Nory Ryan's Song

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Giff, Patricia Reilly. 2000. Nory Ryan’s Song. New York: Scholastic: ISBN 0439329493


PLOT SUMMARY
During the time of The Great Famine in Ireland, 1845, Nory Ryan begins working for an elderly woman, Anna, to help make ends meet when her father is gone on a long fishing job. The English landlords, with battering rams in hand, are threatening the residents with eviction, in order to collect the rent. With their potato crops failing, Nora is struggling to stay hopeful and take care of her family. Nory begins helping the local healer and finds friendship rather than fear. Will her father ever return or will they lose everything?

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Written from the point of view of Nory, the details make the reader feel like they are right there amongst the action. We get an up close and personal look into Nory as Giff shares her personal thoughts throughout the text. For example, when Nory is first talking to Anna she is nervous and starts thinking to herself, saying, “Think about green leaves. Think about the sun in the sky and Da fishing on a big ship.” Nory Ryan is a genuine and caring character. She takes care of her little brother while her father is away on a fishing job and cares for her elderly neighbor, Anna Donnelly, even though she fears her supernatural healing initially. Even though her circumstances seem hopeless, Nory perseveres, lending to the theme of never giving up.

The author includes a glossary at the beginning of the novel to help the reader understand key Gaelic words that are used throughout the text. Giff’s use of the dialect, adds authenticity to the characters and their cultural nuances. Giff’s detailed description of Ireland in the mid 1800’s helps the reader picture what the surroundings would have been like during that time period. In the beginning, she describes “the mist coming up from the sea,” and later details, “It had been a strange fall, lovely in the mornings, with heavy rain and fingers of clouds reaching down from the cliffs every afternoon.”

Giff also does a great job showing the reader the desperation of the Irish people as she describes them living on scraps of bread, seaweed soup, and boiled sea snails. As a reader, you can’t help but think of yourself living in that kind of situation. Superstition also plays a role in this tale, which is true to the Irish culture of that time. Nory is afraid of the trickster spirit and thinks the potato fields are turning black, due to a curse.

At the end of the book, Ms. Giff includes a letter to the reader that explains, in more detail, The Great Famine. She also makes a personal connection to the text, explaining that many of her great-grandparents lived through the famine. The character’s inspiration developed as she traveled through Ireland to see her family’s home.   

REVIEW EXCERPTS
*Starred review in School Library Journal: “Nory's observations of the land, cliffs, sea, and people in her community are woven with poignant memories and realistic conversations that vividly re-create this tragic period in Ireland's history. The child grows in strength and courage as she seeks food for her family and friends...”

*Starred review in Booklist: “A beautiful, heart-wrenching novel that makes a devastating event understandable.”

CONNECTION

*Invite students to read other books about The Great Famine:

Conlon-McKenna, Marita. 2009. Under the Hawthorn Tree: The Children of the Famine. ISBN 978-1402219061

*Invite students to research The Great Famine and create a Prezi over what they learned.