It is 1936 and harvest time in County Donegal. In a house just outside the village of Ballybeg live the five Mundy sisters, barely making ends meet, their ages ranging from twenty-six up to forty. The two male members of the household are brother Jack, a missionary priest, repatriated from Africa by his superiors after twenty-five years, and the seven-year-old child of the youngest sister. In depicting two days in the life of this menage, Brian Friel evokes not simply the interior landscape of a group of human beings trapped in their domestic situation, but the wider landscape, interior and exterior, Christian and pagan, of which they are nonetheless a part.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - verry good
It was in verry good shape, and the shipping time was OK.
Rating: - "Dancing...the very heart of life and all its hopes."
Set in Donegal in 1936, during Ireland's change from an agrarian to a more industrial economy, Brian Friel's haunting ensemble drama of five sisters and their priest brother reveals the economic, social, and religious pressures in the rural community of Ballybeg on the eve of the harvest festival of Lughnasa. Forty-ish Kate, who sees herself "in charge," is the only real wage earner in the family. Rigid, severe, and completely lacking in humor, she believes pagan celebrations, such as Lughnasa, ... Read More
Rating: - interesting
This is the story of the summer of 1936 and a family of a poor irish family making there way through it. Michael is the main character/ narrator of the work and the play is really his memory of that summer.
The story centers around five sisters, Michael, Michael's father, Gerry and their recently returned brother, father Jack. The play begins as Jack returns from spending 25 years in Africa. Soon after his return Michael's father, Gerry returns unexpectedly. The play then proceeds to play ... Read More
Rating: - A Hidden Treasure
A few years ago, my drama instructor suggested that this play should be performed. No one had ever heard of it before, but after listening to a brief summary, everyone was practicing their Irish accents. Through sheer luck, I was cast in the play (as Christina)and today I still cannot put the script down, it is that good. The cast size and setting is extremely small, which in this is case works really well because each character is so complex that any additional clutter would take away from the overall ... Read More
Rating: - Short and Sweet
I had to read this for a theatre class, and it turns out that I loved it. It's a glimpse into a life we wouldn't normally know, and Brian Freil gives us the opportunity to embrace these characters. If you're looking to deepen the meaning of your life, start with learning and experience something new. Try this.
- verry good
- interesting
