The story is based on Jing Qiu's (the narrator) real life and that gave a very overwhelming aspect to the book. From a cultural point of view, it is also very interesting to realize these situations could really happen. Perhaps one of the most romantic novels I have ever read, Ai Mi's Under the Hawthorn Tree gave me a strong story of what I always imagined true love to be, if such a thing existed. I'm not a big reader on romance novels and that goes part and parcel with my disbelief of a supposed feeling of love. I assure you this isn't my will of perpetuating masculinity by emphasizing the fact that I, 1) do not read a lot of romance novels and 2) I question the validity of what is commonly conceptualized as love. Having said that, I believe this novel is this epitome of what one would categorize as romance and fits with my cultural definition and conceptualization of love. It was a well-written novel (thanks also to Anna Holmwood for translating) that really made me want to believe that such a thing as love did exist. Throughout the narrative, the author attempts to create a romantic tension between the two main protagonists, Jingqui, who is a young female student, and Sun Jianxin (known as Old Third),who is a soldier in the People's Republic of China. I was fascinated by legends, not just Irish ones but Greek and Roman and Japanese, Chinese and Nordic. There was a fabulous illustrated series in my local library and I must have read and reread every one of them.

Old third, was a well developed character. But as soon a he cut his hand I knew the ending. That was annoying. In 2018 I was approached by the Ulster American Folk Park in Omagh and Northern Ireland’s Cahoots Theatre Company, which is based in Belfast, about dramatising the book to stage in the park. Every year the Folk Park was already hosting “Hawthorn Days” for families and schools to visit, which wove the story from the books through their exhibits. All I remember is wanted to have a visual look of the hawthorn tree, and Old Third, instead I got a visual of factories and dilapidated houses, not the things that matter. I also wanted her to stop being so stupid!!! No one else seemed as stupid as she. Some may say ignorant or naive, but she was stupid, she jumped to conclusions and had no understanding of life, always took the negative, always went against her body and what ppl were telling her to be true. This is absolutely the sort of book I would have *loved* as a child. And I enjoyed it very much as an adult, too. It tells the story of three children, Eily, Michael and Peggy, who walk across Ireland during the potato famine, seeking relatives after their parents go out to look for work and food and don't return. A. Yes. Dan Donovan was a first-hand witness to what happened to the people and the town of Skibbereen during The Great Hunger. His factual account and recording of events in the workhouse and the dispensary and doing autopsies on bodies revealed a scale of hunger and disease that is almost unimaginable. He was a good, compassionate man who always put the lives of his patients foremost.

One moment please...

A. I was always curious about the Magdalene laundries and homes as there was one in Donnybrook beside the church we attended, and in which I was baptised. As I am adopted, growing up I wondered if somehow I might have been born there. I was drawn to the story of the Magdalene women and the babies they were forced to give up. The novel's failure could have been in the utter naivete of the author's story, an unrequited love like unto Romeo and Juliet, but so far short of the depth of story required to have significant emotional impact. No matter what others say, I really like this book for picturing something that rarely exsists now. The ending broke my heart, but it is a good written and realistic end.

Cerita ini memang wajar [baca: wajib] dibaca oleh anak-anak muda kini supaya mereka tahu erti kesyukuran. Kita hidup di Malaysia dengan penuh rukun dan damai. Tidak menghadapi saat-saat sukar seperti tiga beradik ini. Wajarlah kita mensyukuri nikmat yang Tuhan pinjamkan kepada kita.While a mother of young children, she began writing a picture book for her daughter. She credits Dr Pat Donlon, director of the Children's Literature course, with encouraging and supporting her to publish her work. [3] [4] The inspiration for her first children's novel Under the Hawthorn Tree came when she heard a radio report on the discovery of an unmarked grave under a hawthorn tree, where three children from the Famine era were buried. [1] Under the Hawthorn Tree was a worldwide success and sold over 250,000 copies in the Irish market alone, earning its status as a classic children's novel. [2] She was just so worried all the time, and never seem to worry about the right things. It was almost depressing and made me dislike her. I can wait. As long as you want me to wait, as long as it doesn't make you unhappy, I can wait a lifetime.' The cultural revolution in China, the struggle of a girl and her disgraced mother, and of course the tale of a poignant love story. Under the Hawthorn tree was a very enjoyable read, i was able gain some insight into the cultural and Chinese history. The novel also made me realise the situations to do with class and power.