The Making of Mollie E-Book

Anna Carey

• Herausgeber: The O'Brien Press
• Kategorie: Für Kinder und Jugendliche
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2016

Beschreibung

It's spring 1912, and 14-year-old Mollie Carberry lives in Drumcondra with her loving but distracted parents, her older sister Phyllis, her spoiled older brother Harry and her saintly little sister Julia. Mollie's convinced that her life is boring - until she discovers that Phyllis is a secret suffragette. After attending a suffrage meeting, Mollie wants to do something for the movement too – and she soon convinces her best friend Nora to join her. At last, they have some excitement in their lives! While some of their classmates approve of their new cause, others can't see the point. Their timid schoolfriend Stella worries that Mollie and Nora are going to get into trouble. And their classmate Grace, who also happens to be Nora's cousin, disapproves of anybody who steps out of line. Despite this general apathy, as the weeks go by, Mollie and Nora become even more determined to do something for the cause. Even though nobody in the cause seems to particularly want their help.

Leseprobe

Praise for Other Books by Anna Carey

The Real Rebecca

‘Definite Princess of Teen.’ Books for Keeps

‘I laughed and squirmed my way through The Real Rebecca, the sparkling and spookily accurate diary of a Dublin teenager. I haven’t laughed so much since reading Louise Rennison. Teenage girls will love Rebecca to bits!’ Sarah Webb, author of the Ask Amy Green books

‘This book is fantastic! Rebecca is sweet, funny and down-to-earth, and I adored her friends, her quirky parents, her changeable but ultimately loving older sister and the swoonworthy Paperboy.’ Chicklish Blog

‘What is it like inside the mind of a teenage girl? It’s a strange, confused and frustrated place, as Anna Carey’s first novel The Real Rebecca makes clear … A laugh-out-loud story of a fourteen-year-old girl, Rebecca Rafferty.’ Hot Press

Rebecca’s Rules

‘A gorgeous book! … So funny, sweet, bright. I loved it.’ Marian Keyes

‘Amusing from the first page … better than Adrian Mole! Highly recommended.’ lovereading4kids.co.uk

‘Sure to be a favourite with fans of authors such as Sarah Webb and Judi Curtin.’ Children’s Books Ireland’s Recommended Reads 2012

Rebecca Rocks

‘The pages in Carey’s novel in which her young lesbian character announces her coming out to her friends and in which they give their reactions are superbly written: tone is everything, and it could not be better handled than it is here.’ The Irish Times

‘A hilarious new book, perfect for the summer. Cleverly written, witty and smart.’ writing.ie

‘Rebecca Rafferty … is something of a Books for Keeps favourite … Honest, real, touching, a terrific piece of writing.’ Books for Keeps

To Jennifer, Louise and Miriam.  

If it weren’t for Dominican College, we would never have met.  

And to Clare Cunniffe, who, in 1918, gave a speech to the same school’s Aquinas Debating Society on ‘Why Women Should Have The Vote’.  

According to the school yearbook, her speech ‘gave her full scope to express her rather definite and decided views on that much vexed question.’

Acknowledgements

My heartfelt thanks to the extremely patient Susan Houlden, Emma Byrne and everyone at The O’Brien Press who had faith in Mollie after I abandoned another book and told them I wanted to write about teenage suffragettes instead; Lauren O’Neill, for a cover so perfect it made me cry with happiness; Sarah Webb and Marian Keyes, who gave me much-appreciated advice when I was struggling with post-Rebecca writing; Helen Carr, as ever, for encouraging me (and listening to me whine); everyone on Twitter who cheered me on; and Elizabeth Gilbert, whose book Big Magic had a huge effect on me when I was really struggling with starting this book.

This book could not have been written without the generosity of two people. One is Sister Catherine Gibson, who allowed me to spend a fascinating morning in the Dominican Convent on Griffith Avenue eating delicious biscuits and going through the first few years of the Dominican College yearbook, The Lanthorn, from 1913 to 1917. The other person is Doctor Senia Paseta of Saint Hugh’s College, Oxford, who very patiently answered many, many questions by phone and email about the Irish suffrage movement and provided me with lots of wonderfully useful and inspiring information that I would never have discovered otherwise. Any historical inaccuracies are entirely my own. Thanks also to Ciaran O’Neill, who kindly put me in touch with Doctor Paseta. I hope they all enjoy reading this book.

And thanks as ever to the extended Carey/Freyne family, and to Patrick, for everything.

Contents

Title PageDedicationAcknowledgementsHistorical Note25th March, 19125th April, 191219th April, 19121st May, 191213th May, 1912Monday, 27th May, 1912Sunday, 2nd June, 1912Friday, 14th June 1912A Note About this BookAbout the AuthorCopyright

HISTORICAL NOTE

This book is set in Dublin in 1912. At the time, Ireland was part of the United Kingdom, but there was a big demand in Ireland for what was called Home Rule. This meant that Ireland would be part of the UK, but would have its own parliament in Dublin.

In 1912, the only people who could vote in general elections in the UK were men (and not even all men – only men who owned or lived in property of a certain value). Lots of women, however, were campaigning for the vote, and they were known as suffragists or suffragettes.

25 Lindsay Gardens, Drumcondra, Dublin.

25th March, 1912.

Dear Frances,

I hate my brother. I know this isn’t a very conventional way to start a letter and I should be asking you how you are and whether your house won the last hockey match, and telling you about my health and what the weather’s like, but I’m so boiling with rage that I can’t think of anything else right now. I know you don’t think that Harry is that bad, but really, Frances, that is just because you’re an only child. If you had a brother like Harry I know you’d hate him too. He’s always been annoying, of course. He loves lording it over me and acting as if he’s ten years older than me instead of only two, and he loves the fact that he’s allowed to do whatever he wants (well, practically everything), while I always have to ask for permission and never get it (well, hardly ever).

But this time he surpassed himself. We were having roast chicken for dinner, which is my very favourite thing to eat as you know, and when Father was carving it I asked if I could have some of the breast, which is my very favourite bit of roast chicken. And as usual Mother said, ‘Now, Mollie, wait until your father and Harry have been served.’

Father said, ‘Oh don’t worry, Rose, I don’t mind,’ but Harry said, ‘I certainly do.’

If Mother and Father hadn’t been there I’d have told him to shut up, but as they were there I just made a face at him when they weren’t watching. Which clearly wasn’t enough to stop him tormenting me, because even when Father had given me and Phyllis a little bit of chicken breast (the rest of my serving was leg, which I do like too, but not as much as the breast), Harry kept going on and on about how good food was just wasted on girls and that as the men of the house he and Father needed to keep their strength up. And even when Mother said, ‘Harry, don’t tease your sister,’ he didn’t stop.