DIGGING FOR PEAT in the mountain with his Uncle Tally, Fergus finds the body of a child, and it looks like she’s been murdered. As Fergus tries to make sense of the mad world around him—his brother on hunger-strike in prison, his growing feelings for Cora, his parents arguing over the Troubles, and him in it up to the neck, blackmailed into acting as courier to God knows what—a little voice comes to him in his dreams, and the mystery of the bog child unfurls. Bog Child is an astonishing novel exploring the sacrifices made in the name of peace, and the unflinching strength of the human spirit.
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"4 1/2 stars. This is another one that definitely would have gone on my 2008favorites shelf if I had read it last year. I love the intertwined stories and the strong emotions at the end. I love the connection between Owain, the soldier, and Deus, the bomb maker. I've never read another novel about Northern Ireland and the IRA in early 80's, and Dowd has written it so gorgeously, with magical realism thrown in. It took me 50 or so pages to get in to it, but then I couldn't put it down, and Fergus is a character that I'll be thinking about for a long time. This is my first book by Dowd, and it's so tragic that she's gone. I'm wondering now if all of her books have such emotional endings."
— elissa (4 out of 5 stars)
" Starred review from SLJ for the audio book. Got this from the library a few days ago. Just finished Al Capone Shines My Shoes, so now I can start this! Yeah! "
— Karen, 2/13/2014" The premise of this book was exciting: an ancient mummy of a child found in a peat bog; but the story is so United Kingdom, the language, the culture, that I just didn't feel like slogging through and deciphering or translating. I'm sure I missed out on a good story because of my laziness. "
— Pat, 2/4/2014" This was okay--a somewhat interesting historical novel about the Troubles, and the impact on the main character whose brother is a hunger stiker, with a dash of supernatural. I thought the age of the narrator, who was supposedly 18, was way off, though. He acted 14. Also the main narrative allegory with the discovered "bog child" seemed a bit strained in execution. Eh. "
— Colin, 2/2/2014" Set in the early 1980's during the Troubles, a teen whose brother is in jail and on a hunger strike, finds a body in a peat bog and must decide which side to take. A great read by an author whose life ended too early. "
— Ellen, 1/21/2014" This is a moving tale. It put me in a state of calm when I read it. I loved the main protagonist. There was a certain innocence about him that I liked. It has some important themes and deals with issues many readers can relate to. It was a great read. "
— Alecia, 1/20/2014" Great YA read. Laugh out loud in places. "
— Sally, 1/12/2014" So good! So sad! The writing is incredible. 1980 Ireland--hunger strikers, bombs, and a wonderful, thoughtful lad named Fergus who discovers a body in a peat bog. The story of Mel, the centuries old bog child is told simultaneously with Fergus'. Excellent sense of the time period and the troubles in Northern Ireland, seen from a teen's eyes. I was doubly sad to learn that the author, Siobhan Dowd died from breast cancer in 2007. Her books have really captivated me. "
— Marcia, 1/12/2014" Had me intrigued from beginning to end. There are two parts to the story, the Troubles in Ireland in the 1980s and the discovery of a child's body in a bog. Beautifully written. "
— Kristy, 12/22/2013" There are a lot of different plots going on, so they kind of compete for your attention. And some are more interesting than others. I don't know how I feel about the ethical choice at the end, but the book is atmospheric and creepy and mysterious, so it's got that going for it. "
— R, 11/29/2013" A good story, possible a bit predictable in places. But still enough content for an adult reader to enjoy. I like the way history past and present is considered. "
— sisterimapoet, 11/18/2013" Nog een jeugdroman, maar wel van een klasse hoger. Geslaagde combinatie van politiek drama, coming of age-roman, met wat elementen uit misdaadliteratuur. Leest als een trein en maakt indruk. (***1/2) "
— Guy, 6/26/2013Siobhan Dowd (1960-2007) lived in Oxford with her husband, Geoff, before tragically dying of cancer. She was both an extraordinary writer and an extraordinary person, and she left behind two unpublished novels, the first of which was Bog Child. All royalties from her books will go to a trust created just before her death, the Siobhan Dowd Trust, a charity set up to support the joy of reading for young people in areas of social deprivation.
Sile Bermingham began her acting career in theater in her native Dublin before moving to New York to attend HB Studios. Theater credits include Loot, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolfe, Remembrance, A Touch of the Poet, A Woman of No Importance, and Crimes and Crimes, among many others. An avid reader and lover of stories, Sile has read the works of Maeve Binchy, Cecilia Ahern, and Joanne Harris.