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I listened to the audiobook of this, narrated by Sile Bermingham, and it was lovely.
Siobhan Dowd is also the one with the idea behind [b:A Monster Calls|8621462|A Monster Calls|Patrick Ness|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1387584864s/8621462.jpg|13492114] which Patrick Ness wrote. And I loved that book. So I was definitely excited to read a book that she wrote herself.
The story follows a boy named Fergus McCann in 1981, following his discovery of a bog child in a peat bog on the Ireland/UK border in N. Ireland. His life is quite hectic at the time, with his brother being on hunger strike in Long Kesh, his running packages across the border for the provos, and also falling in love.
I thought the mixture of all his different life aspects was well executed, along with the storyline of the bog child which adds in a bit of magical realism of sorts to Fergus' story.
I was not disappointed. And while it's not my favorite Irish novel ever, it is a great coming of age tale that mixes in Irish history, and tells a great story along the way.
Would recommend. 4/5
Siobhan Dowd is also the one with the idea behind [b:A Monster Calls|8621462|A Monster Calls|Patrick Ness|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1387584864s/8621462.jpg|13492114] which Patrick Ness wrote. And I loved that book. So I was definitely excited to read a book that she wrote herself.
The story follows a boy named Fergus McCann in 1981, following his discovery of a bog child in a peat bog on the Ireland/UK border in N. Ireland. His life is quite hectic at the time, with his brother being on hunger strike in Long Kesh, his running packages across the border for the provos, and also falling in love.
I thought the mixture of all his different life aspects was well executed, along with the storyline of the bog child which adds in a bit of magical realism of sorts to Fergus' story.
I was not disappointed. And while it's not my favorite Irish novel ever, it is a great coming of age tale that mixes in Irish history, and tells a great story along the way.
Would recommend. 4/5
I can't remember what made me add this book to my 'to read' pile and I've been skipping past it when deciding on a new read for most of the year, and then I finally started.
I think this is one of the loveliest books I've read in a while. There isn't much I can say about the story itself that isn't in the blurb, but I found this to be a lot more than just the plot. I really liked that the characters felt real to me, I felt like I was almost in early 1980's Ireland and I felt connected with Fergus most of all. I laughed, cried and even got a bit introspective. The relationships between the characters are complex and real, and I didn't feel like I was reading about cookie cutter people, the writing showed multiple aspects of them and showed that the world comes in shades of grey rather than black and white.
Not sure how well the IRA stuff will go for contemporary teens, but I found it interesting as I don't know a great deal about what happened in Ireland in the 80's.
I think this is one of the loveliest books I've read in a while. There isn't much I can say about the story itself that isn't in the blurb, but I found this to be a lot more than just the plot. I really liked that the characters felt real to me, I felt like I was almost in early 1980's Ireland and I felt connected with Fergus most of all. I laughed, cried and even got a bit introspective. The relationships between the characters are complex and real, and I didn't feel like I was reading about cookie cutter people, the writing showed multiple aspects of them and showed that the world comes in shades of grey rather than black and white.
Not sure how well the IRA stuff will go for contemporary teens, but I found it interesting as I don't know a great deal about what happened in Ireland in the 80's.
I listened to this unabridged audiobook for my young adult literature class.
This book is set in 1981 in Northern Ireland near the north/south border. In some ways, Fergus is just a typical 17-year-old boy preparing for his A-level exams and his driver's exam. However, his family is caught up in the "Troubles," and his parents have contrasting ideas about their son Joe's involvement with the IRA. Joe is imprisoned an on hunger strike. Meanwhile, Fergus makes a startling discovery in a local peat bog: a dead body. It appears to him that it is the body of a little girl. Who was this bog child? Why was her body in the bog? These are just a few of the questions Fergus is determined to answer.
Listening to the audiobook was a wonderful experience, as it was narrated by an Irish woman (Sile Bermingham). Hearing the story with her Irish accent really helped me feel connected to the setting and the characters. She created different voices for all the characters and stayed true to the dialects of the various geographical areas in the novel.
I loved this author's writing style, and I thought it was interesting that she wove the story of the bog child into Fergus's story. Dowd created interesting and believable characters. This is an excellent piece of historical fiction, and it gave me a good sense of what it was like to live in Ireland in the early 1980s. I did have to look up a few words or phrases, though, since I am not very familiar with that time period.
I was sad to find out that this author died recently, but she does have other books published as well. I will definitely be checking them out!
This book is set in 1981 in Northern Ireland near the north/south border. In some ways, Fergus is just a typical 17-year-old boy preparing for his A-level exams and his driver's exam. However, his family is caught up in the "Troubles," and his parents have contrasting ideas about their son Joe's involvement with the IRA. Joe is imprisoned an on hunger strike. Meanwhile, Fergus makes a startling discovery in a local peat bog: a dead body. It appears to him that it is the body of a little girl. Who was this bog child? Why was her body in the bog? These are just a few of the questions Fergus is determined to answer.
Listening to the audiobook was a wonderful experience, as it was narrated by an Irish woman (Sile Bermingham). Hearing the story with her Irish accent really helped me feel connected to the setting and the characters. She created different voices for all the characters and stayed true to the dialects of the various geographical areas in the novel.
I loved this author's writing style, and I thought it was interesting that she wove the story of the bog child into Fergus's story. Dowd created interesting and believable characters. This is an excellent piece of historical fiction, and it gave me a good sense of what it was like to live in Ireland in the early 1980s. I did have to look up a few words or phrases, though, since I am not very familiar with that time period.
I was sad to find out that this author died recently, but she does have other books published as well. I will definitely be checking them out!
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Bog Child handlar om Fergus som en dag hittar liket av ett barn liggande i mossen, ett barn som levde för ca 2000 år sedan. Berättelsen har två trådar, i den ena följer vi Fergus och hans liv, och i den andra följer vi barnet och de händelser som ledde upp till hennes död.
Fergus bor i Nordirland, väldigt nära gränsen till Irland, och året är 1981. Han har en storebror i fängelset pga samröre med Provos (Provisional Irish Republican Army) och som hungerstrejkar. Utan att vilja det dras Fergus själv in i organisationen, samtidigt som han sakta börjar bygga en vänskap med den militär som står gränsvakt uppe bland kullarna nära hans hem.
Bog Child är en djuplodande känsloresa om att växa upp, omständigheter och kontroll. Den är vacker och sorglig, men har även hopp. Hopp om en bättre framtid och en annan värld. Berättelsen om det döda barnet går parallellt med Fergus egen historia och de båda speglar sig i varandra. Förutom allt annat som Fergus har på sitt bord, (fängelse, smuggling, och slutprov) så blir han även kär för första gången i sitt liv. Jag är generellt sett skeptisk till kärlekshistorier i böcker som inte är i romans-genren, jag tycker att dom ofta kan vara både dåligt skrivna och inte tillföra berättelsen något, men jag gillade denna. Den ger en extra dimension till Fergus och hans liv och jag tycker den känns både realistisk och respektfullt beskrivet. Det är mycket som händer i boken, men den känns ändå långsam, för trots allt som händer finns det ändå tid för reflektion och eftertanke.
Som bonus lärde jag mig även mer om konflikten och Provos (och sprängmedel). Det är inte bokens syfte att utbilda, och är du redan påläst om det hela så är kanske inget som berättas en nyhet, men är du någon som mig med bara en väldigt grundläggande kunskap så får du lära dig lite till.
Denna bok har fått mycket uppmärksamhet och priser och jag förstår varför, den är värd allt den fått. Jag rekommenderar den till alla som gillar böcker med tyngre ämnen och böcker om att växa upp. Eller, egentligen rekommenderar jag den till... well…. alla.
talaomte.se
talaomte.se
4.5 stars
http://librarianosnark.blogspot.com/2012/09/review-bog-child.html
http://librarianosnark.blogspot.com/2012/09/review-bog-child.html
I loved this even more than I loved A Swift Pure Cry. What beautiful writing and some surprising plot twists to boot. I hadn't realized until half-way through that Siobhan Dowd had passed away. What a shame.
A tale that mingles reality with fantasy, I'm not actually sure the fantasy elements were needed I thought the slice of life view of a border family in 1980's ireland was compelling enough, I found myself reading the second half of this book in one sitting as I *needed* to kn0w the fate of a character. I would really recommend.
This was an interesting little read, beautifully written, complex and interesting characters, I was sadden to hear that the author passed before this book was published.
Bog Child serves as a brilliant intro for YA readers to Ireland's contemporary and ancient history. The story is riveting and I loved every moment. I genuinely didn't see the end coming, and I absolutely should have, and I love that.
I loved this. Definitely recommended.
I loved this. Definitely recommended.