The House Where It Happened
Page 38
My loyal and talented writing friends living ‘near-hand’ (as Ellen would say) – who go for walks and drink coffee with me, and keep me motivated to persevere with the storytelling.
David Collins of Samson Films for believing there might be something to this yarn of mine.
The Princess Grace Irish Library in Monaco, where I was fortunate enough to spend a month as writer-in-residence – lending space and distance to work on the project. Those associated with the library were welcoming and accommodating, and I remember my stay with affection.
Discussion Topics for Book Clubs
1. This story is told through the perspective of Ellen, a female servant. Why do you think the author chose Ellen to be her narrator?
2. How would the story have differed if told through the eyes of:
Mary Dunbar
Isabel Haltridge
One of the women accused of being a witch
One of the ministers
Constable Blan, the witchfinder
Frazer Bell
3. Is this a traditional ‘haunted house’ narrative?
4. Does the fact that the story is based on true events influence your reading of it? If so why?
5. Hamilton Lock is a fictional character (though the actions the author attributes to him during the Magee massacre are documented facts). Why do you think the author has created this character?
6. What factors appeared to influence Mary Dunbar when she began making her accusations?
7. What does the use of dialect contribute to the story?
8. What do you make of the fact that a woman is accusing other women of witchcraft?
9. Discuss the handling of the Ulster-Scots versus the native Irish in the story.
10. How does the Islandmagee community self-regulate (i.e. enforce or uphold its own rules and laws without external intervention) and why?
11. Discuss the importance of the following elements in the plot:
Land ownership
Memory
Superstition and legend
12. Discuss the public entertainment element of the Islandmagee witchcraft trial.
13. What do you think happened to Mary Dunbar after she left Islandmagee?
14. Do you think the author intends us to feel any sympathy for Mary Dunbar?
15. Is there anything quintessentially Irish about the story or is it universal?
Also By Martina Devlin
Welcome to Sisterland. A world ruled by women. A world designed to be perfect.
Here, women and men are kept separate. Women lead highly controlled and suffocating lives, while men are subordinate – used for labour and breeding.
Sisterland’s leaders have been watching Constance and recognise that she’s special. Selected to reproduce, she finds herself alone with a man for the first time. But the mate chosen for her isn’t what she expected – and she begins to see a darker side to Sisterland.
Constance’s misgivings about the regime mount. Is she the only one who questions this unequal society, or are there other doubters?
Set in the near future, About Sisterland is a searing, original novel which explores the devastating effects of extremism.
Read About Sisterland Now
A group of people meet on one of the Titanic's lifeboats, saved from death by random chance. These survivors, from different nationalities and walks of life, have only one factor in common: all have survived a tragedy that captures the world’s imagination. This thread binds them together when they are rescued and taken to New York.
Two of the survivors are Irish emigrants hoping to make a new life for themselves. Both have a secret: one is carrying a baby and the other has buried a baby.
Also on board is a beautiful American girl who has scaled New York society to marry the heir to a hotel fortune. But her gilded life is threatened when he drowns. Then there is the French gentleman’s secretary with ambitions to better himself, a US Cavalry officer convinced his dead wife intervened to rescue him, and an English teacher plucked from the sea by the Irish girls.
Certainties have been shattered and life in the Titanic’s wake can never be the same again…
Read Ship of Dreams Now
One lesson Kitty Kennedy has taken from her two marriages is that not all men and women are meant to live together . . . forever.
Alone again on New Year's Day, Kitty is inspired with the ideal New Year's resolution - to become somebody's mistress. Except finding the right candidate proves trickier than she expects.
Sunny, Kitty's sister, always makes sure she never spends New Year alone. But men are only a diversion while the actress pursues her real goal, a Hollywood career.
Kitty's best friend Rose thought love was a foregone conclusion until her fiancé realised he couldn't devote his life to her. Or to any woman. Rose longs to risk loving once more when she meets a younger man . . . but fear is holding her back.
For Kitty, Sunny and Rose, giving in to temptation may be their only chance of paradise.
Read Temptaion Now
Ward River Press
Novels that demand to be read,
not just talked about!
now available
Ruby’s Tuesday by Gillian Binchy
The Friday Tree by Sophia Hillan
Sing Me to Sleep by Helen Moorhouse
The Last Goodbye by Caroline Finnerty
Levi’s Gift by Jennifer Burke
Into the Night Sky by Caroline Finnerty
Kingdom of Scars by Eoin Macken
Find More Poolbeg Titles
Available on Kindle