Instant Access To 100,000+ Essays!

“ Bridget was ill. They all knew it. Underneath the wrapped shawl her body was too thin, her skin white and either too hot or too cold to the touch. Mother held her all day and all night as if trying to will some of her strength into the little one so loved.” Marita Conlon McKenna starts her “Children Of The Famine” trilogy with an original, interesting beginning, that proves to stay gripping, fascinating and, however clichéd it may sound, truly impossible to put down. Yet. Before I explain the wonderful synopsis, it is important that I explain the setting. The book takes place in the 1840’s Ireland, when the Great Famine took place. The crops became diseased, which caused unprecedented hunger. They looked almost like skeletons, with sunken cheeks, deep circles beneath their eyes and the filthy clothing over their yellow tinged skin. Illness was much more common than food amongst the people, and the book successfully portrays the rotting smell that seemed to be everywhere and the horrific sights of everything