Nothing Green

by Evelyn Doyle

NOTHING GREEN is the sequel to Evelyn Doyle's bestselling memoir. After the heady days of the trial which released her from the care of the State Industrial schools and succeeded in changing the law, Evelyn returns to the same grinding poverty. And when Desmond is once again forced to return to England to find work, 'new mammy' Jessie increasingly takes out her frustration on the twelve-year-old Evelyn. After a gruelling winter, the family eventually leaves for England in search of a better life. But matters quickly deteriorate. Jessie's relationship with Desmond becomes strained and Evelyn increasingly finds herself at the brunt of their criticism and dissatisfaction. Part memoir, part social history, Evelyn's remarkable journey takes us through her adolescence as an assistant in Woolworths in the swinging sixties, as a weaver in a mill in Yorkshire and her repeated attempts to run away. Throughout everything Evelyn's inexplicably troubled relationship with Jessie looms large, casting a shadow over her life, until the story's brilliant and emotional denouement. A poignant and ultimately uplifting memoir from the acclaimed author of EVELYN.

Genres: Ireland, Nonfiction

208 pages, Hardcover

First published July 15, 2004

Reviews

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good way to achieve closure and find out Jessie's story too

[Bronwyn Mcloughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insightful memoir of a childhood and adolescence overshadowed by family trials and personalities. A father who, despite having battled authorities to liberate his children from Irish Industrial Schools, couldn't look after them without losing his temper or neglecting them, a daughter who struggled to feel like she belonged, when grandparents were shunned, and their Irish roots rejected. A fraught relationship with an unwilling step mother. A mother who abandoned her small children, and started a new family without once caring about her first. Its a tragic story, not particularly uncommon I expect, but the daughter survives and thrives under her own strength, and achieves amazing success.

[Nelisiwe · Rating 3 out of 5]

A funny and profound dissection of the life of an Irish-immigrant girl who ends up growing up in Britain.An intriguing non-fictional family saga!

[Charlotte Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved how the story for Evelyn Doyle continues and how she emphasises that life after her fathers legal battle wasn't all rainbows and butterflies.

[Sue Flint · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing - both sad and inspiring. Well done Evelyn for overcoming adversary, forgiving, accepting, caring, loving.