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Bog Child

3.78 of 5 stars 3.78 · rating details · 1,516 ratings · 306 reviews

DIGGING FOR PEAT in the mountain with his Uncle Tally, Fergus finds the body of a child, and it looks like she’s been murdered. As Fergus tries to make sense of the mad world around him—his brother on hunger-strike in prison, his growing feelings for Cora, his parents arguing over the Troubles, and him in it up to the neck, blackmailed into acting as courier to God knows w...more

Hardcover, 336 pages

Published September 9th 2008 by David Fickling Books (first published February 7th 2008)

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Nov 30, 2008 Lynn rated it 5 of 5 stars

Masterful! Dowd weaves multiple plot lines throughout this compelling story and there is never a moment when the pace falters or the story loses the way. Fergus McCan and his vague Uncle Tally cross the border that divides Ireland to dig peat at a construction site. They discover the body of what appears to be a child and the police of both side's authorities appear on the scene only to learn that the body is ancient. Mel, the young girl, appears at intervals in Fergus' dreams, slowly revealing...more

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Dec 13, 2008 Karlan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya

Set during the time when Irish prisoners were starving themselves, the trouble faced by families whose loved ones were involved is portrayed in a moving style. The discovery of a mummified body by a boy whose brother is starving himself leads the boy to mature and take action to help his brother. The characters are well developed and the romance will pull in many readers. A beautiful achievement.

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Jul 12, 2008 Cindy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Fans of David Almond's books are going to love this one. Fergus finds a body buried in the peat he is digging in Northern Ireland. It turns out to be from 80 AD, another body preserved in the bog. He begins to dream about the mysterious past of the girl, who apparently was murdered. Woven into this story is the 1980s politics of the Troubles, and the hunger strike by the political prisoners at Long Kesh, including Fergus's older brother. A romance with the archaeologist's daughter and Fergus's i...more

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Jan 29, 2009 Aaron rated it 3 of 5 stars

Set in 1981, this novel brings modern readers back into the center of the discord over Northern Ireland. Eighteen-year-old Fergus McCann lives with his family in the northern counties, which are held by Great Britain. The family is embroiled in the fight for independence against the foreign holders. In fact, his brother is currently in prison and has started a hunger strike, and he is not alone. There are other men in the prison doing the same, and some have even died from it. This leaves Fergus...more Set in 1981, this novel brings modern readers back into the center of the discord over Northern Ireland. Eighteen-year-old Fergus McCann lives with his family in the northern counties, which are held by Great Britain. The family is embroiled in the fight for independence against the foreign holders. In fact, his brother is currently in prison and has started a hunger strike, and he is not alone. There are other men in the prison doing the same, and some have even died from it. This leaves Fergus extremely worried about the safety of his brother.

Fergus is hoping to score high enough on his final tests to get him into medical school, but what is happening to his brother makes him will to risk it all. In the hopes of convincing the leadership of the Irish Republican Army to order his brother to stop his fast, Fergus has promised to run to secretly obtain packets that probably hold some sort of dangerous contraband if the leadership of his brother's group is willing to order the stop to start eating again. All of this is happening as their father supports his brother, and their mother wishes they could settle down and avoid danger.

While all of this is taking place, Fergus is also involved in a bit of a historic mystery. He has been working with his uncle across the border in the Republic of Ireland. As can be imagined this is illegal, but it is worth the risk to farm peat for use as fuel, which could be a major source of income on the black market. In the process of working, Fergus comes across the body of a bog child, a girl who had been placed in the bog during the Iron Age. As the archaeologist work on processing the details, along with his Fergus' help, it quickly becomes clear that the girl died under terribly violent circumstances.

The book actually does a nice job of presenting the difficult times that it is set during. The problem is that I think it does need to have a strong handle on the background of what is happening in Northern Ireland at the time. The author makes major assumptions about the historical background of the reader. Fortunately, my background with international politics in college left me in the loop, I am doubtful that would be true for most readers, particularly the teens that would be the target audience.

It does not help that the book is overly rich in details and depends a lot on people talking about the actions taking place rather than allowing the reader to participate in the events through the eyes of one of the characters.

Mel, the bog child, is an interesting symbol of the troubles that are being paralleled in the modern day events, but there really isn't enough of her. Personally, I think there should been more there or she could have just been totally cut from the story since either would allow a greater level of enjoyment. It is almost like the gross concept of a bog person and her suffering is a teaser to keep the reader in while allowing the parallels that are evident, but it doesn't really work as the author probably intends.

I do think there will be a (VERY) small audience for this book, but most people will want to pass on it.

On an aside, the author has a habit of starting a lot of her sentences with "he," which is a little frustrating and makes some of the reading boring because of the ongoing repetition.(less)

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Dec 06, 2008 Brandy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2008reads, family-drama, for-reviews, historical, teen, realistic

On a study break from preparing for his A-level exams, Fergus accompanies his uncle Tally on a peat-digging trip when they find the body in the bog. Police argue about which side of Ireland's north-south border the body is on and therefore who is responsible for handling this apparent murder case--but then the body is determined to be much older than any open murder case, possibly Iron Age. Fergus gets deeply involved in trying to unravel the mystery of who the girl was (as well as getting deepl...more

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Apr 19, 2012 NebraskaIcebergs rated it 5 of 5 stars

In looking for books about bogs, I came across Bog Child by Irish writer Siobhan Dowd. Her exceptional young adult novel is also about family, religion, sacrifice, and Ireland’s Troubles in 1981. In other words, it’s far more complex than I expected.

If you don’t know anything about bog bodies, Dowd’s novel is a great place to start. In it, eighteen-year-old Fergus and his Uncle Tally find a female body buried in the bog while they’re out shoveling peat. In case you aren’t aware, peat is commonly...more In looking for books about bogs, I came across Bog Child by Irish writer Siobhan Dowd. Her exceptional young adult novel is also about family, religion, sacrifice, and Ireland’s Troubles in 1981. In other words, it’s far more complex than I expected.

If you don’t know anything about bog bodies, Dowd’s novel is a great place to start. In it, eighteen-year-old Fergus and his Uncle Tally find a female body buried in the bog while they’re out shoveling peat. In case you aren’t aware, peat is commonly used for fuel. Thinking that they have discovered a murder victim, they call the police. Turns out, they should’ve called an archeologist. The body has not been in the bog for weeks or months but for years. In case you also aren’t aware, bogs preserve bodies kind of like mummies in Egyptian tombs. All kinds of other information is learned when the archeologists arrive. For example, the woman is wearing a gold bangle, which she would have made a good sacrifice. Then again, there’s also a rope around her neck, suggesting she might have been hung as a criminal before being thrown into the bog. That’s the thing about bog bodies: scientists can identify their gender, age, and season of death, but normally not the reason they are in the bog. What makes Bog Child such an engaging and informative read is that Fergus starts having dreams about the buried woman, whom he names Mel, and the nature of her death. These dreams are intertwined with his muddled feelings about his brother, who is on a hunger strike.

You see, besides learning about bog bodies, I also received many chapters-worth of education about a period known as Ireland’s Troubles. While being aware of Ireland’s internal strife, Ireland’s occurred during my high school years and so escaped my notice. A Google search revealed that in 1981, Irish political prisoners went on a hunger strike during the time Margaret Thatcher was in power in Great Britain. Important to this movement was Bobby Sands, who died for the cause. In Bog Child, there are numerous references to soldiers, border checkpoints, bomb-makers, Semtrax, courier recruitment, hunger strikes, and violence. On a more personal level, Fergus (and his family) struggles to make sense of his brother’s decision to join other protesting prisoners in a hunger strike. At one point, Uncle Tally expresses the hope for all of them that, “One day the only border will be the sea and the only thing guarding it the dunes and the only people living in it Republicans.” Yet Bog Child isn’t a pro-war book. One of the most-touching friendships is between Fergus and an enemy soldier Owain, whom Fergus discovers is just another regular guy like him.

Intriguing as I found all of the above, the backdrop of Ireland meant that I also found Bog Child at times a little difficult to understand. Besides finding myself lacking in knowledge about Ireland’s political wars, I felt like a student in having to guess at the meaning of several words. For example, did you know that “gorse” is a spiny and prickly shrub that thrives in dry acidic soils? Or that “lough” is pronounced “lock” and means “lake”? Now while words like those didn’t significantly hinder my understanding of the story, other words such as “JCB” and “Provo” proved more important to know. As best as I could determine from a Google search, “JCB” refers to agricultural machinery while “Provo” refers to a member of the Irish Republican Army who used guerilla warfare in an effort to drive British forces from Northern Ireland.

Being set in Ireland, it might not come as a surprise to anyone that Fergus and his family are Catholic. However, I must caution that Fergus is a not a believer. He refers to church as a place that one must attend, no matter what their feelings about God. As to those feelings, he stopped believing in God about the same time he stopped believing in Santa Claus. His soldier friend Owain is Protestant instead, but has also fallen in the faith.

Yet none of the negatives should deter you from reading Bog Child. It is full of happiness and sadness, joys and tragedies, and is one of the most original stories about growing-up that I’ve read.(less)

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Jan 30, 2012 Jade Archdeacon added it

"Bog Child" by Siobhan Dowd is my new favorite book. One of the things I really liked was the fact that it was based on things that really happened. The main character is a boy named Fergus. Fergus and his uncle were digging for peat on the other side of the border when they discovered a body. It looked like a young girl. During the 1980's in Ireland, which is where and when this book took place, many bodies were found. When referred to in history they are called 'bog bodies' which is where the...more "Bog Child" by Siobhan Dowd is my new favorite book. One of the things I really liked was the fact that it was based on things that really happened. The main character is a boy named Fergus. Fergus and his uncle were digging for peat on the other side of the border when they discovered a body. It looked like a young girl. During the 1980's in Ireland, which is where and when this book took place, many bodies were found. When referred to in history they are called 'bog bodies' which is where the title came from.

Fergus became obsessed with the body and began dreaming about it all the time. One day when he returned to the site of the body he met two people. One was a girl about his age, Cora and the other was her mother Felicity. Felicity was an archaeologist working on the body. Fergus became very close with them and they even lived at his house for a small amount of time. They discovered the bog child wasn't actually a child she was a midget.

While all this was going on Fergus brother was in prison. He was put there for conspiracy against the government. During this time in Ireland many things were very controversial and only some people stood up for what they believed in. Once in jail people began to go on hunger strikes to try to get their point across. Ten men died doing this in the 80"s. Fergus was not very fond of the idea but there was no way to get his point across. One of his brothers old friends began trying to get Fergus to stat running packages over the border. He only agreed because he was promised they'd have his brother end the strike.

One day after there was an explosion that killed many innocent people Fergus got nervous and began to question what he was carrying across the border. While making a run he opened it and found condoms and birth control. When he was running with all the packages he became good friends with Owain, a guard that stood at the border. When his brother went into a comma his family fights a lot but in the end decide to put him on the drip to bring him back to life. The book never says what happens but I don't think it was good. He went trough the starving and the pain to make a point and take a stand and they ruined all his work.

Fergus and Cora fall in love as the story goes on. You see Fergus go through so much and as corny as it sounds you feel like you know him. You see him at some of the toughest moments of his life and also some of the best. Even as a fictional story it feels so real. I wish there were more books about Fergus and his life. It was so interesting learning actual historic things while also enjoying the book. I don't like most books and I don't really like history but as they were combined in this story they were amazing. I am interested in looking at more of the authors work to see if she has similar books.(less)

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Sep 10, 2011 Marleen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The year is 1981 and Fergus is 18 years old and studying for his exams, hoping to score the three B’s he’ll need if he wants to move away from his home, on the border between the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland, to study to become a doctor.
He is up in the mountains, stealing peat with his uncle, when Fergus discovers a body in the ground. A body which becomes the focus of archaeologists as soon as it is reported and a body which brings Cora and her mother from Dublin to help in the excavatio...more The year is 1981 and Fergus is 18 years old and studying for his exams, hoping to score the three B’s he’ll need if he wants to move away from his home, on the border between the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland, to study to become a doctor.
He is up in the mountains, stealing peat with his uncle, when Fergus discovers a body in the ground. A body which becomes the focus of archaeologists as soon as it is reported and a body which brings Cora and her mother from Dublin to help in the excavation of the corpse and the uncovering the mysteries surrounding her death and burial.
Even before the discovery of the bog child Fergus’ life was complicated. His brother is in prison on terrorist charges and has recently decided to join the hunger-strikers. His parents are fighting about his brother’s decision and now a friend of his brothers forces him to make pick up and drops of mysterious packages.
And at night he dreams about the child he found in the bog, her voice telling him her story. A story that will ultimately help him face his own dilemmas.

This was a fascinating story. It contains a multitude of elements in its 300 pages. There is the political element of the struggles in Ireland and the different sides these forced people to take. There is the archaeological element of the bog child. But there are also more traditional young adult elements such as growing up, making difficult decisions and living with the consequences, dealing with the pressures involved in school exams and preparing for the future. And finally we have the love story as well as the shock of suddenly seeing people for who and what they really are.
This is a book that appears to be made for a good book discussion. A book dealing with lots of controversial topics without ever making a judgmental statement. The reader is at all times allowed to make up their own mind about the issues involved in what is a very clever balancing act by the author.
This is a book that should probably be read by every young adult in Ireland, both sides of the border, because it makes crystal clear that issues are never as black versus white as people would like to make them appear.
This book is well worth every single one of the 4.5 stars I rated it.(less)

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Aug 08, 2011 Lan rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Everyone

A personal favourite of mine. I found the book in my high school library and was impelled to read it due to the interesting premise. I have a very strong historical calling, and historical fiction is a nice slip between reality and fantasy.

Fergus is a graduating high school student who crosses the border with his Uncle Tally to swipe some peat in the early morning hours and stumbles upon the body of what appears to be a young girl of seven or eight. At his insistence, his uncle goes back to the...more A personal favourite of mine. I found the book in my high school library and was impelled to read it due to the interesting premise. I have a very strong historical calling, and historical fiction is a nice slip between reality and fantasy.

Fergus is a graduating high school student who crosses the border with his Uncle Tally to swipe some peat in the early morning hours and stumbles upon the body of what appears to be a young girl of seven or eight. At his insistence, his uncle goes back to the police to inform them of the body. While the elder is gone, Fergus begins having some strange dreams about the said girl in the bog. That is simply part of the story however.

Fergus lives in Dublin in 1981, a time when the PIRA (Provisionary Irish Republican Army) is setting up riots and their volunteers are arrested and then commanded to go under a hunger strike. Fergus’ brother is one such volunteer who, when he follows the rest of his militiamen, throws his entire family into turmoil. Add this up with his upcoming exams, the mystery of the bog child, his infatuation with Cora, the daughter of an archeologist, befriending a British soldier named Owain, and being blackmailed to run suspicious trips across the border, Fergus is on shaky ground.

The story is by far not fast paced, it is a lazy feeling, slow-going story that takes its readers on this stroll, but skillfully knows how to shift the mood. Ever when the scene is going at a virtual snail’s pace, it can build up such tension that it can become almost unbearable. The humour is lighthearted and innocent for the most part, which give it a different feel. It isn’t childish humour, but nor is it dirty and “mature”. It is a refreshing change to the corrupting literature that is being published today, solely for the purpose of a cheap laugh. The author can manipulate your emotions by the changing atmosphere of the words and it is so skillfully done that you go along right with it.

Now, by all means, the book doesn’t have a vast vocabulary, nor is it something that some adults would call “mature” in its literary style. The author comes off as treading a thin line between too adult to be understood, and too immature to be enjoyed, sadly leaning towards the immature side on more than one occasion. Also, I personally could have gone without Cora. She was a spoiled, hateful, manipulative little brat and I wanted to stab her on every occasion, being the typical stuck-up teenage girl. I hated her even more when she became the permanent love interest for Fergus who could have honestly done better.

My favourite character was Owain. Between the stress and the worry and the mystery of the Bog Child, the scenes with the red-headed border guard were always a refreshing relief. It also showed a nice foil of the Irish mentality of the British reality. He had not aspired to go into the military, but he had no choice. He was just as immature as any other teenager, treating his own authority (for the most part) as a paper dragon. He could even become serious, showing a well rounded character in a total of three scenes.

And finally, the twist at the end was brilliant. I soaked it up like a sponge savouring the bitter taste. It was so refreshing, not leaving with a happily-ever-after, but with a sliver of a silver lining around a dark cloud. It had a very hopeful ending that didn’t leave the reader in utter depression, but didn’t make it unrealistically satisfying, which is something I respect greatly in this piece. I admit I cried on a number of occasions, once from sadness, once from pity, and once from laughter.

Despite its flaws, I thoroughly enjoyed this book to the point I checked it out again, even after reading. I don’t usually reread books seeing as I can memorize them on the first time around, but this book was too enjoyable to pass up. I even recommend this to all my friends.
(less)

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Aug 08, 2011 Louise Spiegler rated it 5 of 5 stars

Everyone should read Siobhan Dowd. This book is gripping, funny, tragic and touching. It is set in Belfast in 1981, as the IRA prisoners in the Maze are engaged in the hunger strike for recognition as political prisoners. The story brings together past and present when 18-year-old Finn discovers the Bog Child, an Iron Age child buried near the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic. What he discovers about the child's death in the first century CE parallels the story of his brother, Jo...more

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Jan 08, 2011 Lydia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Fergus is preparing for his exams which would take him away from his Northern Ireland small town. But on a trip with his uncle he discovers a child buried in the bog, which opens him up to the field of not only archaeology, but an interaction with the daughter of the archaeologist. Meanwhile, it's the 80's and Ireland is in the midst of the war between the Protestants and th Catholics. Fergus has decided he no longer believes in God, but what does this mean for him?

This book is not for younger r...more

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Sep 16, 2010 Maureen E rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, mystery, young-adult

by Siobhan Dowd

Opening line--"They'd stolen a march on the day."

I haven't read much historical fiction that's set in the recent past, so this was a new experience for me. It does start me wondering about where the line is drawn between historical and contemporary fiction. Five years? Ten years? Twenty? Or is it something fuzzier?

I have to admit that I don't know much about Northern Ireland in the time of the Troubles. I mean, I know that they happened and I know a bit about the historical facto...more by Siobhan Dowd

Opening line--"They'd stolen a march on the day."

I haven't read much historical fiction that's set in the recent past, so this was a new experience for me. It does start me wondering about where the line is drawn between historical and contemporary fiction. Five years? Ten years? Twenty? Or is it something fuzzier?

I have to admit that I don't know much about Northern Ireland in the time of the Troubles. I mean, I know that they happened and I know a bit about the historical factors that went into creating them. But I didn't know about the hunger strike in 1981 or The Maze. Despite this, Dowd managed to convey a sense of the time and the unrelenting tension. She was able to provide just the right balance of information, in my opinion. Not too little--I wasn't simply confused by the names and places--and not so much that I felt like she was saying "Look at all the research I did!"

The story itself is haunting--I've caught myself thinking of it several times since finishing. There were a few points I wasn't quite as sure about--Cora seemed a bit tacked on somehow. I never entirely bought her character and fleshing out her motivations could have helped with that. I'm also not entirely sure how Mel's story and Fergus's overlap. They do, obviously, but I'm not entirely clear on the thematic connection.*

I found the fantastical element convincing overall. Mel's story was well drawn out, although I did feel a tad blindsided by the big reveal. At the same time, it made sense and made the whole thing just a little more tragic.

Unfortunately, due to Siobhan Dowd's untimely death, I've already read half of her published works. I do still want to read Solace of the Road.

*that sounds really English-majory, but it's the best way I can think of to say it. What I'm still puzzled about is what the two stories actually say to each other.

Book source: public library
Book information: Random House, 2008
My other Siobhan Dowd review:
The London Eye Mystery (less)

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Jul 03, 2010 Erin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: award, boy-main-character, historical, teen

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Dowd, Siobhan. (2008). Bog Child. New York: David Fickling Books.
• 322 pages
• Intended audience: Upper middle and high school, ages 12 and up.
• Awards:
WINNER 2008 - Publishers Weekly Best Children's Book of the Year
WINNER 2008 - Kirkus Reviews Best Young Adult Books
WINNER 2008 - Amazon Best of the Year
NOMINEE 2008 - Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Young Adult Novel
• Reviews:
Children's Book Reviews. Review of book Bog Child. (2008, July). Publishers Weekly, 255(30), 73. Retrieved June 23, 2009,...more

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May 19, 2010 Crys rated it 5 of 5 stars

I gave this book a five because when I finished it last night I just couldn't stop thinking about it. It begins in 1981 in a Northern Irish town bordering Southern Ireland. Fergus McCann is the second son, studying for his A level exams, trying to do well enough to leave Ireland and become a doctor. While out gathering peat with his Uncle Tally (Unk), Fergus finds the body of a 2000 year old Iron Age Child.

You have several stories going on. While studying for exams Fergus is falling in love Cor...more

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Aug 09, 2011 Liora rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

While cutting peat just across the border that divides Ireland into two countries, 18 year old Fergus McGann and his Uncle Tally discover a small, well-preserved body in the bog. An archaeologist is called in and the body is determined to be from the Iron Age. The novel takes place in the 1980's in the border regions of Ireland during a time called The Troubles and several jailed Irish freedom fighters were starving themselves to death in prison to gain public and media attention to their cause....more

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Dec 30, 2009 K. Bird rated it 4 of 5 stars

Bog child is about a young boy in Northern Ireland of the 1980's..during 'the troubles'.

He finds a child entombed in peat moss he is illegally cutting one day, and afterwards begins imagining/dreaming of what her life would be like as he naviagates the political and family messes of the day.

Fergus is a likeable young boy, caught up in events he doesn't want to deal with; terrorism, political upheaval, an activist brother.

Focusing on the bog child is a way for him to escape from a brother slowing...more

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Sep 09, 2009 Fiona rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009, childrens-and-young-adult, library-book, setting-ireland

This surprised me as being a book I very quickly found myself getting into.

Dowd's style is simple, but beautiful - like being gently cushioned and guided through the story she tells.

It is set on the border between North Ireland and South Ireland, in 1981 when the Troubles in Ireland were strong and troublesome.

It starts when Fergus and his uncle dig up a dead child in the bog whilst stealing peat. Really though, it is not a story about a bog child - it is a personal story of what life was like...more

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Mar 12, 2011 kari rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, 5-star, ya

Brilliant!
Expertly weaves several compelling plots.
The language used is so carefully crafted, not a word is wasted. More importantly, you'll never forget you're reading a story about Ireland. I could almost hear the soft accent of the narrator without it feeling overdone.
Fergus is a wonderful character, full of hopes and dreams that he doesn't know if he'll be able to make come true. You'll be pulling for him as he takes his exams and sad when he's forced to make a decision to help his brother...more

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Jan 17, 2013 Andy rated it 5 of 5 stars

I have to say that I read this novel after having it suggested to me in the forward of Patrick Ness's A Monster Calls, a book that began with an idea by Siobhan Dowd. And I have to say, wow. This book was intense on so many levels, I was completely taken away with the characters, the plot, the theme, the setting, the time frame, etc. This was a story that was so thick on so many levels, I was just smitten with the whole concept. Fergus was a great character, showing internal conflict, external c...more

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Apr 24, 2012 Holly rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is my favorite Siobhan Dowd book and it's a terrible shame that Ms. Dowd lost her fight with cancer before its publication.

The book's main character, Fergus McCann, deals with some weighty subjects - the Troubles, a brother in prison and on a hunger strike, an uncle that's not who Fergus thought he was, exams that will determine his future, falling in love, and a mysterious body, found preserved in the peat moss bog outside of town. Along the way he makes friends with a Welsh soldier statio...more

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Aug 03, 2011 Stevecrandell rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: grades-9-and-up, historical-fiction, multicultural-world-lit, teen-boys

This book is an impressive combination of challenge and reward. Lots of Irish slang, geography, and political history: with very little support to clarify matters for typical teen readers. I have an OK sense of the Irish/UK conflict, but Dowd’s physical description of the borderlands had me confused. It took time to decipher all the loughs, conkers, Semtex and other terms. And I eventually had to search for JCB on the Internet. But for those who are willing to piece together the puzzles, this is...more

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Jul 30, 2011 Jen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ireland, historical, teenage

Fergus is an 18 year old living in Northern Ireland, right on the border with the south. One day, while out with his Uncle Tally cutting peat, he discovers a body in the bog. The body becomes the centre of an archaeological dig when it is dated from the Iron Age. Fergus becomes involved with the lead archaeologist and her daugther, Cora, who rent out their spare room. He is also reluctantly recruited by the Provos to run packages across the border on his regular training runs, although his alleg...more

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Feb 23, 2012 Susan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Digging for peat in the mountain with his Uncle Tally, Fergus finds the body of a child, and it looks like she's been murdered. As Fergus tries to make sense of the mad world around him - his brother on hunger-strike in prison, his growing feelings for Cora, his parents arguing over the Troubles, and him in it up to the neck, blackmailed into acting as courier to God knows what, a little voice comes to him in his dreams, and the mystery of the bog child unfurls.

I really loved the intertwining of...more

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Feb 24, 2012 Rob rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult-lit

It might largely be due to my love of Ireland, but this book – while not perfect – is the most fun I've had reading Young Adult Lit in a while. The main story (or at least the story that drives the plot) was the least interesting to me. 18-year-old Fergus discovers the body of a young girl in a peat bog that ends up being dated back to the Iron Age. There's some business with the archeologist that comes to town to study the body – and a romance that blooms between Fergus and her daughter – but t...more

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Apr 18, 2011 Jen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 5201, young-adult

Lit. class review:

Bog Child. Siobhan Dowd. 322 pages. David Fickling Books 2008.

This one from the 2009 top ten list caught my eye because I was in Ireland last summer and my friend and I went to the “bog bodies” exhibit in Dublin. A review I read said Dowd combines a story of a girl from the Iron Age with stories of the Troubles in Northern Ireland “into a successful, even riveting, work of fiction”. I’m intrigued.

p. 109 – The main character of the story is Fergus, who lives in Northern Ireland,...more Lit. class review:

Bog Child. Siobhan Dowd. 322 pages. David Fickling Books 2008.

This one from the 2009 top ten list caught my eye because I was in Ireland last summer and my friend and I went to the “bog bodies” exhibit in Dublin. A review I read said Dowd combines a story of a girl from the Iron Age with stories of the Troubles in Northern Ireland “into a successful, even riveting, work of fiction”. I’m intrigued.

p. 109 – The main character of the story is Fergus, who lives in Northern Ireland, whose older brother is in prison and just joined the hunger strike, and who discovered a bog body when he and his uncle were digging up turf to sell. The bog girl seems to be speaking to Fergus through his dreams – giving glimpses of her life and (possibly) the events leading up to her death. Question of the moment: Will Fergus agree to be a messenger for the Provos (provisional IRA)?

p. 217 – Fergus’ brother Joe is close to death in the prison. Fergus is falling for the daughter of the woman investigating the bog child. He’s also being blackmailed into running secret packages for the Provos. I haven’t figured out what the connection is between Fergus and Mel, the bog child.

Being the stories of a Northern Irish family who live during the Troubles and an Iron Age girl found in the bogs, this isn’t exactly a light read. Dowd intersperses the story with humor here and there, but on the whole it ends on a sober note. I enjoyed the characters and the overlap between the two stories (though the bog child’s story was minor – breaking into Fergus’ story only now and then).

I can’t say that I’d recommend this in an American classroom simply because it was peppered with Irish slang. Dowd was an Irish author writing for Irish readers. There were a number of times in my reading where I had to guess at the meaning of a word and hope that I wasn’t completely off-base. I’d guess all but the highest high school readers would be frustrated by the language. The Troubles is also used as a backdrop for the larger story, similar to the way an American author might set a story during the Civil Rights movement – readers are expected to know their history, so it is not explained for them.

Good story, though.(less)

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Jan 30, 2013 Nick rated it 4 of 5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed this book by Siobhan Dowd because of the real life elements that it offered. Throughout the book, Fergus is tackling with the possibility of losing his brother, while also exploring the mysteries that are associated with the bog child that he had discovered. The first time Fergus found the child was when he was digging with his Uncle Tally up in the mountains, and from there on out there were many discoveries to be made about this mysterious entity found in the soil. I belie...more I thoroughly enjoyed this book by Siobhan Dowd because of the real life elements that it offered. Throughout the book, Fergus is tackling with the possibility of losing his brother, while also exploring the mysteries that are associated with the bog child that he had discovered. The first time Fergus found the child was when he was digging with his Uncle Tally up in the mountains, and from there on out there were many discoveries to be made about this mysterious entity found in the soil. I believe that the author was successful in writing this book because of the constant suspense of what was going to happen next among the huge series of events that took place in the book. Fergus was always challenged with a new task or a new feeling in the book, which gave the story even more of a twist. Overall, I liked the book because there was never a moment when nothing was going on, however, some of the parts in the book could have been written with a little more action. There may have been something going on in those parts of the book, but they were slow and kind of bland.

The elements of the book tie into some of the old world styles that happened awhile back in history. Some examples would be striking and hanging, which were both incorporated into the book at one point. There are also emotions such as sadness and depression happening because of these strikes. The book also contains tension between countries which happens on an every day basis in the real world, and involves constant fighting.

(Spoiler) My favorite part of the book is when Fergus and his Uncle Tally first discover the bog child while digging for peat. There is a lot of figurative language to describe the child which is later found out to be a girl. Much of the suspense in the book also involved actually digging her out and discovering her physical traits as well as how old she was, which was estimated to be around the Iron Age.

I originally saw that the book was said to be a great suspense thriller and filled with mysterious elements. I believe that the author did fill the book with suspense, however, there was not enough of it for what I was expecting. Some minor parts of the book could have been written a little better to make it more interesting.

Overall, I quite enjoyed the book and recommend it as it was one of my better reads. The author had great suspense in most parts of the book, and kept me reading up until the end.

(less)

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May 21, 2011 Renae rated it 4 of 5 stars

I picked this up for two reasons:
1. A morbid fascination with the bog people they've dug up from time to time in the peat bogs of Ireland.
2. The realization that I know exactly NOTHING about the recent history of Ireland.

I love reading about times I don't know anything about. This was definitely a hook for me. Set in Ireland in the early 80's, it was a time when the IRA was active against occupying British troops. I don't normally like politically-focused conflict, but I had a hard time putting...more

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Jul 24, 2010 Yvonne Powderly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Finding a mummified body of a child is not the best way to start your day! Eighteen year old Fergus McCann finds the remains of a small girl while poaching turf with his uncle in 1980s Ireland. Thus begins a seamlessly interwoven novel of multiple story lines. Fergus is confronted with several life altering situations - discovering more about the little girl, his developing relationship with Cora, being blackmailed into running packages for the IRA, the trauma of having his older brother, a poli...more

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Mar 22, 2013 Trisha rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ultimate-teen-books

"In the midst of life, we are in death."

We suffer more from the sins of omission than the sins of commission.

I really came into this book pretty unaware. I don't read a lot of books that take place in Ireland and I don't know a lot of Ireland's history,
especially from the 1980's.

So, the slang and the references to history were a little lost to me at first, and it took me about 100 pages to really get into the book. But, I'm so glad I did.

An amazing story - multiple stories really. about a "chil...more

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May 14, 2013 Bernadette Robinson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya

I read this back in 2010. I gave it a 9/10. I found it very well written and it brought back memories of the troubled times in NI, it reminded me of seeing the Maze on the TV during the riots and the hunger strikes that several of the inmates were on at the time.

This tells the story of a young man called Fergus who works with his Uncle digging peat. One day Fergus digs up the body of a young girl who appears to have been murdered. Fergus's family has problems and he tries his best to make sense...more

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About Siobhan Dowd

Siobhan Dowd was born to Irish parents and brought up in London. She spent much of her youth visiting the family cottage in Aglish, County Waterford and later the family home in Wicklow Town.
She attended a Catholic grammar school in south London and then gained a degree in Classics at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University. After a short stint in publishing, she joined the writer's organization PEN...more

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“The studying, the books, exams, arguments, theories. The jokes and pints, laughter, kisses and songs. Life was like running, ninety percent sweat and toil, ten per cent joy.” — 19 people liked it

“Death is not a reaper, like they say, nor even a friend. It is a dark, fierce water, an inundation.” — 11 people liked it

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