Product Description

Read by Susan Lynch
3 hours 31 minutes, 3 cassettes

Nory Ryan's family has lived in Maidin Bay on the west coast of Ireland for generations, raising a pig and a few chickens, planting potatoes, getting by. Every year Nory's father goes away on a fishing boat and returns with the rent money for the English lord who owns their cottage and fields, the English lord bent upon forcing the Irish from their land so he can tumble the cottages and clear the fields for grazing. Times are never easy in Maidin Bay, but this year, a terrible blight attacks potatoes. No crop means starvation. Twelve-year old Nory must summon the courage and ingenuity to find food, to find hope, to find a way to help her family survive.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1227382 in Books
• Published on: 2000-09-12
• Released on: 2000-09-12
• Formats: Audiobook, Unabridged
• Original language: English
• Binding: Audio Cassette

From Amazon.com
Life is hard for poor Irish potato farmers, but 12-year-old Nory Ryan and her family have always scraped by... until one morning, Nory wakes to the foul, rotting smell of diseased potatoes dying in the fields. And just like that, all their hopes for the harvest--for this year and next--are dashed. Hunger sets in quickly. The beaches are stripped of edible seaweed, the shore is emptied of fish, desperate souls even chew on grass for the nourishment. As her community falls apart, Nory scrambles to find food for her family. Meanwhile, the specter of America lurks, where, the word is, no one is ever hungry, and horses carry milk in huge cans down cobblestone streets.

As Patricia Reilly Giff writes in her note to the reader, the Great Hunger of 1845 to 1852 was a tragic time for the Irish. Enough food to feed double the population was sent out across the sea, while an indifferent government ignored the starving masses. More than one million of the eight million people in Ireland died. Nory Ryan's Song, a fictionalized account based on this terrible era in history, describes the heroic struggles of one girl who refuses to give in to hunger, exhaustion, and hopeless circumstances. Young readers may have heard of the Irish Potato Famine, but they won't truly understand it until they meet Nory. Giff is the author of many beloved books for children, including the Newbery Honor Book Lily's Crossing and the Polk Street School series. (Ages 9 to 12) --Emilie Coulter

From Publishers Weekly
"Giff meticulously re-creates the Great Hunger as she traces a 19th-century Irish girl's struggle to survive," PW wrote. Ages 8-12. (Sept.)
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 5-8-Set at the beginning of the Irish Potato Famine in 1845, this survival story is told by lively, 12-year-old Nory Ryan. She shares a small dwelling with her family, hens, and a pig in a subsistence-farming village on the country's west-central coast. They are anxiously awaiting the return of their Da, who has gone to sea to earn money. Their English landlord is evicting tenants who cannot pay rent, forcing them into the streets, and destroying their thatch-roofed huts. Hunger is common before blight destroys the potato crop; with no potatoes, the people face starvation. The Ryans are eager to join the lucky ones who have obtained passage to America. 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. The fast pace might occasionally force readers to pause and assimilate the details she shares, and to seek out more information. The book opens with a list of Irish words with definitions and pronunciation guide. 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.
Laura Scott, Baldwin Public Library, Birmingham, MI
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Nory Ryans Song
Nory has hopes for her family and she wants to see them once more.She lives in this little town in Ireland,it was known for their great potatoes , but they had a situation with the potatoes. All of the sudden people began to starve and the people are just drinking warm and dirty water for breakfast,lunch,and dinner.What will happen to them?Will they starve?Will they get better?I dont know ,that is why you should read this great book.

I like this book because it is based on a real world event. I liked it bcause it wasvery interesting to know how people tried to survive in Ireland. There was a rich guy named,Cunningham. He was watching all those people straving and he didn't do a dran thing to help them. There was markets around but nobody bought anything because they didn't have any money to buy anything.

I would recommend this book to young adults becasue this is no book for kids, because it is short but kind of complicated so I think that this book would mostly be for young adults,because I think that most of them will get the message easier than kids.I also think they will get sucked by this book right away when they get it and start reading it. So I recommend you read great this great amazing book.

Book review of Nory Ryan's Song
Welcome to Nory Ryan's Song by Patrica Reilly Giff... In this book there is this girl named Nory and she is a good,caring, and strong girl. But the town is kind of a poor town that has only potatoes as their main food. But this time was the "Potatoe Famine" time which means the potatoes rote and no food means starvation! And Da doesn't come home with the fishes that he'd catch. So they just have to eat very little and wait for a miracle to happen.

The things I liked in this book was that it told me about the history of the potatoe famine in Ireland. Another thing i liked about this book is it had a pretty good ending and it is kind of like a friendship book. And it also talks about the authors familys life in Ireland when all this happened. And I liked this book because it was based on a true story.

I recommend this book to the people who have good friends and to 7th graders. I would recommend this book to people that are Irish or people who want to know more about the history of the potatoe famine.

A Good Boook to Read
Welcome to Nory Ryan's Song. This book is about the Great Hunger that was in Ireland. To understand this book you could read more about the famine in Ireland that took place in 1845-1852.

In this book you will be stunned about what happens to the people when the potatoes go rotten and can't be grown. It becomes a "dog eat dog" world. Nory tries to find out what happened to the potatoes and look for food at the same time. But the richest guy in Ireland is being greedy and trying to buy everything from homes to the beach! And this is why I liked the book!

I recommend you read this book if your'e in Middle School. This book was a good novel for my age group. It will really capture your mind. If I liked this book, I am sure you will too.