This is a novel about the history of several generations of the same family. As in all such works, it contains drama, comedy, and elements of a love story. For those who want to know more, we present a brief summary. “Singing in the Blackthorn” consists of seven parts, each of which focuses on one hero, considering events, through the prism of his feelings and emotions.
A family
The story in the novel begins in 1915, and covers more than half a century. During this time, the main characters - the Cleary family - have come a long and difficult way from the not having a corner New Zealand poor to the owners of a huge estate in Australia. To emphasize the changes in the main characters, the writer broke the text of the book “Singing in Blackthorn” into several parts. The summary of each of them is a characteristic not only of the characters, but also of the length of time in which they live.
First part
In the first chapter, we get acquainted with the smallest member of the Cleary family - Maggie, who appears before the readers of a four-year-old baby. The narration of this part covers the interval from 1915 to 1917, and shows the life of a large New Zealand family. The mother of the Fiona family is constantly at work, her children, for the most part, are raised by nuns in severity and humility. Of course, this situation often causes problems. The eldest son rebels against such a life and further complicates the situation. However, a letter from her aunt radically changes their lives. The whole family moves to Australia, at Drohead's estate. This ends the first part of McCullough’s novel “Singing in Blackthorn”. The summary allows the reader to understand how poor Cleary was, what position they held in society, and why, without hesitation, they agreed to move.
Part Two (1918-1928)
A new character appears on the scene - Ralph de Brikassard, who immediately draws attention to Maggie and they respond to him the same. But due to the rules of the Catholic Church, Priest Ralph cannot tie the knot. To avoid the temptation, he leaves for Europe as soon as he receives the rank of Bishop. This is described in this part of Colin McCullough's novel “Singing in Blackthorn”. The summary reflects the main problem of all subsequent sections: forbidden relationships.
Part Three (1929-1932)
There is a big fire in the estate, which takes the lives of the head of the family and one of the sons. This sad event brings together the remaining relatives. To support Maggie in her grief, Ralph returns to Australia. But immediately after the funeral, he leaves without attracting attention.
Part Four (1933-1938)
In the process of rebuilding the house, many workers come to Drohead. One of them, Luke O'Neill, begins to look after the younger daughter of the Cleary family, and she reciprocates and marries him. Soon, Justin's daughter is born to the couple, but the father does not want to see her. Luke takes a job as a reed cutter and is absent for a long time at home. Appearing at a convenient moment, Ralph resumes his relationship with Maggie, despite her marriage. They spend some time together, but then the affairs of the church again call him to Rome. Lonely and pregnant, the girl returns to Drohead.
Part Five (1938-1953)
The events of World War II affect the characters of the novel "Singing in Blackthorn". A summary of this part tells us that Maggie had a son, whom she named Dan. After some time, Cardinal Ralph returned to Drohead, not suspecting that he had a child. At this time, the Maggie brothers are taken to the front, and they will not return home.
Part Six (1954-1965)
The children grew up and went their own way. Justin's daughter went to London to become an actress, and Dan decides to connect his life with the church. Maggie resists this, but ultimately surrenders and lets her son go to Rome. Unfortunately, immediately after passing the rite, the young man dies in an attempt to save two women from the water. Ralph learns about his son too late. He decides on the return of the guy’s body to his homeland.
Part Seven (1965-1969)
Justin is worried about her brother’s death and goes headlong to work. After some time, she gets married, which she informs her mother in a letter. In addition, she decides to never have children. And considering that all the other members of the family died, this is the end of the Cleary family. This ends the novel “Singing in Blackthorn”. The summary of the last part shows the reader how much the war has changed the outlook on life among the younger generation, made them both more cheerful and independent.
After the book was published, it was filmed, but the author did not like the movie version at all. She called her monstrous. “Singing in Blackthorns” is a novel whose summary cannot be conveyed in several voluminous sentences. Each part requires full analysis and analysis.