|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Description
"Conry writes very well." Sunday Tribune
Set in north Dublin against a background of strict social and religious mores, wartime restrictions and fearsome medical practice, their story is memorably and movingly told by Rosemary Conry. Rich in pathos and humour, it is a story of survival and even triumph over the cruelty of their fate.
Pauline is a frail, saintly child, an orphan with no home to go to but trusting that a lovely place will be found for her, when the time comes. Eileen, a lively, red-haired girl from a large, poor family down the country, lies on a spinal frame, bent backwards so that her view of the world is upside down. Rose-Mary, from quite a well-off Dublin southside family, lies on a hip frame between Pauline and Eileen, exerting power over them both because she owns a magnificent doll and has regular visits from her father.
The relationships between the three girls are subtly and movingly described, providing the core of this remarkable book. But there are other memorable figures: Sister Finbar, the powerful authority figure, who keeps a watchful, loving eye on them all, keeping the children's spirits up with small rewards, reminding them of their privileged position in the eyes of God; Wastras, the vehemently anti-British schoolteacher, and Kathleen, the nosiest of the patients: when she is sent home to die, the three companions accept that however awful she was in life, she has now become an angel, wearing a crown of golden roses. |
|
|
|
Author
Rosemary Conry spent three years in Cappagh hospital in Finglas, then a village in north Dublin. Born in England, her parents returned to Dublin when she was four. She now lives in Windsor; this is her first book.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
