Donds offer

by Siobhan Dowd

Dit is het verhaal van Darra. Ze woont op een klein smaragdgroen eiland dat gegeseld wordt door woeste golven, en overgeleverd is aan de genade van de duistere god Dond. Darra zal als dertiende kind van haar moeder op haar dertiende verjaardag worden geofferd aan Dond. Ze kan zich geen slechter verjaardagscadeau voorstellen. Alleen de waarheid en een kus van een moeder kunnen haar bevrijden.

Deze angstaanjagende novelle over liefde, het lot en waarheid uit de nalatenschap van een gelauwerd auteur is een tijdloos verhaal om te koesteren.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Childrens, Middle Grade, Historical, Graphic Novels, Mythology

48 pages, Hardcover

First published November 7, 2013

About the author

Siobhan Dowd was born to Irish parents and brought up in London. She spent much of her youth visiting the family cottage in Aglish, County Waterford and later the family home in Wicklow Town.

She attended a Catholic grammar school in south London and then gained a degree in Classics at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University. After a short stint in publishing, she joined the writer's organization PEN, initially as a researcher for its Writers in Prison Committee.

She went on to be Program Director of PEN American Center's Freedom-to-Write Committee in New York City. Her work here included founding and leading the Rushdie Defense Committee USA and traveling to Indonesia and Guatemala to investigate local human rights conditions for writers. During her seven-year spell in New York, Siobhan was named one of the "top 100 Irish-Americans" by Irish-America Magazine and AerLingus, for her global anti-censorship work.

On her return to the UK, Siobhan co-founded English PEN's readers and writers programme, which takes authors into schools in socially deprived areas, as well as prisons, young offender's institutions and community projects.

During 2004, Siobhan served as Deputy Commissioner for Children's Rights in Oxfordshire, working with local government to ensure that statutory services affecting children's lives conform with UN protocols.
Siobhan has an MA with Distinction in Gender and Ethnic Studies at Greenwich University, has authored short stories, columns and articles, and edited two anthologies.

In May 2007, Siobhan was named one of "25 authors of the future" by Waterstones Books as part of the latter's 25th anniversary celebrations.

Siobhan died on 21st August 2007 aged 47. She had been receiving treatment for advanced breast cancer for 3 years, and did not go gentle into that good night.

Reviews

[Xueting · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful folk/mythical tale!

[Smarty · Rating 4 out of 5]

E' sicuramente una favola per bambini, da leggere prima di addormentarsi tutta d'un fiato, ma penso che meriti l'attenzione degli adulti. Non so precisamente definire cosa mi abbia colpito a livello emotivo, ma con poche parole e descrizioni brevissime sono comunque riuscita a immaginare il mondo di Innascaul e a immedesimarmi nella piccola Darra. Ho chiuso l'ultima pagina del libro con un nodo alla gola ripensando alla mia infanzia, ricca di storie come questa, con una dolce nostalgia. Il volume è corredato di molti disegni dalle tonalità marroni, blu e grigie.

[Willemijn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Klein, maar fijn! :)

[Phoebe Ledster · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful book! It’s short and very easy to read. It entices you in and keeps you guessing- a wonderful read!

[John Naylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this author's biography and I should have been aware of her work. Not just her novels but also her fights against censorship and her community activities. She fought for what should be given as a right. Her death in 2007 robbed the world of a voice that was doing something worthwhile.

This book is a fable and mythology piece set on the coast of Ireland. It tells of a girl who is expected to die for her village. It is the fight against injustice told in a simplistic style with some very peaceful and appropriate illustrations. I read it after my grandfather's funeral and some of it hit home in my emotional state.

Love is the theme of the book. There are people who will exploit love and try to hurt others by it. There are also people who will fight for love and to keep those they love safe at any cost.

This book would be suitable to be read to a child from the age of about 5 up.

[Milla Scrive · Rating 5 out of 5]

La scrittura ha qualcosa di speciale, indirizzata ad un pubblico giovane in realtà è capace di dare emozioni a tutti, non ti lascia indifferente. La storia è dolce e triste, ma di una tristezza che ti fa crescere anche se credi di non averne bisogno: scrittura che evoca un passato mitico, c'è una profezia che incombe su Dond e che costringerà a delle riflessioni molto dolorose su cosa sia l'amore.

Stile molto evocativo, con poche parole riesce a creare delle sensazioni molto intense. Consiglio assolutamente per avere qualcosa che smuove all'interno.

[Ben Trevail · Rating 4 out of 5]

After recently reading A Monster Calls, I was intrigued when I spotted this in a local charity shop having not read any of Dowd's books. This is a short 80 page story myth based on a ransom a village has to pay to appease Dond - dark God of the Underworld. The ransom is that any thirteenth born child to a woman must be sacrificed. It's beautifully told and the illustrations by Pam Smy are a perfect match. A very enjoyable read.

[Antonia · Rating 3 out of 5]

En väldigt speciell och mystisk bok!
Den utspelar sig för länge sen och egentligen får vi inte veta eller förstå så mycket. Den handlar dock om Darra. Darra ska fylla 13 år imorgon och då vet hon att hon ska offras till guden Dond för att byn där hon bor ska få leva lyckligt i 13 år till. För som det står skrivet i de gamla skrifterna, det 13 barnet skall på sitt 13 år offras till havet.
Det är otroligt vackra bilder och ett poetiskt språk så nu vill jag verkligen läsa mer av Siobhan Dowd.

[Joost · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mijn recensie kan je hier lezen: http://nerdygeekyfanboy.com/recensie/...

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nadat ik verscheidene, zeer goede recensies voorbij had zien komen, besloot ik dit boekje toch ook maar gauw bij de bibliotheek te halen.

Dit dunne boekje gaat over Darra. zij is geboren als 13e kind van haar moeder, waardoor er een vloek op haar rust. Darra moet op haar 13e verjaardag geofferd worden aan Dond, om er voor te zorgen dat haar dorp 13 jaren geluk krijgt. Zo niet, zal er een storm over het dorp razen.

Het verhaal leest heel vlot. Darra is een lief karakter, waar je al snel medelijden mee hebt. Het zal je maar gebeuren, dat je je hele leven al wacht op de dag waarop het hele dorp zal uitlopen om jou te zien verdrinken. Toch vond ik het verhaal te onrealistisch. Welke moeder zou niet tegen het lot van haar kind protesteren? Hoe kan een dorp hiermee instemmen? Ook het idee van die goden vond ik maar niks. Het verhaal sprak me gewoon niet echt aan, evenals de schrijfstijl. De ontknoping vond ik interessant, maar zeer voorspelbaar. Uiteindelijk was het dus een boekje wat je heeel snel tussendoor kunt lezen (half uurtje), maar het was gewoon niks voor mij..

[lee_readsbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

When most readers hear the name 'Siobhan Dowd' no doubt they think of 'A Monster Calls' by Patrick Ness. Dowd is actually an extremely famous Irish - American who has written and published many short folk stories, her last idea for a story was A Monster Calls but she sadly died of cancer in 2007. Purchasing one of her books will not only add to your great collection but all the royalties from the purchase go to Siobhan Dowd Trust, for more info check out the website.

[Christina Reid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Atmospheric story that reads like a folktale. Barra is the 13th child in her family and will therefore become a sacrifice on her 13th birthday. Lovely illustrations and an engaging story, although the ending was rather abrupt.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully written story and one I didn't think I'd like as much as I did! The story is a myth about a girl who will be sacrificed by the dark God Dond on her thirteenth birthday for being the thirteenth child born to her mother. Despite the wrong her mother has done for keeping a secret that Darra's twin brother was infact the thirteenth child, we see at the end of the story the mother makes a sacrifice to save both her children. The themes of love, relationships and sacrifice were very powerful within the story, with beautiful illustrations that followed throughout- I particularly liked how at certain points of the story there would be a double paged spread of illustrations to allow the reader to capture where and what the characters were doing. Also, to indicate to the reader the story would be moving on.

[Eli Mwalimu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Siobhan took me from the very first page, all the way to the last. I couldn't believe it when the story suddenly came to a close. Pam's beautiful art was breathtaking and complemented Dowd's fluent, clear, simple masterpiece perfectly. This is officially the second book I have read in one seating, but I wish it had been the first. Dowd's weaving of love and death, grief and hope, sacrifice and cruelty are quite masterful. I am truly in awe. This is what writing is truly about, reeling you in and leaving you breathless in the end. I have found my new favorite. It is sad to see you gone Dowd, but I thank you for leaving behind such a lovely piece of your mind. May it's magic be felt forever.

[lucky little cat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Moody, spare folk tale of earliest Ireland. But it's hard to say who would be the intended audience. Editions without the illustrations run just 48 pages, short even for a YA novella. The illustrated editions feature *very* large print that seems aimed at young children, but the majin plot point of human sacrifice by drowning) seems pretty harsh for kiddos.

I do like how this particular illustration seems to reimagine Botticelli's Birth of Venus as a mater dolorosa

[Simran Kalsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ransom of Dond is about Karma. Its about the greatest law of "cause and effect". Good causes always get their due in the form of good fortune and victory and truth(like the mighty Sun) never fails to shine! Its a very nice story and gives you hope! Evil cannot win forever. And there is light at the end of that tunnel. Its a nice one time read.

[thatslullaby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un libro breve ma intenso, che ha saputo emozionarmi come pochi.
Consigliato a tutti coloro che hanno amato A Monster Calls e vogliono conoscere meglio l’autrice che sta dietro la sua idea di base: ne vale la pena.

[Amaranth Chevalier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un libricino prezioso, con illustrazioni bellissime, una favola che sembra semplice ma non lo è...

Recensione completa su La Bella e il cavaliere

[Davide Sarti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una storia dal sapore antico, che profuma di mito e parla di crudeltà e sopravvivenza. Nella sua brevità è estremamente scorrevole e avvincente. Forse avrei apprezzato se l'autrice si fosse soffermata più a lungo sui personaggi, facendoci riconoscere maggiormente in loro.

[Petroaie Joselyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ho amato le immagini ed il significato attribuito a questo libro, perché é andato oltre i concetti che voleva esprimare attraverso le paroleareivando dritto al cuore, un libro semplice e molto scorrevole da leggere in meno di un'ora.

[Charlotte Latham · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book with striking illustrations full of the atmosphere of the legends of Ireland.

[Graziano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rinascerai sotto forma di un pesce, di un gabbiano o di una stella, o forse di tutti e tre.(pagina 6)

[Gregg · Rating 3 out of 5]

A wonderful little legend.

[Nicholas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great myth story.

[Ilaria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Storia bellissima non ho altro da dire va letto!

[Clare · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this!

[Jane Wilson-Howarth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous and moving folk tale superbly illustrated by the talented Pam Smy. Very enjoyable.

[Deborah Kirkham · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very atmospheric children's book with beautiful illustrations. It feels like a historical fable.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

beautiful illustrations