Friend or Foe is set in Dublin in the 1916 Easter Rising. The main characters are Emer Davey and Jack Madigan both of whose families are on different sides, Emer’s family being on the side of the Volunteers, and Jack’s family being on the side of the law. The minor characters in the story are Gladys, Joan, Ben, Gerry, Phelim, Emer’s parents and Jack’s parents.
The story takes place in Dublin and throughout the story, we visit many places with the characters such as Emer’s school, Jack’s school, the Davey house, the Madigan house, Gerry’s uncle’s house and many others. Each of these places have a special part in the story where important scenes take place. The key points in the story would be Emer saving Jack, Jack fighting Phelim, Emer and her friends going to her uncle’s house, Emer escaping off the train and finally, the battle. Each of the main scenes in the book gave me excitement and I wanted to read more.
I think this book’s genre is historical fiction and dramatic action, because it was set in the past, with fictional characters facing dramatic changes in their normal lives such as the fighting and action of the battle. I would rate this book 8 out of 10 stars and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I would recommend this book to anyone second class and above, or anyone who loves historical fiction books. After reading this book, I’ve learned quite a lot about the Easter Rising and I now would like to read other books of Brian Gallagher.
By James (12) St Ibars N.S. Clohamon, Bunclody, Co Wexford
