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There are currently 19 member reviews
for The Walking People
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Sylvia G. (Scottsdale, AZ)
Worth a Walk
I love debut novels and The Walking People didn't disappoint. With good storytelling and lyrical writing, Keane tells the story of an Irish family from 1956 to the present. The characters in this novel are so well fleshed out and both very real and appealing. If I had to quibble with anything, I would say the ending seemed a little forced and a bit out of focus compared to the rest of the book. A good read and I look forward to Keane's next book.
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Andrea S. (Lafayette, IN)
The Walking People
The Walking People is an interesting look at the life of one Irish immigrant family from the mid twentieth century - both in Ireland and America. I found the parts about travelers - what we would call gypsies - and the life on Ireland's west coast very interesting. The characters were interesting and I thought the writing was good.
I wanted to like this book more than I did. I am a fan of other novels about Irish family life, but this one did not grab my attention from the start. I did become very interested in it about halfway through, and read almost nonstop till the end. The end was disappointing - it just ended. It didn't feel like the end of the story. I thought there were more chapters, but there were not!
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Jennifer W. (Mamaroneck, NY)
The Walking People
I'd like to be able to give this book a more wholehearted recommendation because i think Ms. Keane really can write, however, i cannot do so based upon this version of the novel. There is a very good book struggling to get out--and you feel it when she writes of the Irish countryside and the lives of country people and tinkers-- there were moments when i was transported and could feel the damp walls of the cottages. Sadly, the New York portion exploring Irish immigrants to the new world struggles underneath the weight of the author's verbosity. The characters are smothered before they truly come to life. It is perhaps still worth a read because i think Ms. Keane is talented but be prepared to meander.
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Laura R. (Wheeling, IL)
The Walking People
The book is a good read but not a page-turner. It begins in Ireland and ends in America. What was of interest to me were the details of Irish life on the coast such as the poaching of salmon etc. The novel is character driven, yet I am still puzzled as to the nature of the main character. There are many descriptions of her, yet she still remains hazy in my mind. The other characters are more well defined, yet still not as understandable as I would have liked. The Walking People is akin to a mystery/saga but without the usual sex and romance that usually inhabits these books. I would recommend it to adults and to young adults who are studying units on immigration.
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Christine S. (Highland, UT)
Strange Title
This book sounded so interesting and I was thrilled to receive it as a First Impression. Then ... it was hard to get into. I did like the story of the small town, the tinkers and Greta's relationships with her family members. Fast forward - as sagas do. All the different parts of the books followed Greta and her "new" family life. I actually felt like there was little connection to the old family and/or life. Coming to the U.S., it was Greta that lost her many pages of previous characteristics that made her endearing. [edited to remove plot spoilers]. Why was the title The Walking People? It should have been Greta's Losses.
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