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A review by deirdremd
Rebel Sisters by Marita Conlon-McKenna
3.0
Listened to on audio.
This book was a great introduction to the lives of the Gifford sisters, who were brought up Protestant and privileged in a leafy part of Dublin. Grace is the most famous, she married Joseph Plunkett in Kilmainham Jail the night before he was executed for his part in the 1916 Rising. What is less known is that her sister Muriel was married to another signatory of the Proclamation, Thomas McDonagh, who was also executed. A third sister, Nellie, played an active role during the week of the Rising itself. It is written in a simple, accessible style and would be a good read for a teenager.
This could be 4 stars except for the unusual pronunciations of Irish place names (eg Howth, Ballsbridge) and last names (eg McDonagh, MacDiarmada), despite the narrator having an Irish accent. This took me out of the story as they were very jarring, but they would not bother an international reader.
This book was a great introduction to the lives of the Gifford sisters, who were brought up Protestant and privileged in a leafy part of Dublin. Grace is the most famous, she married Joseph Plunkett in Kilmainham Jail the night before he was executed for his part in the 1916 Rising. What is less known is that her sister Muriel was married to another signatory of the Proclamation, Thomas McDonagh, who was also executed. A third sister, Nellie, played an active role during the week of the Rising itself. It is written in a simple, accessible style and would be a good read for a teenager.
This could be 4 stars except for the unusual pronunciations of Irish place names (eg Howth, Ballsbridge) and last names (eg McDonagh, MacDiarmada), despite the narrator having an Irish accent. This took me out of the story as they were very jarring, but they would not bother an international reader.