Varley O'Connor

In the 1800's a phenomenon among young girls was spreading across the Welsh countryside and this is the story of one of those girls. A fasting girl was a religious curiosity among he small town. A vicar and a struggling woman investigator/writer investigate whether this girl is truly a miracle. After a two week period, the truth is uncovered. I was really interested in reading this novel, but in the end it underwhelmed me. the writing was great, but the story seemed to revolve more around the investigator and her struggles with the story and her own family where I would have liked it to be told from the point of the fasting girl.… (altro)

The late 1860s were a tumultuous time in the history of Wales. The Welsh struggled to keep their national pride despite the encroachment of the British in all areas of life, including language and religion. Against this backdrop, a twelve year old girl, Sarah Jacob, became a powerful symbol of the traditional Welsh belief in the power of supernatural forces. She became known as the "Welsh Fasting Girl" because, as her family and throng of supporters alleged, she miraculously hadn't needed to eat in years. An investigative reporter, Christine, is sent by an American newspaper to report on "The Watching", the two-week event that was supposed to settle once and for all if Sarah was secretly being fed. Unfortunately, Sarah did not survive the ordeal. Her parents were brought up on changes of manslaughter.

The Welsh Fasting Girl is a literary novel based on the true story of Sarah Jacob. It covers much the same territory as Emma Donohue's more heavily fictionalized work, The Wonder. Some have tried to make a case that the-real life Sarah was an early sufferer of anorexia nervosa, but in Varley O'Connor's vivid retelling, she is a victim of child abuse, exacerbated by an uncaring medical establishment and enabling parents. I liked how the novel delved into the aftermath of Sarah's fast, but I wasn't as excited about the device of having Christine write letters to her deceased husband to move the narrative along. In general, however, I found this a moving look at a tragic situation. Highly recommended.… (altro)

The novel, The Welsh Fasting Girl, by Varley O'Connor, focuses on one of the more famous fasting girls, twelve-year-old Sarah Jacob of Wales. The year is 1869. Sarah Jacob claims that she has not eaten for two years. A local vicar, initially skeptical, is convinced that Sarah's claim is authentic and immediately notifies the press. News of the miraculous Welsh Fasting Girl spreads across the Atlantic Ocean, and American journalist Christine Thomas, a Civil War widow, is sent overseas to investigate. Once in Wales, Christine detects underlying nuances in the Jacob family's dynamics and suspects that there is more to Sarah's situation than meets the eye. ...more… (altro)