Customer Reviews

The Cottage at Bantry Bay

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

The O'Sullivans are a family living in Ireland in the 1930s. Mother and Father and Michael and Brigid are often at their wits end dealing with the mischievous but loveable twins, Liam and Francie.

Hilda Van Stockum brings her characteristic wit, understanding of children and enchantment to the simplicity of family life. It is chock full of delightful adventures and sub-plots from a bygone era.

Brush up on your brogue and prepare for a delightful read-aloud for the whole family.

The sequels - *Francie on the Run* and *Pegeen* are wonderful too. *Pegeen* is our favorite.

Great story to read aloud to kids. Characters are spunky and positive. We went through the three books of this series non-stop.

I must admit, when I began reading this book to my children, I had some trepidation that there might not be enough action to hold their attention. As it turns out, my worry in this regard was completely unwarranted. The story is about a simple family just scraping by in 1930s Ireland. The events that happen to them are not the stuff of epic adventure. Instead, they are charming little anecdotes that tie together and lead to a satisfying happy ending.

The story focuses on the O'Sullivan children: Michael (about 11), Brigid (about 10) and the twins Liam and Francie (6). Ah, yes, and Bran the mischievous dog--can't leave him out. The characters themselves drive the story and the reader can't help but get attached to them. Van Stockum does a wonderful job bringing them to life and is so successful that the reader is left a little bit disappointed that they are not real people.

My children loved the book. They sat there in rapt attention as I read and bothered me each night to read more. All in all, this is a terrific book which promotes good Catholic values and a sense of nobility even amidst material poverty. We all highly recommend it.

My ten your old daughter enjoyed this book and is eager to read the other two in the series. It is very innocent and unexceptionable.