Flight of the Doves by Walter Macken.

Setting/Themes

Flight of the doves is set in England and the West of Ireland. The themes explored in this book include love,trust,family,the law and adults not always being right.

Characters/Plot

The main characters in this book are Finn and Derval Dove,their cruel uncle Toby,Micheal the policeman and Moses the traveller.Their uncle Toby married their mother when Finn and Derval’s father died so when their mother died Toby was Finn and Derval’s legal guardian. On an April afternoon Finn decides to run away from his cruel uncle Toby to protect his sister Derval. Finn is a clever boy. He kept a diary when his mother died with memories inside from  their trip to Ireland. Finn and Derval are very brave to run away from home at such a young age. They crossed the sea, they slept in a farm and they even climbed misty mountains to reach their destination.  Michael the policeman is trying to arrest the children at first but then realises that the children made a good choice to run away from uncle Toby.  Moses the traveller thought Finn and Derval stole his donkey, but then realises that Finn and Derval ment no harm. Moses taught Finn and Derval how to beg which helped them to finish their journey. Having been pursued over two countries by their cruel uncle, strangers and the police, the two children eventually arrive at their destination which is their grandmothers beautiful home in the west of Ireland. However even then the childrens ordeal is not

over yet.............

Style of writing

The text combines dialogue and narrative.  The pace is slow to begin with but as the story progresses the chase begins to intensify and excitement builds.  The book is also very discriptive.

The writing allows you to see both the chidren’s perspective and the adults perspective.  When reading about Finn and Derval you get to see the story from their eyes.

My View

I would highly recommend this book. It was very enjoyable. It’s very good for children aged eleven and over. It made me think about how children need to be listened to more.

I was struck at how Finn and Derval’s determination and courage so impressed the policeman (Michael) that he helped the children to reach their grandmother’s home.

Even though their journey is full of hope and love, the love between Derval and Finn and their quest for their love of their grandmother, I did find it a little bit sad that they ever had to make that journey because of the cruelty of their uncle Toby.

　

By Rachael Gilson.