Maggie's Door

Rating:
Summary: As Good As Nory Ryans Song!
Review: I thought this was a GREAT book!! When i ended the book it seemed like their should be another seaqule to Maggies Door. Its a must read!

Rating:
Summary: What a great sequel!
Review: I thought this was a great book!!!! Whan i finshed the book i thought their should be a sequel to it i hope their will be one !!! its a must read!!!!

Rating:
Summary: The strength and endurance of the human spirit.
Review: Nory Ryan has a dream that one day her family will be together again. They will be in America, standing outside the door of her sister Maggie's house in Brooklyn. Nory's friend and neighbor, Sean Red Mallon, also has a dream. He imagines himself together with his brother Francey and Francey's new young wife, Maggie. Nory will be there with her family and they will all be standing outside Maggie's door.

Nory and Sean share the same dream, but for now they have only hunger and misery in their lives after the potato famine hits Ireland. With no hope left, the Ryans and Mallons have decided to leave Ireland and in small groups have set off on foot for the nearest port to get a ship to England and then another ship to America.

Starving, weak, and not knowing the world beyond their own small community, the straggling travelers lose one another in the chaos of a famine-stricken Ireland. Sean finds himself alone and has to make his own way to America without a ticket or money. In his adventures, he makes a great discovery that leads him to a new goal in life as he decides that he is going to learn how to read and will have a book of his own one day.

Patricia Reilly Giff keeps the children's stories separate, alternating chapters and maintaining a sense of suspense as to whether or not the family members will find one another. Giff's graphic description of the horrors of the famine makes her story very powerful. The poverty is almost beyond our understanding and the suffering of the Irish people is unspeakable. Giff also is a master of imagery. For example, when she describes the potato crop as a stinking "ooze" we visualize a vast contrast to the pretty bluish purple flowers that one sees blossoming in a field of healthy potato plants.

MAGGIE'S DOOR is a book that most readers will find disturbing. At the same time, it reminds us of the strength and endurance of the human spirit and how powerful love can be. No matter how much people suffer, they can rise above their anguish and find what it takes to keep on going and even help others. One note...readers who have not yet read NORY RYAN'S SONG may want to pick that up. It is the pre-quel to MAGGIE'S DOOR and while it is not necessary to read the titles in order, it will give readers an even deeper understanding of the material.

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