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86th out of 289 books
—
368 voters
Famine
Set in the period of the Great Famine of the 1840s, Famine is the story of three generations of the Kilmartin family. It is a masterly historical novel, rich in language, character, and plot--a panoramic story of passion, tragedy, and resilience.
Paperback, 448 pages
Published
November 28th 2002
by Interlink Publishing Group
(first published 1937)
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I had to read this for my high school Irish Lit class. We read so many fantastic classics including Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker, George Bernard Shaw, Samuel Beckett, and Frank McCourt, which almost all of my classmates loved. This was by far everyone's least favorite. Firstly, it is a pet peeve of mine when there are so many characters that a reader has to make a chart of some kind to keep track of them. It's like an author being cocky and saying, "It's my story. You do the work." Also, on the subj...more
FAMINE. (1937). Liam O’Flaherty. ***.
This is a massive saga penned by the author of “The Informer.” The author traces three generations of the Kilmartin family from the onset of the great potato blight of the 1840s. The author does manage to make you understand the reasons for the resultant famine that cost the lives of between 1.0 and 1.5 men, women, and children. In addition to this loss, the famine forced over 2 million individuals to emigrate to America, Canada, and Australia. While weaving...more
This is a massive saga penned by the author of “The Informer.” The author traces three generations of the Kilmartin family from the onset of the great potato blight of the 1840s. The author does manage to make you understand the reasons for the resultant famine that cost the lives of between 1.0 and 1.5 men, women, and children. In addition to this loss, the famine forced over 2 million individuals to emigrate to America, Canada, and Australia. While weaving...more
I first heard about this book when I was in Ireland and visited several of the memorials and exhibits that have been created to honor the memories of the people who died as a result of the potato blight that struck Ireland in 1845 and 1846. Over half a million people died because of starvation or related diseases like typhus and cholera. Obviously this was not an exhilarating read! For one thing, before even opening it up I knew it was not going to have a happy ending. Readers are immediately in...more
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O'Flaherty set himself an intricate task because Famine isn't a simple kind of historical undertaking. It doesn't merely make use of a period everyone knows well (or thinks is well known). Rather, O'Flaherty has to educate at the same time as he creates his characters and setting. His novel doesn't end up being a dull set of lesson plans. He broadly sets the stage in a village when blight appears at the beginning of the Great Hunger, with some households better able to weather a weak harvest, an...more
This is not the sort of book one enjoys reading. But it is the sort that brings tears to your eyes and a sense of grief.
The tragedy of a family and those around them shows the tragedy of an entire nation.
The tragedy of a family and those around them shows the tragedy of an entire nation.
Part history lesson, part gripping fiction. Rips your heart out slowly until you find yourself bawling on the floor in a corner in the dark.
Slow for me to get into, but engaging. A broad survey of the lives of many different people in the Black Valley. It vividly portrays both the helplessness and the horror of the famine that strikes them.
Set in Ireland during the Great Famine in the 1840's, it is a family saga featuring the Kilmartins.
The writing style is very different from most books I read, perhaps because it was written in the last century (1970's!).
The 2 star rating may increase as I get further into the book.
4/6/09 - this book is still on my bedside table, although it at the bottom. More interesting books just keep coming along.
The writing style is very different from most books I read, perhaps because it was written in the last century (1970's!).
The 2 star rating may increase as I get further into the book.
4/6/09 - this book is still on my bedside table, although it at the bottom. More interesting books just keep coming along.
Most Irish Americans I know think of the Famine this way: Bloody British.
I think of the Famine this way: the family dog may have eaten your dead ancestors. Simpler, perhaps, but a lot more visceral.
O'Flaherty was not the first Irish writer to note how quiet the Irish countryside got in 1849, but he used it to best effect.
I think of the Famine this way: the family dog may have eaten your dead ancestors. Simpler, perhaps, but a lot more visceral.
O'Flaherty was not the first Irish writer to note how quiet the Irish countryside got in 1849, but he used it to best effect.
Although this book isn't as well written as some of my other favorite Irish writers (Frank O'Conner, Brendan Behan, Sean O'Faolain), it is the only novel I have read about a family's experience of the potato famine. It was written well enough to keep me reading it almost straight through - very suspenseful and sad.
I found this book about a family in the Irish famine to be a very interesting view into the lives of those back then. I found this book a little hard to get into, certainly not one I couldn't put down, but I did like it. Of course, it is a little depressing, but what can you expect from a book about the famine?
Sep 11, 2008
Jenny
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
everyone, but especially those with Irish roots.
Wow...and we think we have it tough sometimes. Reading this book will make you appreciate living in America. I can't imagine suffering through the Irish Potato Famine.
Brilliant & harrowing... A must-read for people who love novels about accurate Irish history!
Maybe I will finish this later. The story is interesting, the author well known. Something about the style of writing I find hard to stick with.
Fantastic book about the Irish Potato Famine. Amazingly written. Tragic. Made me hate the British for weeks afterwards
fantastic read
Jun 07, 2013
Tova
marked it as to-read
Jun 02, 2013
nawir nawir
marked it as to-read
May 24, 2013
Mexis
marked it as to-read
May 16, 2013
Alison
marked it as to-read
May 08, 2013
Rachel
is currently reading it
May 01, 2013
Mickslibrarian
marked it as to-read
Jun 03, 2013
Ðɑηηɑ
marked it as will-not-read
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Book about a couple getting married during the Famine | 2 | 4 | Feb 11, 2013 12:12am |
