Today begins a thematic weekly schedule. Tuesday’s will be book review. Today’s review is a book I recently read for my 19th century British Literature class.
Grania: the Story of an Island by Emily Lawless
First published in 1892, Grania is a fictional story of a self-sufficient, headstrong young lass in the hard and barren barrier islands off Ireland’s mainland. She takes care of herself and her sick sister, and is benevolent to those who have less then her by providing food, despite her limited resources, to those who come to her. She is not poor like most of the others on the island, and works hard for what she has, but her kind and generous spirit demands that she share what she has.
This is a four-part story, in which part one introduces us to the protagonist – Grania, her mother and father’s backstory, and her sister’s heritage. Part two picks up six years later, where we learn of the demise of her father, her sister’s illness onset, and the growth of her love for a weak and vain man. This love relationship is a primary focus of the rest of the book, and is instrumental in Grania’s self-discovery, and we see how her sister is foundational to who she is and the choices she ultimately makes.
Grania is a chronological account of a young girl coming to maturity through the economic and weather brutalities she must face on her own. The young girl, Grania, is the protagonist, and her story begins at age 11 and is completed by 17-18 years old. She is youthful, headstrong, adventurous, strong and fearless, with a weakness for her love, Murdough Blake, whom she is smitten with.
Murdough Blake is Grania’s crush. He is lazy and lacks industry. He is self-centered, egotistical, opportunistic, and takes Grania for granted.
Honor O’Malley is Grania’s older half-sister. She is quite religious (wanted to be a nun), raised Grania, and winds up very sick. She is proud and generous, (characteristics she shares with Grania). She displays a resilience that Grania admires and emulates.
The story of Grania shines light on life in the Ireland in the late 19th century. It’s set in the factual islands of Aran. It is a rough life, where the inhabitants are cut of from the mainland half of the year, where they have to make do with circumstances of cold, extreme wet, with finite resources that often cause fatal illness in the people. Truly, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
If you want to spend time in turn-of-the-century Ireland, walking in the steps of a strong young women going through emotional growth, this is a great read. I found it a bit slow going at first, but came to root for, admonish, and care about – Grania.
Spilling Marbles 