Bibliography: Reilly Giff, Patricia. 2000. NORY RYAN’S SONG. New York: Scholastic.

 

ISBN 0-439-31674-X                

Plot Summary:

Twelve-year-old Nory Ryan and her family lived in Ireland’s countryside village of Maidin Bay for many generations as potato farmers.  Although Lord Cunningham, who owned the land, tried everything to make things hard on the people of Maiden Bay, Nory’s family had always managed to make ends meet with the money that they made from their potato crops and the money their father made on a fishing boat.  Then the unexpected happens, Maggie and her fiancé decide to move to America while their dad is still out at sea and a terrible blight attacks their potato crop.  It is 1845 and the Great Hunger has begun.  Nory must find the courage to care for her sister Celia, her little brother Patch and her grandfather.  She scales dangerous cliffs to find bird eggs to eat and sneaks to the shoreline to catch anything that moves without being caught by the British constable.  The whole village is starving and their best chance of surviving is to go to America, but it is expensive to travel to America.  Throughout this experience Nory discovers a renewed appreciation for the earth and it natural resources, a new compassion for a neighbor she once feared and she discovers that her courage and perseverance can save her and her family.   

Critical Analysis:

The Great Hunger of 1845-1852 was a particularly hard period for the people of Ireland.  Ireland was under British rule during this time period.  The Irish had “no food, no schooling” and – “the clothes they wore were torn and filthy.”  Their struggle to stay alive and stay together is thoughtfully shared through the voice of the protagonist twelve-year-old, Nory.  Young readers will be able to empathize with the timeless theme of realizing the power of family love and commitment.  Overcoming the odds of being separated during this time period and their ability to reunite demonstrates the power of love and the value of devotion and perseverance.  Two other characters ground the values and perspective of this time period.  The beliefs of the British noble class are represented by Lord Cunningham’s character.  He is a cold, selfish man who delights in making life miserable for the Irish who live on his land so that they will leave his land one way or another.  His ultimate goal is to convert the village of Maidin Bay into pasture for his sheep.  The belief of the Irish who inhabited the land before the British came into power is depicted by Anna’s character.  Anna is a local heeler who refuses to leave her home despite all of the adversity that she faces, including being shunned by some neighbors for being a witch.  The raw details included in the story maximize the real effects of what people living in Ireland during this decade went through.      

The plot is realistic for the time period and it is supported by the accurate description of the attitudes and value of the characters of this story and place on which the story is set.  Nory’s family slept on beds made out of straw, they made their clothes out of scraps and they foraged for food wherever they could.  It is this poignantly described meager existence that creates an atmosphere of despair and desperation to survive that was prevalent during that time.  Giff doesn’t just recreate Ireland in vivid detail in the people’s lives, but in depictions of the land itself. The rolling green hills, the rocky coastline and most importantly, the rotting potato fields are all brought to life.  

Giff’s writing style is both reflective of the setting and easy for younger readers to appreciate.  Although, the Irish dialect included in the novel was authentically written and clearly explained in the glossary before the story begins.  I found it distracting and difficult to understand while reading it in the novel.  It interrupted the flow of the story.  I had to stop and refresh my memory by referring to the glossary whenever I encountered an unfamiliar dialect.  A note to the reader is offered at the end of the book explaining Giff’s powerful interest to understand as much as she could about the Great Hunger of 1845-1852 in Ireland.

 Awards:

Parents' Choice Award 2000: Gold Fiction

Golden Kite Award Honor Book for Fiction 2001

Activity:

Students can complete a mini research project on modern day Ireland.  Is Ireland still dependent on the agriculture of potatoes?  Is Ireland still under British rule? As part of the project students can locate as many recipes as they can find that use potatoes.  They can also share their favorite potato recipe as part of their presentation.  

After reading this book, lead a social studies lesson on needs and wants.  Have students create a T chart using spidercribe.com label one side needs and the other wants.  Then have student focus on what they would sacrifice if famine started where you lived.

Nory’s actions are ideal examples to use in a character education lesson on courage.  Have the students write about a person in their lives that they feel is courageous and explain what make them courageous.
 

 

Recommended historical fiction books by Patricia Reilly Giff:

• Water Street
• Willow Run
• All The Way Home
• Lilly’s Crossing
• Read Giff’s sequel to Nory Ryan’s Song called Maggie’s Door

Reviews:

"Giff meticulously re-creates the Great Hunger as she traces a 19th-century Irish girl's struggle to survive," (Excerpt from Publishers Weekly)

*Starred review*

“The finely paced novel balances the physical and emotional horrors of famine--described in visceral detail. 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.” (Excerpt from Booklist)

“Reflective in tone rather than suspenseful, the novel is structured in short chapters that match the age and experience of the central character, allowing the reader to become an eyewitness to history. This is not a pretty story but rather an account of raw courage that ends hopefully if not happily.” (Excerpt from Horn Book)

“Giff covers the major issues: emigration and the dissolution of families; deprivation; the British appropriation of Irish property and indifference to the plight ravaging Ireland's largely agricultural population. . . . {She} renders Ireland's western countryside and the hardships of rural home life vividly and with minimal sentiment.” (Excerpt from New York Times)

“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.” (Excerpt from School Library Journal)