Cal
Bernard MacLaverty
The background
The story is taking place in Nortern Ireland in the begin eighties. Cal is a Catholic in a protestant neighbourhood. Trough Crilly he gets involved with terrorist actions of the IRA. This background is very important to the story. It's because of he's a Catholic that his house was burnt down and that Crilly persuades him to join the terrorist actions. It's all about the conflict between Protestants and Catholics. The genre
I think this is a story about an impossible love. The most important theme of the book is that Cal falls in love with Marcella and how he feels more and more guilty about what he has done. I think this is a realistic story, but there is a lot chance in it. It's really a coincidence that he falls in love with the only forbidden woman in the world. The Characters
Cal is a 19 Catholic. He lives with his father is mother died when he is young. Cal is against fighting and when the policeman gets killed, he feels very bad about it, but he doesn't have the guts to say no to Crilly, because they will kill him.
Shamie is the father of Cal. Shamie likes to work but he becomes depressive at the end.
Crilly is the bad guy in the book, he is agressive and has much hate, he is also not very smart.
Marcella is the big love of Cal, her husband was killed by Crilly, Cal was involved. The marriage wasn't very good. Although she was married with a protestant policeman, she is Catholic, but she hates violence. Cal and Marcella are getting together further in the book.
The character I certainly don't want to meet is Crilly. I don't like the hate in him against the protestants, he is a very cold person. If I had to meet a character in the story it would be Marcella, she is the victim of all this. First when her husband gets killed and than when she discovers that Cal is involved. I would like to know, how she handles with that and what she thinks of Cal.
Summary
Cal McCluskey is nineteen years old and a Catholic. He gets involved in terrorist actions of the IRA at one of which an Ulster policeman gets killed. Then he comes in contact with the victim's widow and falls in love with her. Cal feels very guilty about this and he tries to let this violent life behind him. When Cal is in the library he sees Crilly putting a bomb in a book. After that they go to Crilly's place, The cops arrives at Crilly's, he goes back to the farm, where he lives after his house was burnt down. In the morning he writes Marcella a letter that contents the true story about her dead husband. After a couple hours the police arrest Cal. Title
The title is very simple; it's the name of the main character. I think the title is well-chosen, it's simple and clear that it's about the person Cal. It sais not much about the story, but that keeps you curious. My opinion
I enjoyed reading the story. It wasn't very hard to read and the story is not to long, maybe it's even too short. I think it had been better too give a more detailed image of the characters and how they live, and not only of Cal. In the beginning I found it sometimes a bit boring, but after a while it becomes more interesting. I like the subject in the story; it's very interesting. It wasn't the first time I read a book about ‘the Troubles' in Northern Ireland so the facts in the book weren't new for me. I think I would recommend this book when somebody would like to read a not too long and difficult story about this subject. Assignments
1. An impressing story about a nineteen year old Catholic, who gets involved in terrorist actions of the IRA. This story is about Cal. He gets involved in terrorist actions of the IRA, at one of which an Ulster Policemen gets killed. Then he comes into contact with the victim's widow and falls in love with her. He tries to leave the past behind him, but as their relationship grows, so do Cal's feeling of guilt and sorrow. This is a nice book, about how a boy in a war struggles with his feelings of guilt and sorrow. The book isn't very thick, maybe it's even a little too short for the story. It would have been better when the story was a little longer and more detailed. But it's nice for people who don't like long stories, because it isn't a very difficult book and also not very long. 2. If I was a journalist, I would like to interview Marcella, because you don't know much about her: -How is your relationship with your family in law at this moment? -What was you first thought when you found the letter of Cal? -Can you forgive him, for what he has done? -Do you understand why he has done it? -What are you gonna do in the future? 3. Dear diary, I have to write some things down, which is very weird, because normally I don't like to write and I haven't done it, since I left school. But underhand I hope Marcella will find this by accident and I hope she will read it then, so I don't have to lie to her anymore. I can't tell her, that I was the one who drove that night; the night when her husband got killed, because I'm afraid of her reaction. I am afraid she wouldn't see me anymore and I don't know how I have to live without her. But at the other hand, I can't live with the feeling that I lie to her everytime I see her, by not telling her. I would like to know, how my father is, but I have to stay here; near the farm, because otherwise there's the risk that Crilly sees me. The last time I saw him, he wasn't himself anymore. He wasn't the old happy Shamie that I know. He was very depressed, he even didn't work anymore and that while he allways liked working. I don't know how I have to solve this problems and I also don't know what I'm gonna do. But I know that I can't staying lie to Marcella the rest of my life, eventually she would find the truth. I also can't stay here the rest of my life. There comes a time that I have to go to the city and I have to visit Shamie.
Bernard MacLaverty
The background
The story is taking place in Nortern Ireland in the begin eighties. Cal is a Catholic in a protestant neighbourhood. Trough Crilly he gets involved with terrorist actions of the IRA. This background is very important to the story. It's because of he's a Catholic that his house was burnt down and that Crilly persuades him to join the terrorist actions. It's all about the conflict between Protestants and Catholics. The genre
I think this is a story about an impossible love. The most important theme of the book is that Cal falls in love with Marcella and how he feels more and more guilty about what he has done. I think this is a realistic story, but there is a lot chance in it. It's really a coincidence that he falls in love with the only forbidden woman in the world. The Characters
Cal McCluskey is nineteen years old and a Catholic. He gets involved in terrorist actions of the IRA at one of which an Ulster policeman gets killed. Then he comes in contact with the victim's widow and falls in love with her. Cal feels very guilty about this and he tries to let this violent life behind him. When Cal is in the library he sees Crilly putting a bomb in a book. After that they go to Crilly's place, The cops arrives at Crilly's, he goes back to the farm, where he lives after his house was burnt down. In the morning he writes Marcella a letter that contents the true story about her dead husband. After a couple hours the police arrest Cal. Title
The title is very simple; it's the name of the main character. I think the title is well-chosen, it's simple and clear that it's about the person Cal. It sais not much about the story, but that keeps you curious. My opinion
I enjoyed reading the story. It wasn't very hard to read and the story is not to long, maybe it's even too short. I think it had been better too give a more detailed image of the characters and how they live, and not only of Cal. In the beginning I found it sometimes a bit boring, but after a while it becomes more interesting. I like the subject in the story; it's very interesting. It wasn't the first time I read a book about ‘the Troubles' in Northern Ireland so the facts in the book weren't new for me. I think I would recommend this book when somebody would like to read a not too long and difficult story about this subject. Assignments
1. An impressing story about a nineteen year old Catholic, who gets involved in terrorist actions of the IRA. This story is about Cal. He gets involved in terrorist actions of the IRA, at one of which an Ulster Policemen gets killed. Then he comes into contact with the victim's widow and falls in love with her. He tries to leave the past behind him, but as their relationship grows, so do Cal's feeling of guilt and sorrow. This is a nice book, about how a boy in a war struggles with his feelings of guilt and sorrow. The book isn't very thick, maybe it's even a little too short for the story. It would have been better when the story was a little longer and more detailed. But it's nice for people who don't like long stories, because it isn't a very difficult book and also not very long. 2. If I was a journalist, I would like to interview Marcella, because you don't know much about her: -How is your relationship with your family in law at this moment? -What was you first thought when you found the letter of Cal? -Can you forgive him, for what he has done? -Do you understand why he has done it? -What are you gonna do in the future? 3. Dear diary, I have to write some things down, which is very weird, because normally I don't like to write and I haven't done it, since I left school. But underhand I hope Marcella will find this by accident and I hope she will read it then, so I don't have to lie to her anymore. I can't tell her, that I was the one who drove that night; the night when her husband got killed, because I'm afraid of her reaction. I am afraid she wouldn't see me anymore and I don't know how I have to live without her. But at the other hand, I can't live with the feeling that I lie to her everytime I see her, by not telling her. I would like to know, how my father is, but I have to stay here; near the farm, because otherwise there's the risk that Crilly sees me. The last time I saw him, he wasn't himself anymore. He wasn't the old happy Shamie that I know. He was very depressed, he even didn't work anymore and that while he allways liked working. I don't know how I have to solve this problems and I also don't know what I'm gonna do. But I know that I can't staying lie to Marcella the rest of my life, eventually she would find the truth. I also can't stay here the rest of my life. There comes a time that I have to go to the city and I have to visit Shamie.
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