NORY RYAN'S SONG

Bibliography:

Giff, Patricia R. 2000. NORY RYANS SONG. New York, NY: Delacorte Press. ISBN 0385321414

Plot Summary:

An Ireland family has been struggling to keep their landlord from evicting them from their cottage.  Though they are poor, they do their best to pay their rent, unfortunately the situation gets worse when their potato crop falls victim to a terrible blight attack and brings them to the point of starvation.  Twelve-year-old Nory is left behind to care for her baby brother as one by one the family members leave Ireland for Brooklyn, New York.   She does everything she can to find food for her family and neighbors.   The opportunity comes to meet up with the rest of the family in America, she chooses to send only her brother and stays behind to help her elderly neighbor. 

Critical Analysis:

This novel is emotionally moving.  It is based on the authors family’s history during the Great Hunger.  Older students 3^rd and up will be able to sense the hardship, hunger, despair and hope that Nory, the main character, and her family went through.   

 This historical fiction book is a great representation of the Irish people in the 1800’s.  The author describes the time when they lived through harsh situations and had feelings of despair and hopelessness during a time when cruel landlords existed in Ireland.  The sadness extends as the 

Nory’s family experienced their potato crops turn black, sleeping on straw and even making their own clothes out of scraps.  The theme of the book, perseverance and courage, is what keep the reader hanging on every word on the page.  Nory never gave up, whether it was looking for food, being unselfish, or trying to reunite with her family.  

The illustration on the cover suggests a hopeful girl in a hardship era.  The setting is made believable by describing the agony the Irish people endured; the thatched-roof cottages overlooking the Irish coast and the horrific site and smell of rotten potatoes through the misty air.  Irish phrases add to the authenticity of the story, one example is “Rith leat,” which means to run.  This book gives the reader hope for their own lives, regardless of their situation. 

Review Excerpts:

• 2001-2002 Texas Bluebonnet Book

• "Newbery Honor winner Giff weaves wisps of history into this wrenching tale of an Irish family sundered by the Great Potato Famine. . . . Riveting."--Starred, Kirkus Reviews

• From Publisher’s Weekly: “Giff meticulously re-creates the Great Hunger as she traces a 19th-century Irish girl's struggle to survive.”

• From School Library Journal: “Nory's observations of the land, cliffs, sea, and people in her community are woven with poignant memories and realistic conversations that vividly re-create this tragic period in Ireland's history. The child grows in strength and courage as she seeks food for her family and friends...Today's readers will appreciate this compelling story with a wonderful female protagonist who is spirited and resourceful, and has a song in her heart.”

• From Booklist: “The finely paced novel balances the physical and emotional horrors of famine--described in visceral detail--with Nory's courage and intelligence, the love she has for her family, and her close friendship with Sean, a local boy...Giff brings the landscape and the cultural particulars of the era vividly to life and creates in Nory a heroine to cheer for. A beautiful, heart-wrenching novel that makes a devastating event understandable.”

Connections:

 The reader should be encouraged to read the other parts of this trilogy by Patricia Reilly Giff; MAGGIE’S DOOR.  ISBN 0440415810

and WATER STREET. ISBN 0440419212

Topics for discussion can include:

• Potato famine in Ireland and its aftermath
• Family
• Immigration

Interesting facts aobut the irish potato famine
https://learnodo-newtonic.com/irish-potato-famine-facts

Another book that deals with an insight into the misery of the famine and the nightmare of mass evictions that followed is THE GREAT IRISH POTATO FAMINE by James S. Donnelly Jr ISBN 0750929286.