by SiobhanDowd (Author)
This book is set in Ireland in 1984. After Shell's mother dies, her obsessively religious father descends into alcoholic mourning and Shell is left to care for her younger brother and sister. Her only release from the harshness of everyday life comes from her budding spiritual friendship with a naive young priest, and most importantly, her developing relationship with childhood friend, Declan, charming, eloquent and persuasive. But when Declan suddenly leaves Ireland to seek his fortune in America, Shell finds herself pregnant and the centre of a scandal that rocks the small community in which she lives, with repercussions across the whole country. The lives of those immediately around her will never be the same again. This is a story of love and loss, religious belief and spirituality - it will move the hearts of any who read it.
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 320
Publisher: David Fickling Books
Published: 02 Mar 2006
ISBN 10: 0385609698
ISBN 13: 9780385609692
Children’s book age: 12+ Years
Book Overview: This is an extraordinary story of one girl's courage in the face of prejudice and hardship within a small community in Ireland.
Prizes: Winner of Branford Boase Award 2007.