Details
Synopsis
In the diary account of her journey from Ireland in 1847 and of her work in a mill in Lowell, Massachusetts, fourteen-year-old Mary reveals a great longing for her family.
| Details | | Series: | Dear America Series |
| Size | | Length: | 170 pages | | Height: | 7.8 in | | Width: | 5.8 in | | Thickness: | 0.8 in | | Weight: | 10.4 oz |
Industry Reviews
Gr 5-8 The story of 14-year-old Mary Driscoll's escape from the famine in her native County Cork, Ireland, and her new life working in a textile mill in Lowell, MA, is presented in brief diary entries dated from April to November 1847. The purpose of using a diary format seems to be to allow enough white space on the page to keep readers from being daunted by the flat language and plodding plot. The author uses expressions and Irish-like syntax to give the effect of an Irish's girl's language. Unfortunately, the effort does not convey the rhythm of Irish speech. Despite the book's shortcomings, it is chock-full o' historical facts and background. Denenberg works in the natural and political causes of the Irish potato famine, the dangers and discomforts of overseas passage, and class differences in 1840s America, among other themes. An appendix includes more historical information, such as a popular song of the day and pictures of the architecture and fashions. Rebecca O'Connell, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
Lopate
The diary-form novel can be an effective, soul-illuminating portrait of the life and times of its protagonist. Less successful efforts can be static or monotonous. These Dear America series titles, [this book and J. Hansen's I Thought My Soul Would Rise and Fly], are mostly successful, mainly because of the wrenching stories of two seemingly disparate young women of the 1800s--one a freed slave, the other, an Irish immigrant settling in Massachusetts. . . . Ironically, Mary Driscoll makes her journey to America in a ship that has very likely transported slaves there. Her trip is much like those the slaves endured, with cramped quarters, little food, and considerable sickness. Although Mary is free and white, her life has many parallels with Patsy's as she slaves in the textile mills. . . . The historical notes and photographs are immensely interesting and further enhance these historical novels.
Annotation copyright H.W. Wilson Company.
Hester
[This] is a beautifully written account of a 12-year-old's decision to leave her family in Ireland for America in search of a better life for all of them. Mary is a compelling and multidimensional character who tries to negotiate the promise of the New World with the harrowing realities of prejudice, dangerous working conditions, and the poverty she had hoped to escape. . . . Reminiscent of Frank McCourt's Angela's Ashes, idiomatic expressions, mentions of particular foods, and snatches of traditional songs are employed to illustrate the Irish in Mary's character that will not yield to its new surroundings.
Annotation copyright H.W. Wilson Company.
Milicia
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