To School Through The Fields [Paperback]

Alice Taylor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 15, 1994

If ever a voice has caputured the colors, the rhythms, the rich, bittersweet emotions of a time gone by, it is Alice Taylor's. Her tales of childhood in rural Ireland hard back to a timeless past, to a world now lost, but ever and fondly remembered. The colorful characters and joyous moments she offers have made The School Through the Fields in Irish phenomenon, and have made Alice herself the mose beloved author in all of the Emerald Isle.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This charming memoir of childhood is a bestseller in Ireland, where Taylor tends the market and post office of Innishannon. She brings to life the simple delights of growing up on a farm in a large family ruled by a loving mother and a father who had "a high level of intelligence and a low threshold of tolerance." The children were reared in an environment structured according to the cycles of nature, enjoyed relative freedom and observed the facts of life unfolding daily before them. A delightful evocation of Irishness and of the author's deep-rooted love of "the very fields of home," this picture of bucolic life in an earlier time, with its rituals of religion and the antics of local characters, has universal appeal.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

This is an Irishwoman's book of memories from a child's-eye view, told with all the immediacy and freshness of a child's vision. Taylor lovingly portrays a self-sufficient farm life that no longer exists. It included her family, a host of unique neighbors, and all of their doings through turns of the season: going to school and the strand, haying, dealing with animals, and coping with the death of her brother. This book is reassuring and enlivening to the human spirit. An unexpected best seller in Ireland, it should do as well here as any James Herriot title.
- Janice Dunham, John Jay Coll. Lib., CUNY
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (February 15, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312105606
• ISBN-13: 978-0312105600
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #342,756 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ashes only half the story, March 27, 2000

By 

Richard T. Rossiter "Richard T. Rossiter" (National Park, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: To School Through The Fields (Paperback)

If Angela's Ashes and it's clones is your only taste of Ireland during the economic hard times, you're only getting half the story. This best seller speaks of the Ireland our grandparent's held dear to their hearts. It's short vignette structure makes it an excellant read for those using public transportation. Warning: people who feel good writing must be driven by inner turmoil will hate this book. To all others Taylor's work is breath of fresh air!

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ahhhhhh! Life as it should be lived., January 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: To School Through The Fields (Paperback)

If you love the simple life (not to be confused with easy), nature, simple people and their idiosyncracies, then you will love this book. Alice Taylor takes us back to the communal farm life of Ireland. She "shows" us vividly how she grew up in County Cork Ireland in a rural farming community where the community came before the individual; unheard of in our current paradigm. Everything that nature had to offer was used in daily life, including the grease from cooked geese to oil leather boots. Life was about pulling your weight, helping your neighbor, integrity, and respecting God and His creations. This book sooths my soul and slows me down. If you live a busy "city" life, but long for nature and simplicity, I highly recommend this book. It will make you smile and comfort your spirit.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BETTER THAN A WARM IRISH BREAKFAST ON A COLD, MISTY MORNING, December 30, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: To School Through The Fields (Paperback)

I'd rather read this book than have Irish bread w. freshly whipped butter, w. farm-fresh eggs, tomato, sausage and Irish breakfast tea! And that's a lot! This affectionate novel is a jewel. A very special woman wrote this book and shared with us her very special childhood. If you're Irish, of Irish descent, have been to Ireland, or enjoy a charming, well-written, enchanting true tale, you'll love this book and keep a copy and recommend it to loved ones. Did you enjoy the LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE books as a child? Or have you read, THE ROAD FROM COORAIN by Jill Ker Conway? Then you'll truly enjoy this book