Fields of Home
4/5
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About this ebook
For Eily, Michael and Peggy the memory of the famine is still strong. But Mary-Brigid, Eily's first child, has the future to look forward to. What kind of future is it?
Ireland is in turmoil, with evictions, burnings, secret meetings, fights over land. Eily and her family may be thrown off their farm. Michael may lose his job in the big house. And Peggy, in America, feels trapped in her role as a maid. Will they ever have land and a home they can call their own? Eily, Michael and Peggy have once shown great courage. Now this courage is called on again …
The other titles in the Famine trilogy are Under the Hawthorn Tree and Wildflower Girl. A study guide to Under the Hawthorn tree is also available.
Marita Conlon McKenna
Born in Dublin in 1956 and brought up in Goatstown, Marita went to school at the Convent of the Sacred Heart, Mount Anville, later working in the family business, the bank, and a travel agency. She has four children with her husband James, and they live in the Stillorgan area of Dublin. Marita was always fascinated by the Famine period in Irish history and read everything available on the subject. When she heard a radio report of an unmarked children's grave from the Famine period being found under a hawthorn tree, she decided to write her first book, Under the Hawthorn Tree. Published in May 1990, the book was an immediate success and become a classic. It has been translated into over a dozen languages, including Arabic, Bahasa, French, Dutch, German, Swedish, Italian, Japanese and Irish. The book has been read on RTÉ Radio and is very popular in schools, both with teachers and pupils. It has been made a supplementary curriculum reader in many schools and is also used by schools in Northern Ireland for EMU (Education through Mutual Understanding) projects. It was also filmed by Young Irish Film Makers, in association with RTÉ and Channel 4. This is available as a DVD. Marita has written more books for children which were also very well received. The Blue Horse reached No. 1 on the Bestseller List and won the BISTO BOOK OF THE YEAR Award. No Goodbye, which tells of the heartbreak of a young family when their mother leaves home, was recommended by Book Trust in their guide for One Parent Families. Safe Harbour is the story of two English children evacuated from London during World War ll to live with their grandfather in Greystones, Co Wicklow and was shortlisted for the BISTO Book of the Year Award. A Girl Called Blue follows the life of an orphan, trying to find who she really is in a cold and strict orphanage. Marita has also explored the world of fantasy with her book In Deep Dark Wood. Marita has won several awards, including the International Reading Association Award, the Osterreichischer Kinder und Jugendbuchpreis, the Reading Association of Ireland Award and the Bisto Book of the Year Award. In her most recent bestselling novel for adults, The Hungry Road, Marita has returned to the subject of the Irish famine.
Read more from Marita Conlon Mc Kenna
Under the Hawthorn Tree: Children of the Famine Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWildflower Girl Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Girl Called Blue Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Faoin Sceach Gheal Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Blue Horse Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSafe Harbour Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5In Deep Dark Wood Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5No Goodbye Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFairy Hill Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
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Reviews for Fields of Home
27 ratings4 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fields of Home is my favourite book in the series, and as far as I'm concerned, a book written for adults about children, who are no longer children.Six or seven years have passed, and the children have grown up. Peggy, the youngest, is around 19 and she is still working as a maid. Michael is still a stable boy in the Great House in Ireland. Eily is married with two children of her own and living on a farm with her husband and Great Aunt Nano.While the story has heartbreak and struggling, hope is strong, and the siblings still show signs of strength. The story is told from all three points-of-view. We see how the carpet is pulled out from beneath all of them and then witness how they pull their lives back together. The siblings help each other even though they have barely anything to give. It warmed my heart to read this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it for so many reasons, but the most important is love.Recommended.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This was the final book in the "Children of the Famine" trilogy, and what a delightful historical series it was. I have loved watching Eily, Michael and Peggy grow from hungry children to young adults struggling to make ends meet.At first I didn't think I would enjoy "Fields of Home" as much as the first two books as it jumped between Michael, Peggy and Mary Brigid, Eily's young daughter, but the dramas they all faced soon won me over. I did find Michael's story, by far, the most interesting as he worked with the horses he loved. The book ended satisfactorily, especially for young readers, thanks to Eily, Michael and Peggy's hard work, perseverance and strong family ties.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The 3rd and last book of The Children of the Famine series, this story was, not surprisingly, well written, interesting and quick to read. It's fun to see how the cast of characters you're introduced to in a previous book grow up and find happiness.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5After reading the first two books in this trilogy I wanted to continue. Fields of Home introduces some new characters, the children of Eily. The storyline goes back and forth between the three initial characters, two of whom are living in Ireland and one who is living in America. Again, I enjoyed the storyline and learning more about what was happening with these children. I recommend for intermediate and junior high reluctant readers. It is an added bonus that the author is Irish and that these books have received good reviews in Ireland.