The writing is beautiful,poetic at times with realistically drawn characters who live in your mind long after you put down the book. I don't know if I can even articulate how this book affected me. A deep read. Also 2 collection sof short stories, NIGHT DRIVING (Macmillan) and TRAVELING LIGHT (Astoria). Fergus is exposed to hardship beyond his expectations, and violence that he finds shocking but necessary for his own survival. The story is told with a gritty realism that displaces the romanticism that pervades other immigrant tales with a grim appreciation for the desperation, suffering and perseverance that the Irish emigrants must have experienced. I have read a lot of Ireland to America stories and some are better than others, but this is the best! It’s a book about a wild boy alone in a wild country and I couldn’t put it down. One of the reviewers said that they wished they cared more about the main character. I really loved this book! I don't know if I can even articulate how this book affected me. Some people love books. Rambling story, intersting historical bit, Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2014. Peter Behrens's first novel, The Law of Dreams, won the Governor General’s Award, Canada’s most prestigious book prize, and has been published in nine languages. Law: The Director Of Dreams It tears down obstacles and opens the door between dreams and reality. Not exactly a happy read, it was still redeeming in content and worth the time. Shares 2. I wanted to hear more about the main character's life once he made it to Canada, but the tale of his journey was still a captivating read. The Law of Dreams (Steerforth) by Peter Behrens tells of a young man's Homeric passage from innocence to experience during the Irish Famine of 1847. Initailly it has a poetic dreamy feel but after awhile it becomes. He went from being the son of a tenant farmer to becoming a homeless and orphaned young man trying to survive. If you create and use your Board with intention, it really can open the gateway to turning your dreams into reality. THE 8 LAWS Law one: The Law of Dreams – A leader must direct followers to a desirable objective. An un-named Irish boy travels from Ireland to England to Wales and on, witnessing pain and suffering in a way that hasn't been written before. And if this novel is an accurate portrayment of Ireland/England in the 19th century: boy am I glad I was born in the 21st! We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. The book seems to start in the middle of the story, ramble along in odd directions, and then end abruptly. The story seems to be very authentic from a historical perspective, and is very well written. Also, that unless the Famine is part of an individual's personal, family consciousness, much of what is remembered is distilled facts of distant history, despite the staggeringly epic consequences of this tragedy. The Law of Dreams follows Fergus O'Brien from Ireland to Liverpool and Wales during the Great Potato Famine of 1847, and then beyond -- to a harrowing Atlantic crossing to Montreal. The focus explains the science behind manifestation which skeptics will love. The Law of Dreams (Steerforth) by Peter Behrens tells of a young man's Homeric passage from innocence to experience during the Irish Famine of 1847. Step 4. A rough and graphic novel, but nevertheless an effortless and good read. And some people love books about falling in love. Imagine that you’re a tenant farmer. It all seemed too facile. "The Law of Dreams tells the story of a young man's Homeric passage from innocence to experience during the height of the Great Famine in Ireland, in 1847." It is beautifully written and I couldn't put it down. I thought for a while there that I would really enjoy this book, but after a while I got quite bored. Published in 2006 by House of Anansi Press , it was the recipient of that year's Governor General's Award for English language fiction. Full of language and angst. No matter whom you are, a student, a doctor, an entrepreneur, the President of a country, or a housewife, you will make dreams once in awhile in your sleep. Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2007. Set during the great potato famine in Ireland, the story follows a boy named Fergus as he watches the simple world he knew of mountains, fields, and cattle in County Clare crumble and die in the face of the terrible blight. Horrible things happen, but he's always just an observer. He is betrayed by people he trusts and learns to rely on his wits and his determination as. Peter Behrens. Returned items are quarantined and may show in your account for at least a week after being returned. [a] masterly novel.”. Which was, in fact, Canada. However, I'm glad I stuck with it, what a good find! "Law of Dreams" recounts the odyssey of a young Irish boy, driven from his home by the horrors of the Famine and the injustices of British rule, left to survive amidst the growing chaos and anarchy of Famine-era Ireland, forced to weather the hardships and violence of Liverpool and Wales at the peak of the industrial revolution, before facing the interminable passage to the New World aboard a typhus-infested ship. A great telling of a horrible tale, and another great story about the ability of the human soul to overcome anything. On the way, Fergus loses his family, discovers a teeming world beyond the hill farm where he was born, and experiences three great loves. Very good novel. Incredible journey from boyhood and a patch of land in Ireland, to manhood and the new world, and the places and people in between. It’s easily the most intense historical novel I’ve ever read. The Law of Dreams is a historical fiction novel about the Irish potato famine by Canadian author Peter Behrens. The Law of Dreams by Peter Behrens 1,969 ratings, 3.82 average rating, 293 reviews The Law of Dreams Quotes Showing 1-6 of 6 “Sooner or later everyone disguises themselves and where they have been and what they have done.” Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. Set during the great potato famine in Ireland, the story follows a boy named Fergus as he watches the simple world he knew of mountains, fields, and cattle in County Clare crumble and die in the face of the terrible blight. Peter Behrens is a phenomenal artist whose imagination and memory honors the lives of millions of the Irish victims (including his Great Grandparents) who suffered under English domination, injustice, and cruelty for centuries. My sister-in-law’s husband received this as a gift for Christmas, and when I read the fly-leaf I couldn’t figure out how it had slipped beneath my radar. These items are shipped from and sold by different sellers. by Steerforth. Get this from a library! [Peter Behrens] -- The story follows Fergus O'Brien from Ireland to Liverpool and Wales during the Great Potato Famine of 1847, and then beyond -- to a harrowing Atlantic crossing to Montreal. The novel follows the young Fergus O'Brien, who lives and works with his tenant family on a potato farm in Ireland. This book was intersting, captivating, and historically interesting. Still worth a look, but not the best I've read on this topic. About The Law of Dreams. The Law of Dreams follows Fergus O'Brien from Ireland to Liverpool and Wales during the Great Potato Famine of 1847, and then beyond -- to a harrowing Atlantic crossing to Montreal. Critic Reviews Manifesting (and also the law of attraction) is not some woo-woo concept that magically brings all your dreams into your life. The Law of Dreams tells the story of a young man's epic passage from innocence to experience during The Great Famine in Ireland of 1847. There was a problem loading your book clubs. Peter Behrens. Towns suggest that when people buy into your dreams, they buy into your leadership. The author does a wonderful job of capturing the human experience during traumatic times, and really cuts to the heart of what it means to survive, and what it is that keeps you going. You’re young, never been to school, never owned a decent pair of shoes. Driven from the only home he has known during Ireland’s Great Hunger of 1847, Fergus O’Brien makes the harrowing journey from County Clare to America, traveling with bold girls, pearl boys, navvies, and highwaymen. This is exactly the sort of book I look for. The novel is so clearly written with such emotion that the reader feels every part of Fergus as he makes his journey in life. Young Fergus O'Brien is turned out from the only home he'd ever known when his tenant-family is brutally burned in their beds by the landlord. 3 star book to me as the writing style is so choppy and terse. More like one of those books that English teachers love. The Law of Dreams won the Governor General's Award in 2006, and deserves that and all the other honours that came its way. He moves his young Irish lad from the horrors of the potato famine through a series of encounters in Liverpool, on board ship for Canada and in Montreal with enormous skill. What separates Behrens’ effort from the rest is the poignancy and sensitivity of his story and the development of his characters. [Peter Behrens] -- 'Life burns hot', 15-year-old Fergus O'Brien's mother tells him in the summer of 1846. Because they have limiting beliefs about themselves and the world. Peter Behrens 's first novel, The Law of Dreams, won the Governor General’s Award, Canada’s most prestigious book prize, and has been published in nine languages. The law of dreams : a novel. I am only about half way through this book but it is horribly sad and just does not seem to have a ray of light in it. It tears down obstacles and opens the door between dreams and reality. About the Author. Behrens held a prestigious Stegner Fellowship at Stanford University. The impetus for this story is the Irish potato famine which caused the poorest of the poor to leave Ireland. This had the potential to be a great book, albeit somewhat cliched - it's about a young boy who loses his entire family during the Irish Famine and ends up in Canada, via an Irish workhouse, an almost stint as a male prostitute in Liverpool, a railroad navvy in Wales and a rough passage across the Atlantic in a coffin ship - but it ended up as a merely average. . We are talking wealth, health, love and success beyond your wildest dreams. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. Your dreams provide a wonderful prompt to work on overcoming resistance to change. At first I really liked the distant, slightly dreamy, introspective nature of the author's writing, but it quickly got repetitive. Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2012. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 12, 2017. I give it four instead of five stars because I'm not a fan of the terse Hemingway-esque prose with which Behrens tells the story, but it is a great portrait of Ireland during the Famine and the unbelievably brutal, disorganized an unjust experience of emigrating to the US in the 19th century. The human power to bring about electricity is how you can harness the force of the law of attraction to give rise and magnetize your dreams and ideals. This is a magnificant novel, vividly imagined, superbly executed. Start by marking “The Law of Dreams” as Want to Read: Error rating book. I felt the main character managed to slip through things just a bit too easily. It’s a historical novel about the famine in 1846, but it feels lived. On his odyssey through Ireland and Britain, and across the Atlantic to “the Boston states,” Fergus is initiated to violence, sexual heat, and the glories and dangers of the industrial revolution. When I was finished, I felt like I had had a glimpse of what my Irish ancestors may have experienced on their immigration to Canada in the 1830s. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. I didn't know whether or not I'd like this book when I bought it, but it turned out to be really good! It is important that you understand exactly how you manifest your reality before you can “order” your big dreams. THis is an Odyssey-like tale of a young Irish man left orphaned and homeless by the famine. In many cases, we stay in our comfort zone to avoid frightening change, but we also limit our growth. Peter Behrens transports the reader to another time and place for a resonant, unforgettable experience. What you wanted kept you going. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. [Peter Behrens] -- 'Life burns hot', 15-year-old Fergus O'Brien's mother tells him in the summer of 1846. 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