No Goodbye

by Marita Conlon-McKenna

It's hard to pretend that everything is normal when your whole life has been turned upside down …

'She's gone!'

The letter said she needed time to be herself again. But what does that mean?

Greg and Lucy, at fourteen and twelve, act cool and responsible when their mother leaves. Six-year-old Grace is just bewildered. Conor, a troubled ten-year-old, takes drastic action to show how he feels.

And behind it all there is hope, and the beginnings of a plan to bring their mother back.

176 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1995

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

[Leona · Rating 3 out of 5]

No goodbye tells the story about family life and how children deal with separation. The book is told through each child's experiences of their parents' separation. Greg and Lucy at fourteen and twelve act cool and responsible when their mother leaves with Lucy nearly stepping into her place with the cooking and cleaning. While six year old Grace is bewildered and Conor takes it the worst that the mother has left. The family tries to pretend that everything is normal when really everything is crumbling. However, behind it all there is hope and the beginnings of a plan to bring back their mother.

Overall a very easy to read book that you could finish in one sitting!

[Conor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can remember reading this book as an 11 year old and not being able to put it down, so when re-reading Marita Conlon-McKenna's book I was hoping not to be disappointed and I wasn't. The book is however, gritty and darker than perhaps the average book for a child in year 5 or 6.

The book is based around a mother of four walking out on her husband and four children, leaving just a note saying that she needs time. The father is clearly taken aback by his wife's departure and is in a daze, while the story focuses on the reaction of his four children, Greg 14 , Lucy 12, Grace 6 and Conor 10.

Each child in the family reacts in a different way to the parents separation, and this is where I feel the story can relate to so many different children. Greg and Lucy, the two eldest of the children try to stay calm and collected. Conor is a troubled 10 year old and reacts very badly to his mothers departure and is desperate to have her home, while Grace who is only six is rather bewildered by the events. I think that most children reading this book are able to relate to at least one of the four children.

The book is certainly one of the saddest I have read aimed at children and I think the saddness is heightened by the fact the story is seen through the eyes of children, however there are moments of hope and happiness, and this along with the likeability of the children involved makes it an excellent read.
I could recommend this book for children in year 6.

[Ciara · Rating 4 out of 5]

such a touching book, about reality.. its nice and short but in that space of time of reading it the book really grows on you! I enjoyed reading this. Again I read this in school but it was pretty good for a school book :)

[Aneta · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a different book by Marita. It was so sad. The children were so confused when their mother left them it was horrible to read. But this book wasn't overly dramatic and it didn't end in a happy ever after but in a compromise which is what life is like- full of compromise.

[Lauren B · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this back when I was 8 or 9, and absolutely loved it.
I've since read it 3 or 4 times and like it still. Even though it is for young teens, it still has an impact.
:)