Joan O'Neill has already proved to readers of her Daisy Chain War sequence that she is a warm, funny and empathetic writer who can bring ordinary teenage experience vividly to life.

 Growing up herself in Ireland in the 1950s, she has an insight into a life which has very similar concerns but totally different solutions to deal with the problems encountered by young adults in twenty-first century England. The Magdalene Laundries, run by nuns, operated a tough regime in which young girls were used as forced labour. The convents which ran these facilities took in laundry from hotels, hospitals and clerical institutions and the girls, who had to 'atone' for their wayward behaviour were often incarcerated for their entire lifetime. Recently the subject of a high profile book and film for adults, the last of the Magdalene Laundries only closed its doors in the 1990s, although no new “penitents” had been admitted for many years. As a teenager, O’Neill had a summer job in a hotel which used to send the bedlinen and towels to one of the Magdalene Laundries. The delight with which the young girls used to welcome any little treats she could bring, like nail varnish and make up, stayed with her ever since, as did the sight of their hands, reddened and chapped from water and detergent.

It was this experience which inspired the story of Stella and Fallen Star, and which will know reveal this part of Ireland's history to a younger audience. Stella endures great loneliness, hardship and fear, but displays the strength of character and determination typical of O'Neill's young female characters, while her mother exemplifies another view of Irish women, deserted by her husband, impoverished, exhausted and in thrall to the most extreme elements of her religion. Atmospherically written and a rich source for discussions around PSHE and RE, the promise of something better for Stella in this novel's resolution will permit readers in Key Stage 3 and above to hold on to their aspirations whatever life may currently hold for them.

2007-12-30