Melody for Nora: One Girl's Story in the Civil War - Softcover

Gr 7-9--Authentic and heartfelt, this is a novel set in 1922 at the beginning of the Irish Civil War. When her mother dies and her drunken father cannot cope, Nora, 14, is sent from Dublin to live with her Aunt Molly and Uncle Peter, shopkeepers in a small town. Bitter and angry at the world, she refuses to respond to their kindness. The only thing that captures her attention is the mystery of Peter's brother, Jack, who has become one of the Irregulars, the rebellious soldiers who have rejected the peace made with the British. Nora discovers Jack, desperately ill, hiding out near the house, and it is his predicament that jolts her out of her misery. Predictably, she nurses him to health with the assistance of the rascally, frequently drunk Alec Smithson, who plays piano at the local cinema. In the end, tragedy brings everyone together, and Nora is reconciled with her father--and herself. Although the characters are at times one-dimensional and the ending entirely too melodramatic, the setting is well conveyed and the language is refreshingly reflective of the place and time. For those who like their historical fiction rousing and old-fashioned, this will provide a welcome diversion.

Cyrisse Jaffee, formerly at Newton Public Schools, MA

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