Kilgorman

Ireland and revolutionary France provide the setting for Talbot Baines Reed's historical adventure for younger readers. Barry Gallagher, Tim and Kit are among the young people introduced in the prefatory account, which describes adventures on land and at sea. The book brings that youthful cast into a period of political upheaval, with the French Revolution forming part of its historical background.

In the Paris prison scene, a first-person narrator listens for news from outside while wondering whether his own name will appear on a fatal list. Rumours about Robespierre briefly raise hopes among the prisoners, and ordinary details of prison routine become matters of survival. This passage shows how Reed builds suspense around uncertainty, watchfulness and the search for an opportunity. Readers interested in historical stories for young people can find a combination of personal danger and public events, alongside a memorial preface discussing Reed's approach to writing about boys.