Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Schultz
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Funny, emotional novel explores generations of family ties.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
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Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
GREYHOUND OF A GIRL tells the story of four generations of women in an Irish family. At age 12, Mary is going through a difficult time because her best friend has recently moved across Dublin, and her grandmother is very ill. Mary and her mother, Scarlett, visit Mary's grandmother (Scarlett's mother), Emer, in the hospital daily, and though they sometimes argue, mother and daughter are very close and are navigating the painful hospital visits together, as Mary's older brothers have become surly, aloof teens. One day, on her way home from school, Mary encounters someone she presumes is a new neighbor, a young woman in very old-fashioned dress. This woman, it turns out, is a ghost who wants Mary and her mother to help her deliver a message to Emer.
Is It Any Good?
The great Irish author Roddy Doyle writes with amazing ease from the point of view of four generations of women. His characters are well-formed and extremely believable, and their experience of looking back at their family's heritage and feeling the imminence of Emer's death is extremely moving and relatable. The character of Tansey is particularly sweet and somewhat whimsical, and her bond with the daughter she left behind decades ago is so sweet.
Doyle is also a marvelous humor writer, and his dialogue is especially funny. Greyhound of a Girl is as charming as a book that deals with death can be, and girls especially will find it meaningful.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about multigenerational family stories. What other books that you've read or movies you've seen have dealt with a loved one passing away? What do you think happens to people after they die?
Why does Tansey feel she can't leave Emer, and why must she see her before Emer dies?
Why do you think they all want to revisit the farm? Do you think seeing what's happened to the farm helped them?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Coming of Age
- Topics : History
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Amulet Books
- Publication date : May 1, 2012
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 8 - 12
- Number of pages : 208
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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