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Less than 100 years ago a form of slavery still persisted in parts of rural Ireland - the hiring system. Children as young as seven or eight were sold for fixed periods by their impoverished parents to farmers who wroked them to the bone, treating them often as little more than cattle. Often worse.
'This is a ghastly, wrenching story, shot through with beauty and hope. Throne shows great understanding of all the characters involved and the Protestants who shut themselves off from Catholics, the absentee English landlord looking down on the agent who looked down on the small farmer, the men looking down on the women. John Throne is astonishingly sensitive to women, and manages to show humanity in even the most brutish men. He has thought his imaginative way into their lives...' Nell McCafferty
'A compelling book, thanks to its powerful subject matter and Throne’s gift for storytelling. A social history, but much more, it is a powerful story of a victim who gradually overcomes misfortune and finds happiness and independence. Indeed, this book forces one to reassess what good literature is… I am not sure which category of English literature in Ireland will accommodate it—but whatever its genre, it deserves a place on everyone’s shelves.' Eilis Ni Dhuibne, The Irish Times
ISBN/EAN | 9780955355202 |
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Author | John Throne |
Publisher | The Drumkeen Press |
Publication date | 21 Jun 2017 |
Format | Paperback |