Our Score:★★★★★★✩✩✩✩
GENRE: Autobiography
Selected by Maria - January 2009
SYNOPSIS:
Born a bastard to a teenage mother in the slums of 1950s Dublin, Martha has to be a fighter from the very start.
As her mother moves from man to man, and more children follow, they live hand-to-mouth in squalid, freezing tenements, clothed in rags and forced to beg for food. But just when it seems things can't get any worse, her mother meets Jackser.
Despite her trials, Martha is a child with an irrepressible spirit and a wit beyond her years. She tells the story of her early life without an ounce of self-pity and manages to recreate a lost era in which the shadow of the Catholic Church loomed large and if you didn't work, you didn't eat.
Martha never stops believing she is worth more than the hand she has been dealt, and her remarkable voice will remain with you long after you've finished the last line.
(Synopsis taken from Goodreads)
REVIEW:
Gemma's Thoughts:
This type of book is one I would normally avoid. Although I found it sad, shocking and disturbing due to the subject matter it was also a compelling read. Personally I found the book too long. While I appreciate this is Martha's memoirs and recording all the events are vital to her story, I found I started to become immune from the horrific incidents that took place and almost forgot that this was a true account. I guess as a reader I just wanted to find out how her life evolved and reassurance that she was OK. Although there are several follow on books I cannot see myself able to read any more.
Maria's Thoughts:
This was my first book choice. I wanted something different, something that would cause debate.
I was very saddened by the trials and tribulations of this gritty young girl. She had such a hard upbringing. Poverty ruled the family's life - they did what they had to just to survive. The adults in the book riled me, they were selfish and uncaring. I pitied the children.
Being of an older generation I felt this was relative to my history, they could have been my peers!
In some way I related to the story and time.
Emma's Thoughts:
Really enjoyed this book even though it was sometimes an uncomfortable and disturbing read. Martha's spirit to believe and survive and create something better for herself was heart warming. It was a great change to read an inspiring memoir.
THE SCORES: Emma: 7
Gemma: 5
Maria: 9
Nic: 6
Pamela: 6
Sandra: 6
Average 6
Let us know what you thought about this book. We would love to read your reviews and know what you would score it.
If you liked this book why not try:
Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man by Fannie Flag
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
The Shock of the Fall by Nathan Filer
Happy reading!