Web Book Report

So Far From Home

Barry Denenburgh

Introduction	Summary	Book Review
Setting and character	Ashley 17 November 12, 2004 Language Arts	Author Information

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Introduction

Take a journey through America during the late 1800’s and discover the differences of an Irish girl’s life compared to yours. Learn how Mary Driscoll strived through prejudice people, angry bosses, and family deaths. Understand the life for a mill girl during all her tragedies.

Summary

This story is about a girl named Mary Driscoll. Mary lived in Ireland during the Potato Famine in 1847. When her family learns about the famine, her parents send her to America. Many dreadful things happen to Mary and her friends on her way to America. A lot of people got sick and died on the boat. When Mary got Lowell, Massachusetts, she discovers that her parents would not be coming to America because they had both died because of the famine.

Feeling terrible, Mary goes to live with her aunt who lives by a mill. She gets a job at the mill and finds even more danger than beforehand. Some of these dangers include hair and the machinery! Toward the end of her story, Mary Driscoll finally begins to feel more comfortable with Massachusetts.

Main Character

The main character of this story is Mary Driscoll. She is an Irish girl who is sent to America during the Potato Famine. In America, Mary suffers many terrible situations. When Mary gets a job at a flower mill, she discovers that a lot of people there, mostly girls, are Irish or British. There she only had one friend. All of the British girls were prejudice against her. But after a long month or two in Massachusetts, Mary Driscoll is finally at home.

Setting

America and Ireland in the late 1800’s

Book Review

I do not think that this book was very good. I did not like it because it was very sad and made the character look miserable all the time. For sure, I would never recommend this book to any of my friends. To me there was too mush harshness, cruelty, and death in Mary Driscoll’s life.

About The Author

Barry Denenberg has written many Dear America Stories such as Early Sunday Morning and When will this cruel war be over? : The civil war diary of Emma Simpson, which was awarded by the NCSS (Notable Children’s Trade book in the Field of Social Studies. Mr. Denenberg has specialized mainly in non-fiction books. Now, Barry lives with his loving wife and his daughter, Emma, in Westchester Country, New York.