Behind The Lines - Softcover

Holland, Isabelle

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0590451146 ISBN 13: 9780590451147

Publisher: Scholastic Inc., 1997

Synopsis

Angered when her brother is called to war in place of a wealthy man's son in 1863, Katie O'Farrell joins her Irish New York City community in protesting the war and witnesses the New York Draft Riots. Reprint.

About this title

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-10-Motherless Katie O'Farrell, 14, works as a live-in maid for the wealthy Lacey family in order to supplement the meager wages of her father and older brother, Brian. Reluctantly, she leaves her younger siblings at home, unsupervised. Ill at ease in this comfortable WASP environment, Katie is treated harshly for being Irish, Catholic, and poor. The year is 1863, and the government begins to conscript young men into the Union army, but allows the wealthy to purchase the services of alternates to fight in their stead for $300. When the Laceys decide to make Katie's brother the target for such an arrangement to save their son, she jeopardizes her job by conspiring to prevent her employers from contacting him; she further endangers herself when she hides a young black friend in the cellar of the Lacey home. Scene after scene of impending disasters and narrow escapes finally end when secrets are revealed and the girl finds allies in the rational Mr. Lacey and his sympathetic mother-in-law. Katie is a vibrant, well-developed character who carries this novel that is mostly populated by minimally drawn representations of the harsh adult world. Holland obviously cares deeply for her heroine and for historical accuracy, but the strain of trying to serve two masters adequately in limited space produces somewhat rushed and cluttered results. Still, the story is skillfully constructed, and the role of the Irish in the Civil War is brought to light. A painless way to fulfill a school assignment.
Margaret Cole, Oceanside Library, NY
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly

Centering on the 1863 New York City draft riots, this historical novel abounds with political, racial and moral conflicts--and protagonist Katie O'Farrell is conveniently at the fore of them all. Just before the 1863 New York City draft riots, Katie works as a kitchen maid for the Laceys, an American family of British heritage with a house on Washington Square Park. While she serves tea and cake to the upper crust, she supports her father and siblings, who live in crowded quarters on the Lower East Side with other recent Irish immigrants. When a draft is instituted for soldiers to fight in the Civil War and Christopher Lacey is obliged to register, his parents offer Katie's brother Brian $300 to take his place. Meanwhile, New York's Irish community, enraged by the draft, angry at the abolitionists and frustrated with their lowly status, begins to riot, looting shops and lynching blacks. Holland's ( The Journey Home ) prose is prone to cliche ("Katie stared back at Mr. Lacey, her blue eyes blazing") and the ending somewhat pat (Katie learns to see her black friend Jimmy as an individual who transcends his racial identity; Jimmy learns that not all Irish are the same), but the novel is well-researched and will appeal to those interested in this turbulent time. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0590451146
• ISBN 13: 9780590451147
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 208