Fairy Hill

by Marita Conlon-McKenna, Phillip Cullen (Cover Art)

Strange things are happening in Fairy Hill.

Thirteen-year-old Anna is upset when she is sent to stay with her dad and his new family at Fairy Hill in the west of Ireland. Hearing whispers in the wind, Anna senses she is being watched, but nobody believes her except the mysterious boy down by the lake. When her little half-brother, Jack, nearly gets lost, Anna suspects that someone is trying to steal him away. She wonders if the stories about the old house and the fairies are true. And if they are, could Jack be in real danger?

Genres: Childrens

288 pages, Paperback

Published April 27, 2023

About the author

Born in Dublin in 1956 and brought up in Goatstown, Marita went to school at the Convent of the Sacred Heart, Mount Anville, later working in the family business, the bank, and a travel agency. She has four children with her husband James, and they live in the Stillorgan area of Dublin.
Marita was always fascinated by the Famine period in Irish history and read everything available on the subject. When she heard a radio report of an unmarked children's grave from the Famine period being found under a hawthorn tree, she decided to write her first book, Under the Hawthorn Tree.

Published in May 1990, the book was an immediate success and become a classic. It has been translated into over a dozen languages, including Arabic, Bahasa, French, Dutch, German, Swedish, Italian, Japanese and Irish. The book has been read on RTÉ Radio and is very popular in schools, both with teachers and pupils. It has been made a supplementary curriculum reader in many schools and is also used by schools in Northern Ireland for EMU (Education through Mutual Understanding) projects. It was also filmed by Young Irish Film Makers, in association with RTÉ and Channel 4. This is available as a DVD.

Marita has written more books for children which were also very well received. The Blue Horse reached No. 1 on the Bestseller List and won the BISTO BOOK OF THE YEAR Award. No Goodbye, which tells of the heartbreak of a young family when their mother leaves home, was recommended by Book Trust in their guide for One Parent Families. Safe Harbour is the story of two English children evacuated from London during World War ll to live with their grandfather in Greystones, Co Wicklow and was shortlisted for the BISTO Book of the Year Award. A Girl Called Blue follows the life of an orphan, trying to find who she really is in a cold and strict orphanage. Marita has also explored the world of fantasy with her book In Deep Dark Wood.

Marita has won several awards, including the International Reading Association Award, the Osterreichischer Kinder und Jugendbuchpreis, the Reading Association of Ireland Award and the Bisto Book of the Year Award.

Reviews

[Tessa Vliet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this and will definately have my students read it too! The folklore is colourful and jumps off the page.

[HA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this story.
Female protagonist and strong female characters, kind male characters, mixing of the country and city childhood experiences, positive family relationships with older and younger members of the family (after some difficulties).
Rich descriptions of countryside, lake, woods, birds, animals and contemporary solutions to climate change (rather than yet more anxiety).

[Christina Reid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marita Conlon-Nckenna's Under the Hawthorn Tree is a mainstay in any Irish childhood and I read and reread it growing up. To see another book by this author, especially about my favourite topic of the fairies and superstitions surrounding them made me very excited!

The story follows Anna as she is shipped off to her father's home in Sligo, while her mother goes on honeymoon with her new husband. I immediately felt sympathetic towards Anna as she adapts to a different way of life, limited contact with her friends or mum as well as the creeping sense that there is something a bit odd going on with her baby brother's repeated almost-disappearances at the hands of a mysterious woman, kitten and a girl who looks identical to Anna herself.

Her friendship with Daniel is described beautifully, especially as he introduces her to the wonders of nature surrounding her. There are plenty of clues from the beginning that he isn't quite as straightforward as he first appears. I loved seeing Anna carve out a niche for herself as she plays with her new stepbrother, learns to ride with her cousin Jenny and discovers more about her grandmother and great-aunt Lily who believe in the superstitions younger generations have discarded.

Unfortunately, Anna's father and his new partner come across very poorly, especially as they expect Anna, at only 13, to be responsible for 3-year-old Jack - anyone who knows/has a toddler will know that this is no easy task! They are quick to disbelieve, dismiss and disregard Anna. As the story is mainly from her perspective this may be a reflection of what she believes, but, as an adult reading it, I felt a bit frustrated by how little leeway they give her.

Overall, I very much enjoyed this, although my favourite part of the story was also the shortest - I was hoping for more of a journey to retrieve her changeling brother and to see more of the stories and characters linked to the fairies.

Great to see more contemporary children's fiction set in Ireland and I look forward to more - there are so many more stories and places to explore!

Recommended for readers aged 8 -12, although I think my almost-6-year-old would love this as a read aloud too.

3.5 stars

[Mary Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story moves at a strong pace, but time is taken to build it bit by bit allowing the sense of tension and mystery to grow page by page. Characterisation is thoughtful and dynamic, with central character Anna at the forefront. We understand her and can relate; the sense of displacement at having to spend such a long time at Fairy Hill; her innate curiosity and determination as she pieces together all the strange, unnerving events; her longing to fit in with this new part of her family, but still feeling “other.” And then there are the fairies; in conjunction with what is a typical family drama, we have the addition of the….impossible. These are full-on, shimmering of to the side, reading to strike at the first opportunity fairies. The fairies have lived at Fairy Hill far longer than the generations of Annas’ family and are now extremely unhappy at the changes afoot on the farm. They are offended and angry. They will take their “price” and the peril they bring is aimed directly at little Jack. Annas’ attempts to thwart them only run up against resistance from her family, but she has developed a fierce protectiveness and love for her little brother that surprises even her. This is when Anna learns to trust to her heart, regardless of what others might say. Glorious storytelling and imaginative crafting gives us a book that is wondrous, gripping and memorable. So tangible, so believable that it feels real; consuming, intriguing, heartfelt and wondrous.

[Insert Name Here · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every Irish child knows the name Marita Conlon-McKenna. If we didn't read Under the Hawthorn Tree, we know someone who did, or had an excerpt in an English textbook. It's probably the most famous Irish children's book ever, and rightly so.

Fairy Hill is slightly different.

Based on the old legends of Irish Sidhe, Fairy Hill is, mostly, a gentle, easy to read story. A lot of space is given to Anna meeting her new family and making friends and settling in and finding out things about the country side; although she learns about the Sidhe, and Jack nearly goes missing a couple of times, the part of the story where he's taken and she mounts a rescue is almost at the very end. The story isn't about that; it's about Anna rediscovering her family and learning about herself.

The language is slightly old fashioned, making me think of Enid Blyton and the writers of her generation. It doesn't put me off, but younger writers might find some of the sentence construction odd! It suits the feeling of the story; this book feels like those dreamy sunny days when nothing really happens, but suddenly four hours have passed by.

I can't wait to start selling this one. I think Marita is going to find a whole new audience with it.

(PS Anna's father and stepmother were a bit mean to her I thought!)

[Sinéad O'Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so excited to get my hands on a copy of my childhood hero's newest novel, and I enjoyed it very much. Londoner Anna must stay with her father and his new family (including her younger half-brother, Jack) at a farm called Fairy Hill in the west of Ireland while her mum and new stepdad go on honeymoon. At first, Anna is unhappy, but she meets a local boy named Daniel and begins to settle into the beauty of her surroundings. But then Jack is taken - kidnapped by someone Anna believes to be a fearsome foe indeed. Can she brave the true power of Fairy Hill to get her brother back?

A wonderful new novel from a legend of the Irish children's book world. I'm grateful to Marita Conlon-McKenna and her publishers for sending me an early copy of this lovely story for review purposes.

[Isa (Pages Full of Stars) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book for this year's Irish readathon. I've heard that this author is one of the most popular writers of children's fiction in Ireland, and the premise of this book sounded interesting.

In the end, I think this book would be perfect for younger readers, probably not so much if someone older was to read it. And that's alright, because young readers are the target audience :) I adored all of the themes of Irish myths and legends, and that's what drew me into this book in the first place. The setting was lovely too, and I enjoyed the writing style. However for me personally, the story was quite repetitive and predictable, but I have to underline that it's my own opinion as an adult reader. I think I would've absolutely loved it had I read it in my childhood :)

[Carmel · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up to 4 stars

[Sean Harding · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fairies are psycho in this book as we all know they really are - interesting and keeps you in your suspenders till the end.

[Julia16 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! A lovely story about family and friendship.

[Aoife Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the fantasy parts of it

[Susan Maxwell]

This atmospheric adventure draws on the folk-belief that fairies swap children for ‘changelings’. Anna is visiting her divorced father on her grandmother’s farm in Sligo, to get to know his new partner and their son, Jack. Anna discovers that the stones of a fairy-fort lie where her father is planning to plough, and, through her great-aunt Lily, learns that the sídhe will take revenge.

Anna’s enthusiasm for new experiences—sport, defences against the sídhe, pottery—is very engaging, and she is both kind and thoughtful. The atmosphere of Fairy Hill is very attractive. Anna watches a heron fishing by Starling Lake, learns horse-riding, enjoys food, and attends a family get-together. At the same time, though, the descriptions of place are sometimes oddly generic. Anna seems to enjoy herself, though there is some lack of consistency in her reactions, as she jumps from enjoyment to boredom and back again.

The story itself is a little slow to start, and transpires to be the story of changelings, children stolen away by the sídhe of the fairy-fort. The disruptive intrusion of the ousted world of the intangible, the world that can only be spoken of in compromised terms of superstition, fairytales, is well-handled. The threat comes close to Anna’s family, and she is able to recruit her great-aunt Lily to help. Lily recalls a time when those who believed in the sidhe would deal with them respectfully—showing respect to that which is very ‘other’. She is also able to offer practical help in negotiating with the sídhe.

The family dynamics, though, strike extremely uncomfortable notes. Anna’s anxiety to ‘fit in’, and her acceptance of responsibility for other people’s feelings, is exploited by her father, Rob, and her stepmother, Maggie. They assume that they can use Anna as unpaid child-minder to her baby stepbrother, obliging her to play with him and help him to eat; her father tells her that this is ‘what big sisters are for’. Her stepmother is sharp with her when she makes a mistake, laughs at her first attempt at using a pottery-wheel, and suborns her into helping at the market-stall. Distressingly, Anna internalizes the role that is laid out for her: she accepts that she should fit in and be nice. She feels guilt at being ‘selfish and irresponsible’ for not taking better care of her stepbrother. Frankly, by the time Anna has been emotionally manipulated into accepting that she will only be loved if she is an obedient girl, it is hard to see exactly why being stolen away by the sídhe is such a bad option.

The effective eeriness of the sídhe’s intrusions and threats are balanced by the cheerful, friendly ambiance of Anna’s visits to, and explorations with, relatives. She repeatedly encounters the past, too, through her grandmother’s diaries, Lily’s memories, and meeting the mysterious, lonely Daniel. This ruffling up of time adds subtlety to the tale, especially as the excitement and pace increase around the final encounter, when Anna must brave the dangers of the fairy-ring. The landscape is excellently rendered as a borderland between worlds: the familiar becomes unfamiliar; everything might be more than it seems, and Anna must understand the natural, as well as the ‘other’, world if she is to succeed in negotiating with the sídhe.

If the reader can set aside the quick-witted and brave Anna’s recruitment into the performance of sexist ideology, this is a lively, atmospheric adventure, somewhere between the waters and the wild of W.B. Yeats’s 'The Stolen Child' and the hostile forest of Stevie Smith’s 'Little Boy Lost'.