Across the Barricades: A Kevin and Sadie Story

Kevin and Sadie #2

by Joan Lingard

Across the Barricades is part of Joan Lingard's ground-breaking Kevin and Sadie series, the sequel to The Twelfth Day of July. Both books are part of The Originals from Penguin - iconic, outspoken, first.

Kevin and Sadie just want to be together, but it's not that simple. Things are bad in Belfast. Soldiers walk the streets and the city is divided. No Catholic boy and Protestant girl can go out together - not without dangerous consequences . . .

The Originals are the pioneers of fiction for young adults. From political awakening, war and unrequited love to addiction, teenage pregnancy and nuclear holocaust, The Originals confront big issues and articulate difficult truths. The collection includes: The Outsiders - S.E. Hinton, I Capture the Castle - Dodie Smith, Postcards from No Man's Land - Aidan Chambers, After the First Death - Robert Cormier, Dear Nobody - Berlie Doherty, The Endless Steppe - Esther Hautzig, Buddy - Nigel Hinton, Across the Barricades - Joan Lingard, The Twelfth Day of July - Joan Lingard, No Turning Back - Beverley Naidoo, Z for Zachariah - Richard C. O'Brien, The Wave - Morton Rhue, The Red Pony - John Steinbeck, The Pearl - John Steinbeck, Stone Cold - Robert Swindells.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Historical Fiction, School, Romance, Childrens, Ireland

ebook

First published January 1, 1972

About the author

Joan Lingard was born in Edinburgh, in the Old Town, but grew up in Belfast where she lived until she was 18. She attended Strandtown Primary and then got a scholarship into Bloomfied Collegiate. She has three daughters and five grandchildren, and now lives in Edinburgh with her Canadian husband.

Lingard has written novels for both adults and children. She is probably most famous for the teenage-aimed Kevin and Sadie series, which have sold over one million copies and have been reprinted many times since.

Her first novel Liam's Daughter was an adult-orientated novel published in 1963. Her first children's novel was The Twelfth Day of July (the first of the five Kevin and Sadie books) in 1970.

Lingard received the prestigious West German award the "Buxtehuder Bulle" in 1986 for Across the Barricades. Tug of War has also received great success: shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal 1989, The Federation of Children's Book Group Award 1989, runner up in the Lancashire Children's Book Club of the year 1990 and shortlisted for the Sheffield Book Award. In 1998, her book Tom and the Tree House won the Scottish Arts Council Children's Book Award. Her most recent novel, What to Do About Holly was released in August 2009.

Lingard was awarded an MBE in 1998 for services to children's literature.

Reviews

[Hilary · Rating 3 out of 5]

This fairly short book tells of two families, one Catholic and one Protestant. Sadie and Kevin fall in love but their different backgrounds mean that they are prevented from seeing each other safely. They meet secretly but they know this will lead to trouble.

This is an interesting look into life in Northern Ireland in the 70s when bombing, shooting and murder were commonplace, this story suggests that this was a nightly occurrence and nobody was safe.

The characters were good, although the book was so short I didn't feel I really got to know them, this is book 2 out of 5, perhaps 2 longer books would have worked better. The dialogue was good, I liked the banter between siblings and friends, it seemed authentic and was markedly different from the conversations between the children and parents.

I would like to read more books from this series.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

For anyone who wants to know what children of the 1980s read during their schoolyears, and loved, this book would be high on that list. The others?

Grinny
The Demon Headmaster
The Silver Sword
The Goalkeeper's Revenge
The Worst Witch (first three books)
The Asterix books (up to Magic Carpet)
The Machine Gunners
Virtually anything by Roald Dahl.

Most were published by Puffin. Someday, I hope someone calculates the impact their range had on Britain's youth. I doubt they will rate it as highly as it deserves.

[Aoife · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

The Kevin and Sadie’s series is based around two teenagers living in Belfast, Northern Ireland, during a time where there is great tension between the protestants and catholics living in the area, aka ‘The Troubles’. Kevin and Sadie used to be enemies but now at 17 and 18 years old, they meet again and end up falling in love at a time when no-one wants them to be together.

This is a book series I originally read as a child and I was really happy to see it up as an audiobook in my library’s e-services. It was fantastic getting back into the story and remembering the finer details of Kevin and Sadie’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ story that I had forgotten. This was narrated by Gerard Murphy who did a great job and I loved that he was also Northern Irish so everyone’s accents were correct, and I also find that accent to be extremely soothing and nice to listen to so bonus points. This is marketed as a series for children aged 10+ which I do find a bit odd as Kevin and Sadie are teenagers and the series does go on to explore their eventual marriage and family life but as a kid this didn’t bother me at all so I guess it was all okay then and all okay now.

This is a book that looks finely at the tensions during The Troubles - a time when a Catholic boy couldn’t walk out with a Protestant girl without getting beat up. Kevin and Sadie have to live with violence every single day and the reader is with them as their tolerance grows less and less with the way they’re forced to live and hide their relationship. Kevin has to work hard to not be forced into doing violent things he doesn’t want to do and not become involved with old schoolfriends being involved with the IRA, or IRA activities. Sadie’s father is in the Orange Order, and her own brother has to constantly explain to others why he himself doesn’t want to join up as he is also sick of violence.

I was sad near the end of the book as I had forgotten one of the things that did happen and it is quite heartbreaking. But I’m definitely going to reread the rest of the series as I had forgotten how much I loved it.

Note: This is technically the second book in the series but I actually think it can be read as the first, as the first is a bit of a prequel from when they were children and you more or less find out what happens in that one in Across the Barricades.

[Trish at Between My Lines · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every bit as good as I remembered. I love the troubled Belfast setting, the star crossed lovers and how real it all feels. Even after all these decades.

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I really enjoyed this book! This volume has a slightly more serious and tense topic, but I was happy when I read this.

[HorseyMaia1 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, i had to read it for school, it took me a while to get into it but by the second half i was addicted and couldn’t put it down. Plan on reading again soon

[Håkon Lillehagen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ble anbefalt av kollega som mulig bok å lese med elevene. Unner ikke en eneste tiktokavhengig 16-åring å lese det skvipet her

[Деница Райкова · Rating 5 out of 5]

Джоун Лингард - "През барикадите", изд. "Отечество" 1988, прев. Цвета Карагьозова

Една странна - и прекрасна - среща с книга, за която още не знам как да пиша. Нито как да я определя.
Споменавала съм как започна и през колко етапа премина моето "запознанство" с Ирландия. От буйните песни на "The Pogues", през по-кротките /донякъде/ drinking song.. до случайно откритите преди около година мелодични и въздействащи песни с чисто историческо и /или/ дори политическо съдържание. Песни, които ме накараха да започна да чета история на Ирландия. И когато вече знаех навярно повече, отколкото исках да знам, за събитията, първоначално предизвикали интереса ми, някой ми напомни за един призрак от миналото. А именно - за тази книга.
Защо казвам "призрак от миналото"? Защото тази книга е издадена в България преди 33 години, през 1988 - между другото, една много трагична за Северна Ирландия година. При това е издадена в поредица, която не ми беше непозната. "Библиотека Връстници" - наистина в нея излизаха най-вече книги от тогавашните соц-страни, в които не липсваше "идеологическа жилка", но въпреки това бяха добри истории, които помнех години след това. Но наистина най-вече книги от социалистически страни.
И... сред тях... тази книга.
Помня заглавието, но нямам спомен дали съм я чела навремето. Вероятно не - със сигурност щях да запомня, ако бях. Но когато ми попадна сега, нямаше как да не се запитам как тази книга е успяла да се "промъкне" сред всички тези социалистически романи.
Е, предстоеше ми да разбера. И се заех с четенето.
Нека кажа, че открих отговора. Ще се върна на това по-късно, но сега нека поговоря за самата книга и въздействието й върху мен.
Действието се развива в Белфаст в началото на 70-те години - съвсем скоро след началото на почти трийсетгодишния период между 1969 и 1998 г., известен като "Размириците" /"Проблемите", "Смута" - на различни места ще го срещнете под различни названия/ и представляващ всъщност необявена война. Периодът в книгата е времето, когато английската окупация е още в началото си, времето, когато дори ирландските деца са дръзки, а наскоро пристигналите английски войници - несигурни и уплашени. Времето, когато ирландците все още мисляг, че с улични битки могат да променят нещо...
А от другата страна са барикадите. От другата страна е религиозният конфликт между католици и протестанти. Разделението в училищата. Стените, разделящи квартала на католиците от този на протестантите. Палежите, враждите и кръвопролитията, за които на човек му е трудно да повярва, че стават в християнска страна, някакви си трийсетина години преди края на 20 в.
И насред всичко това, насред целия този ужас - една любов. Едва зараждаща се, още несигурна, още "трънлива".
И безкрайно "погрешна" и "забранена".
Между протестантка и католик.
На днешните млади читатели, които четат съвременна юношеска литература и тийнейджърски антиутопии, това може би няма да направи впечатление. Защото "любовни истории" има във всички тези книги. Но там, в съвременните книги, щастливият край е сигурен от самото начало. Не и "През барикадите", не и в историята на Сейди и Кевин. Защото тя се развива на фона на целия ужас на конфликта, и защото човек не знае кой му е приятел и кой- враг. Защото история, взета от живота, от тогавашната действителност. Защото се развива в един разкъсван от война град, в който вече почти няма стари сгради...
И за да подкрепя всичко дотук - ето само няколко реда, които накараха сърцето ми да се свие, макар от всички четени преди това материали да знаех, че това е всъщност много слабо описание:

" - Мисля, че железарската работа е точно за теб... да се мотаеш по улиците за вехтории.
- Днес улиците не са каквито бяха преди. Пък и ние не търсим такива боклуци, каквито има наоколо.
Боклуците по улиците: изгорели коли, автобуси, бронетранспортьори, изкъртени павета, рола бодлива тел за барикади. А по улиците патрулираха войници с пръст върху спусъка на автоматите, мъже и жени ги следяха подозрително с поглед, деца си играеха на война, ала понякога съвсем не си играеха."

Много пъти, докато четях тази тънка книга - по-малко от 150 страници - се питах кой я е определил като юношески роман. Защото аз отдавна съм минала тази възраст, а прочетох неща, които ме разстроиха дълбоко. Но може би тя е била предназначен�� за юношите от онова време... и онези малко след тях, за които това не е просто книжна история, а действителност. Може би са се видели в нея и са се познали...
Обещах да се върна към един въпрос а именно: какво може да е помогнало на тази книга да се "промъкне" в България. За мен всъщност отговорът е ясен - някой е видял в тази история още един шанс да се очерни "английският империализъм". И да покаже какво зло е религията и как разделя хората. Подобно тълкуване може би звучи елементарно и в никакъв случай не твърдя със сигурност, че това са били мотивите за издаването й тук. Каквито и да са обаче, аз се радвам, че тази книга я има. И че я прочетох, макар и късно. За мен тя се нарежда сред наистина въздействащите книги, които прочетох тази година, и тя ще има специално място в библиотеката ми.

[Ella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fin bok men tycker den sa mycket istället för att visa. Mycket ”hon var glad, han var besviken” osv. Och ganska tvärt slut kändes det som.

[Natalie M · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second in a series of books by Joan Lingard, set during The Troubles in Northern Ireland during the 1980’s. I’ve read both the play and the novel (rating the novel).
1) this reads like the first in the series and I’d highly recommend starting here. Book one, sets the political scene and introduces the characters.
2) it is very much a modern Romeo and Juliet. Bar a few less deaths. Tragedy still prevails.
3) honestly and beautifully written, realistic and relevant today.
4) the protagonists, Kevin (Catholic) and Sadie (Protestant) are written aptly for their ages.
Well worth reading particularly as tensions caused by religion and politics are sadly still an enduring theme.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

An easy and enjoyable read that allows you to transport yourself into northern ireland in the early 70's . The content will never age, religious/ racial intolerance, political unrest, freedom to make your own choices and romeo & juliet romance. I gave this book to my teen and she loves it as much as I did at her age. Sadi , Kevin and their families ignited my interest in Irish history, religion and language.

[HannaMikulska · Rating 1 out of 5]

worthless piece of literature:/ Absolute trash.

[Sennen Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

He said you look like a drowned rat and then he kissed her, that’s romance, baby!

[Alisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Läste den enbart på grund av Ms.Ericsson.

Den va inte Coleen Hoover dålig men den va inte bra heller. Den va mest tråkig asså jag väntade på att något skulle hända hela tiden

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this quite simply written and a bit flat but I think some teen readers would quite like that style. The action all takes place in 1970s Belfast, it is explained enough that even someone with no knowledge of the "Troubles" would understand what was going on.
It's a story of forbidden love across the two sides of a civil war, the characters are really likeable and appealing, and the love affair perfectly convincing. I enjoyed it!

[Julia]

I came across something else that reminded me of this book. I recall having to read it for an English class in Australia in the late 90s and finding it better than the average school-mandated book, and more interesting for having been set in Northern Ireland during the chaotic and dangerous 70s... still quite melodramatic though. I had no idea it was part of a series.

[Kirsty Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

An insight to life during the troubles in Ireland and how prejudices were ingrained into children from a young age.

[Jade Davenport · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was something my class and I read together in high school, I really enjoyed this book, although I don’t remember the ending.

[ruby ⭐ · Rating 3 out of 5]

very impactful and makes you realise the struggles of the troubles, however it felt slightly undermining in my opinion

[Esra · Rating 4 out of 5]

4-4.5*

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

News of the "Troubles" in Northern Ireland dominated my childhood and teen years, so I find it interesting that there aren't more books set in that time and place. I loved this book. It is actually the second book in the series, but you don't need to read the first book to understand the action in this one. The main characters were well rounded, the neighborhoods were filled with people on both sides of the Catholic/Protestant issue. The details were blunt without being graphic, making a good book for younger readers. I loved that the story presented not just the main divide, but also secondary issues that divided families as well as towns. This is a great introduction for preteens and older to terrorism and the IRA.

[Tilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

So tense, I think the most stressful book of the series, childish sectarian “pranks” they took part in are now turned into horribly violent reality by their old friends and neighbours. But it’s so lovely to see Kevin and Sadie coming together, despite how hard it is. I do think it would probably have put me off, but I suppose they are 16 and 17 so they’d don’t make the most sensible choices. But also I would risk a lot for Kevin, he’s officially dreamy.

Love Twinkle Blake, so sad about Mrs McConkey and I’ve always thought Bangor seemed like a great place to visit, this reread only confirmed it.

[Emilie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had to read this book for school in year 10, this may have tainted my experience of the book as I often dislike the books school has forced me to read. For me I found the teenagers to be unlikeable and very flat characters. I knew this book was based on Romeo and Juliet and was desperately waiting for them to die at the end just for something to happen that wasn’t pages of badly written Irish politics.

[Melainebooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

La claque ! Franchement, la littérature ado des années 70 est à des années lumières en avance par rapport à celle d’aujourd’hui et je remercie la collègue de m’avoir fait découvrir ce texte car, soyons franche, je ne l’aurais jamais lu de moi-même (préjugés sur la couverture).
Un récit poignant sur la fracture en Irlande de Nord sur fond d’amour impossible. Incroyable !!!!

Coup de cœur !

[Stok29 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite liked it! I had expected it to be a bit boring, and my friends didn't like it at all. but it surprised me how much I actually liked it!! :D

[Mica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for school. Review will come later

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tale that shows the truth in Irish history, told in an easy to read and visualise what's going on throughout the Troubles in the North of Ireland

[Josefine Olsson · Rating 1 out of 5]

New least favorite book
Absolute trash
“You look like a drowned rat” peak of romance

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this as a YA novel which gives a solid introduction to the historical context of 'The Troubles' in Northern Ireland. I loved how Lingard showed this conflict to be such a big part of everyday life and how it infiltrated into every part of a person's existence. Personally, i found this to be a fascinating glimpse into a culture I know so little about and was so different to my own life experiences. In fact, this short book has catapulted me into historical research of this time and has made me want to delve deeper into Irish literature which explores this time period more indepth.

It was clever how this book acted as a loose retelling of Romeo and Juliet. Cleverly, Lingard managed to show how these troubles influenced Kevin and Sadie's relationship and showed how this national conflict created conflict within their personal relationship (in a similar way that Malorie Blackman does in 'Noughts and Crosses'). I felt that this was one of the strongest aspects of the novel because it kept it realistic and demonstrated the true damage caused to everyday life in this time period.

The characterisation was strong throughout and i got a lot of pleasure from the realistically imperfect characters of Sadie, Kevin and their neighbourhood family and friends. I found the human interaction and conversations in the book satisfying because they portrayed how communication between people differs within relationships; Lingard managed to represent how people felt about each other organically through the strong dialogue.

I also liked the bittersweet ending because it showed how life is constructed of positives and negatives, whilst showing how life keeps going regardless of occurring tragedies. All in all, an important short book that I'm pleased to have read. It is a book that shows the strength of human resilience and love in tough times.

[Terry Lakins]

Across the Barricades is the next installment of the Kevin and Sadie series. This continues into their lives as this novel starts with a significant time skip from the first book. Taking place a few years later, our two leads are now teenagers and being older their relationship has evolved from friendship to romance. Unfortunately, the environment surrounding them has also evolved, with tensions turning into full blown war and old hostilities finding new ways to open wounds.

Even with young love, and the folly that comes with it, it becomes very clear that both of the protagonists are among the most levelheaded people in the story. They are quite forward thinking in spite of their different religious backgrounds and are very progressive for this time period. However, their respective communities are even less tolerant, and the danger from that is even more risky. In the first book they were children with no real understanding of danger and merely flirted with it. As teenagers they are only a streets length away from a beating, a bullet, or a bomb.

The bittersweet finale of this book truly paints the main villain of the story, which is the uncontrollable circumstances Kevin and Sadie just happen to be stuck in. While many characters in the story are quite antagonistic, and could even be villains in their own right, the environment is the true villain. Because of this harsh truth part of this ending feels frustratingly like a defeat, but it's also realistic and makes the most sense. There is a bit a hope as well, but you'll still have a heavy heart from how it plays out.