum when, even at my school in West Yorkshire we were evacuated at least once a week in those days due to bomb scares? Was this not more immediate and important than learning about Queen Anne chairs? I was also dismayed to discover what a large percentage of Catholic and Protestant children in Ireland are still being taught in separate schools.
To sum up, I found the book well written, easy to read, informative, emotionally engaging and thought provoking. CB
Excellent read
Excellent narrative of this horrifying historical tragedy. Numerous photographs that help tell the story as well. Wonderful book. AE Valentine
A humbling book and one that should be read
A book which shares personal, intimate feelings about a truly appalling time in the author’s life. It’s his way of endeavouring to come to terms with the tragedy which devastated his family as well as others in the small fishing village and beyond. A warm-hearted, intelligently-written acccount. It was a privilege to be drawn into the way the author dealt with his sorrow, and an insight into a family which also suffered from the troubles. C Cymru
From Tragedy, Acceptance and Resolution
For some reason American publishers have not yet deigned to make From a Clear Blue Sky readily available in the US. That’s a shame, because Timothy Knatchbull’s story will find resonance among many who have endured great tragedy.
Timothy Knatchbull had it all. Born in 1964 as the youngest child of an aristocratic semi-royal and very wealthy Lord and Lady, he was raised in a household of rambunctious, loving brothers and sisters. His grandfather was an authentic national hero, Earl Mountbatten of Burma, a dynamic individual who adored his grandchildren and loved to entertain them on long family vacations at his Irish castle. Best of all, Timothy had a twin, Nicholas Knatchbull, slightly older and slightly stronger, who was his best friend. They could never envision being separated for even a moment.
On August 27, 1979, 14 year old Timothy, his brother, parents, grandfather, and grandmother went lobstering in the waters near their Irish summer home. The IRA, seeking to shock the British with an attack on their monarch’s close relatives, blasted the boat out of the water. Timothy’s grandfather and grandmother were killed, his parents were seriously wounded, and he himself was badly hurt, eventually losing an eye. Worst of all for him, his brother Nicholas was killed, along with their friend Paul Maxwell, an Irish boat boy.
This book must have been enormously painful to write, as Timothy unflinchingly traces the events of that horrible day and his and his family’s long recuperations. But it must also have been enormously comforting and cathartic, as Timothy writes lovingly of the hard work his family, doctors and nurses, therapists, and total strangers went to, to comfort and help him. Some of the most appealing parts of the book describe the kindnesses of Timothy’s royal relatives, including the Queen herself and the Prince of Wales, making it an excellent rebuttal to the many charges of coldness and heartlessness that have been made against the Windsors. At the end we see Timothy, happily married and the father of children who remind him of his brother.
We have all had far more exposure to political terrorism than we deserve in recent years. It is comforting and reassuring to be reminded that it is possible for even the most horrific of bodily and spiritual injuries to heal John D Cofield
I have just finished reading this book and had to write. Timothy’s account of that dreadful day in August 1979, and the aftermath, had me gripped from the first page. It is beautifully written, very sad, but also very moving. I thought it was lovely that his siblings took such care of each other while their parents were recovering in Sligo Hospital, and that they have no feelings of bitterness about what happened. Tim’s final goodbye to Nick was so sad but also very hopeful. The photo of him with his children on the beach at Classiebawn in August 2004 shows a man finally at peace. A wonderful book.