Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

The Walking People

3.68 of 5 stars 3.68 · rating details · 299 ratings · 97 reviews

Greta Cahill never believed she would leave her village in the west of Ireland until she found herself on a ship bound for New York, along with her sister Johanna and a boy named Michael Ward. Greta discovers that in America she can fall in love, raise her own family, and earn a living.

Though she longs to return and show her family what she has made of herself, her decisio...more

Paperback, 416 pages

Published May 27th 2010 by Mariner Books (first published May 20th 2009)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Add this book to your favorite list »

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 829)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

May 27, 2009 Jeanette rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: all-fiction, europe-and-british-isles, america, four-star-fiction

This is Mary Beth Keane's first novel. I sincerely hope it doesn't turn out to be her only novel.

The prologue is dreadfully boring, which is unfortunate, but it's less than 20 pages. Aside from that, this book really captures a lot of truth about the immigrant experience and the flavor of Irish life. If you have Irish immigrant heritage (which I do not), I'd say this is a must-read, or at least a must-try.

The first half of the book takes place in Ireland, describing the poor rural upbringing o...more

like 3 likes · see review

Feb 20, 2012 Diane Webber-thrush rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this book maybe a year ago, and so many images from it have stuck with me. It is my favorite kind of book: sweeping epic about a culture that I didn't know before I picked up the book, in this case the tinkers of Ireland. The story follows one family from Ireland to New York. It's set in the early - to mid 20th century, but in that part of rural Ireland it was more like the 19th Century.
As a writer, Keane is vivid and lovely. Sentence-to-sentence this is just a beautiful book. Compelling...more

like 1 like · see review

Feb 12, 2013 Robbins Library rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: jenny-recommends

"They'd worked so hard to bring Ireland to America as an intact place that they could live inside, and they had succeeded, keeping their customs the same as they were in the year they'd left, making the preservation of the old ways a new kind of religion. They didn't realize until it was too late that home had moved on, grown up, left the old customs behind. It was as if these exiles had used every last dollar to bet on a horse they didn't own, didn't love, weren't interested in loving, but one...more "They'd worked so hard to bring Ireland to America as an intact place that they could live inside, and they had succeeded, keeping their customs the same as they were in the year they'd left, making the preservation of the old ways a new kind of religion. They didn't realize until it was too late that home had moved on, grown up, left the old customs behind. It was as if these exiles had used every last dollar to bet on a horse they didn't own, didn't love, weren't interested in loving, but one that had promised to give them the best return. It was as if that horse had been winning, as expected, for the entire race. Winning by yards, in fact. A seemingly untouchable distance. And just as they bent their heads to calculate their earnings, that horse was left behind by the wild card, the underdog, the one they'd have preferred to lay their bet down for in the first place." (p. 372-373)

Sisters Johanna and Greta Cahill encounter Michael Ward for the first time when his mother is found dead on their property in Ballyroan, Ireland. He returns to the area years later and finds the sisters still living there with their mother, Lily, and older brother, Little Tom; their father is dead and their two other brothers have left for Australia. When Lily discovers that Johanna is planning to leave their tiny village for New York with Michael, she allows them to go - but insists they take Greta as well.

Though in Ireland Greta was the "silly goose," the younger, faraway sibling, and Johanna was the brash, confident one, in New York Greta blooms and Johanna sinks into depression. From the prologue, the reader knows that Michael and Greta end up together, so the question throughout the book is not what happens, but how does it happen?

The Walking People is a story of resilience, love, loyalty, and family. It is slow-paced but not dull, and the writing is insightful and beautiful.

Keane's new novel, Fever, is about Typhoid Mary, and will be published in March. Reserve a copy in the library catalog.

(less)

like · see review

Sep 18, 2010 Laura rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like · see review

Jul 28, 2009 Corinne rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: advance-reader-s-copy

While I've read a host of books about early 1900s immigration, The Walking People is a story about a different generation of immigrants -the Irish who came to America in the early 60s. Greta's family lives in a tiny, nearly abandoned town in Western Ireland, near the sea and not much else. Life during Greta's childhood was much the same way it had been for hundreds of years, they were warmed by a turf fire and ate by candlelight. 'Tinkers" or "Traveling People" walked the highways and made a liv...more While I've read a host of books about early 1900s immigration, The Walking People is a story about a different generation of immigrants -the Irish who came to America in the early 60s. Greta's family lives in a tiny, nearly abandoned town in Western Ireland, near the sea and not much else. Life during Greta's childhood was much the same way it had been for hundreds of years, they were warmed by a turf fire and ate by candlelight. 'Tinkers" or "Traveling People" walked the highways and made a living by doing odd jobs, staying in camps along the way. Greta's early interactions with these Traveling People will reverberate and result in relationships that last her lifetime.

The Walking People is about, first and foremost, family. What we do for them and what we inadvertently do to them - and not just the children we raise, but the family we were raised by. Greta's very close relationship with her mother and sister, and how that relationship changed, influenced so much of the way she lived her life. I was sometimes frustrated by the choices she made while at the same time I was sympathetic to why she made those choices. She's an interesting character, this Greta, naive and yet wise - thoughtful and stubborn, and I think Keane did an excellent job of rounding out all her characters. I think I liked reading about the family Greta grew up in more than I liked reading about the family she raised, but maybe that's because I just liked reading about life in Ireland more.

One unique thing about this novel that I appreciated, was its use of time periods. Typically, I am annoyed when we start at the end and then move backwards, because I feel like it rips out the footing from under the plot to already know how the story ended. But somehow, in the Walking People, this devise just completely intrigued me. Even though I knew that certain people would end up being together, I was thrilled to discover how it all happened. So three cheers for that.

I think that for a debut novel, The Walking People is pretty darn amazing, even if the end left me feeling somewhat hanging. If you can overlook the sometimes harsh language, I think you'll appreciate this story that takes you from one side of the Atlantic to the other, down beneath the streets of New York City and back, and leaves you pining for an Irish home that you never even had. (less)

like 5 likes · see review

Jul 21, 2009 Diane rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Like Brooklyn by Colm Toibin, The Walking People, the debut novel from Mary Beth Keane, deals with the story of Irish immigrants. Whereas Brooklyn recounted a few years in the life of Irish immigrant Eilis Lacey, The Walking People looks at the total life experience of Michael and Greta Ward, who came to New York City in the early 1960's.

The prologue of the book opens in 2007, as we watch the last day at work for Michael Ward. He has been a sandhog, digging tunnels underground in New York City f...more Like Brooklyn by Colm Toibin, The Walking People, the debut novel from Mary Beth Keane, deals with the story of Irish immigrants. Whereas Brooklyn recounted a few years in the life of Irish immigrant Eilis Lacey, The Walking People looks at the total life experience of Michael and Greta Ward, who came to New York City in the early 1960's.

The prologue of the book opens in 2007, as we watch the last day at work for Michael Ward. He has been a sandhog, digging tunnels underground in New York City for 35 years. It has been a physically difficult job, he has suffered hearing loss, and was nearly killed in a bad accident years ago. Now it is loss of memory that he is battling.

The book begins in 1956, in Ballyroan, Ireland, a rural area bordering a river that has lost much of its population over the years. The Cahill family struggles to earn a meager living, and to avoid starvation, father James Cahill and his three sons illegally catch and sell salmon from the river.

Johanna and Greta Cahill are the sisters. Johanna is anxious to get to a bigger city to live, and eventually sets her sights on going to New York City when she meets a woman visiting Ballyroan from New York.

Greta is as shy as Johanna is determined, but eventually they make the trip overseas with Michael Ward, a young man who is a traveller, also known as gypsies.

The book started slow for me, recounting too much of their life in Ireland. While I did find the description of Irish life interesting, it went on too long for my taste. The book sparks to life when the three arrived in New York City and began to build their lives.

The author took great care in crafting characters that the reader cares about, particularly Greta. Keane's vividly describes Greta as looking like a goose- "Lily noticed Greta peering over at her, peering with that look she had so often, her features drawn together in a clump at the center of her face, her neck stuck out ahead of the rest of her body. Greta the Goose, as children often called her". It's a strong visual that perfectly places Greta's character in the reader's mind.

She clearly did a great deal of research on the lives that immigrants led, and her description of life in 1960's New York City fascinated me. I could see all of the places she described in my mind, feel the heat of the summer, smell the ethnic food from the delis.

Part III of the book consists of letters that young Greta sends home to her mother, along with letters that Michael sends to his father. It is one of the strongest sections of the book, recounted in the first person, and brings the reader right into the minds of these young immigrants, trying to be strong for their family, but clearly missing them as well.

I enjoyed reading of Greta's job at Bloomingdales, and Keane gives the reader an intimate look at how people coming from another land with no money and few skills applicable to city life work to build a life for themselves and their children.

There is an aura of suspense as Michael, Greta and Johanna keep a secret from their family, one that is destined to have repercussions for a long time. At its core, this is a story of how people form a family, and the strength that it takes to come to a new country and build a life. Watching Greta grow from a scared little girl to a strong woman, working in a big city and raising a family with her husband, touched my heart. It is a wonderful read, and fans of Maeve Binchy and Alice McDermott will enjoy it.

(less)

like · see review

May 25, 2009 Nancy Oakes rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, amazon-vine

The Walking People starts out in late 1950s Ireland, in the small village of Ballyroan, off the coast of Galway, and finishes in New York City in pretty much the present day. It focuses in on two girls, Johanna and Greta Cahill, and the son of a traveller (tinker, walking person), Michael Ward, whose lives intersect every so often. The local economy in Ireland is horrible -- the Cahill family has to earn a big chunk of its living by poaching and selling salmon from the river. As time goes on, an...more The Walking People starts out in late 1950s Ireland, in the small village of Ballyroan, off the coast of Galway, and finishes in New York City in pretty much the present day. It focuses in on two girls, Johanna and Greta Cahill, and the son of a traveller (tinker, walking person), Michael Ward, whose lives intersect every so often. The local economy in Ireland is horrible -- the Cahill family has to earn a big chunk of its living by poaching and selling salmon from the river. As time goes on, and the girls get older, Johanna and Greta are working in a small B & B a few miles from home where the tourist economy has all but fizzled out. They meet an American woman, who talks with them about America, and Johanna decides that this is where she wants to be. Johanna has always kind of been the risk taker of the two girls and starts making plans to leave the area, just knowing that there's nothing for her in Ireland for the future. At the same time, Michael has decided that perhaps he's not cut out for life as a traveller, and wants to settle down. At this point, Michael and the Cahill girls reunite, and Johanna, infatuated with him, decides that it would be perfect if the two of them emigrated to America. Lily, the girls' mother, realizes that indeed there is no future for the two if they remain in Ireland, and adds Greta to the plan. So off they go to America, arriving in 1963. This takes up half of the book -- and the next half covers what happens to the girls and to Michael once they are in the US. It's not an easy life at all, for any of them.

like a 3.5 in the stars range, but we don't have that option.

Personally, the parts of the story set in Ireland were the most interesting -- very thorough, with a look not only at place and custom, but at the struggles of the Irish people who lived in these small little villages and towns where the economy was so bad that in the Cahill's situation, they were pretty much one of the last families left in the area. In this setting, the characters were more real, more easy to know, but it seems that once the girls and Michael Ward moved to New York, after a while their character development just kind of fell through the cracks. Then it just became a story, not following through on the first half of the book, where these people seemed more real. Obviously the author couldn't write an epic saga here, but I think that a necessary level of depth is lacking from part IV on.

However, I will say that the writing was generally good, the story kept me interested and reading, and that I think that this book will do well, especially among reading group book buyers and people who like more mainstream-type fiction that deals with stories about family ties. I wish the author well, and thank the Amazon Vine progam for allowing me the opportunity to read the book.(less)

like 1 like · see review

May 20, 2009 Sara rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Mary Beth Keane titles her debut The Walking People in reference to a class of Irish (also called Travellers or Tinkers) who refuse to settle, but instead roam Ireland for the entirety of their lives. These people experience extreme prejudice from those who are settled. The world of the settled and the traveled combine launching the exposition in this extraordinary novel characterizing the modern Irish Immigrant experience as well as complexity of love within familial relationships.

Greta and he...more

like · see review

Mar 04, 2013 Pat rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In this debut novel, Mary Beth Keane establishes herself as a writer with real talent. A friend (whose opinion I value on books worth reading) recommended this book, which I began somewhat reluctantly because the subject matter didn't seem interesting. Living in the south, I am aware of the reputation that travellers have for perpetrating numerous frauds and scams on elderly people. I also didn't have much interest in yet another book on the plight of Irish immigrants. I was very wrong to be dis...more

like · see review

Jun 30, 2009 Julie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Julie by: Jeanette

Shelves: contemporary-fiction, ireland-theme-setting, usa-contemporary, read-2009

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I loved Jeanette's review of this book and I'm grateful for her recommendation. It is lovingly crafted novel by a writer who respects language, phrasing, who writes carefully but with joy.

There was an otherworldly, almost dreamlike quality to the story set in Ireland (and I loved revisiting in my mind's eye one of my favorites spots on earth- the west of Ireland); Keane's storytelling here reminded me of two of my favorite Irish writers: Edna O'Brien and Niall Williams. Greta's unsentimental com...more

like 2 likes · see review

Jan 15, 2011 Christin rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

While Keane's book takes a bit of background to get into, the reader is soon immersed in the world of an Irish family during the 1950's to the present day. While the time era sounds recent and fresh, there is no connection of the rural Irish family to the trendy American ways across the ocean. As the family endures love, adventure, excitement, and heartache the reader follows the generation across the ocean to America, land of opportunity. Greta and her sister, along with a friend make their way...more

like · see review

Apr 15, 2010 Emily rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Very engaging first novel, with scenes set in Ireland in a boggy cottage about to fall into the sea, in a nearly abandoned village with no electricity, not so long ago. Three people from this world migrate to New York, where their relationships change. The voices are strong and although not written in dialect or brogue, give a sense of another time. Yet it is contemporary, and the 2 people who stay in America cannot imagine going home, nor even how their children would cope with a visit to Irela...more

like · see review

Feb 15, 2010 Susan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Over the time span of about 50 years this story chronicles Greta Cahill's life -- first in Ireland then in New York City where she arrived with her older sister and with Michael Ward in the early 1960's. Greta was a misfit at home and never had aspirations to leave her village on the west coast of Ireland to or have the life that became hers... Michael Ward grew up in a family of Irish Travellers. Their lives are joined by circmstances and by love. Along the way certain events evolved into secre...more

like · see review

Jul 18, 2010 Paula Margulies rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A stunning debut novel! This book is a must-read for anyone who likes novels about Ireland and transatlantic travel. The Walking People tells the story of Greta Cahill, her sister, Johanna, and a boy named Michael Ward. The three of them come to America from a small town outside of Galway during the 1960's. The story covers the early years on the Irish coast with the travelers, or "walking people," New York in the 1960's - modern day, the Irish immigrant experience, and the sandhogs who built th...more

like · see review

Feb 04, 2013 Jenny rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Sisters Johanna and Greta Cahill encounter Michael Ward for the first time when his mother is found dead on their property in Ballyroan, Ireland. He returns to the area years later and finds the sisters still living there with their mother, Lily, and older brother, Little Tom; their father is dead and their two other brothers have left for Australia. When Lily discovers that Johanna is planning to leave their tiny village for New York with Michael, she allows them to go - but insists they take G...more

like · see review

May 28, 2009 Lisa rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a well-written and obviously well-researched book about of Ireland of the 1960's and the "traveller" community in general. The opening sections of the book that take place in Ireland are the best in terms of invoking a certain time and place, and developing characters in the Cahill family as well as Michael Ward.

But when the book shifts to New York and moves forward in time, the same lingering over details fades, and the details that do exist (i.e., watching All in the Family on TV in...more

like 1 like · see review

Apr 19, 2011 Robin Carlin rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Walking People may become one of my top 5 all-time favorite books. Even as I write this, I am not sure how to articulate the reasons why I loved this book so much. I was sucked in at the Prologue. I was shocked that every 60-80 pages something would happen that I simply did not expect. I was impressed by the believability of the relationships and the amount of research that must have gone into this book regarding Ireland, the Irish workers in New York, and the evolution of technology. Defini...more

like · see review

Apr 21, 2013 Lisa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Having Irish ancestry in my roots, I really enjoyed reading and learning about this Irish "Country" family and "Travelers." I enjoyed following the life path of Greta, her sister Johanna and their family. The visual imagery of Ireland, the stream behind their house, the cottage and their adventures gave life to the story. I felt that the prologue at the beginning of the novel was misplaced and not needed. The prologue should just have been placed in the correct chronological sequence of the nove...more

like · see review

Sep 20, 2011 Jennifer rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Good insights to Irish immigrants after 1960 and the changes in rural Ireland since then. The Walking People refer to the Travelers, or Tinkers, in Ireland. They traveled in bands, with livestock and tents. Their sense of “home” is of being with each other and not a specific city, country or permanent residence. The novel covers 44 years of personal history and touches on culture, racism and cultural identity for the second generation immigrant; enjoyable and informative.

like · see review

Sep 11, 2010 Amy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I discovered Mary Beth Keane on fivechapters.com where they published her story "Diving" a couple weeks ago. She's a talented, sensitive writer, catching all the details and re-telling them beautifully through her very real characters. The story of Greta, a strange girl from a large Irish family, finds herself living out her years in New York City, raising a family of her own, complete with secrets and flaws. Keane gives us a clear picture of Ireland, New York, and the struggle of living emotion...more

like · see review

Feb 03, 2011 Leslie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Stephanie c, mom

Shelves: favorites, own

I really loved this book, read it in just a couple of days (snow days so we had nowhere to go!), but this is one of my new favorites. It follows the life of three young Irish people as they emigrate to the US in the 20th century. It starts in their shared childhoods, on the sea in Ireland, and ends many years later after much living. Kind of a mix of Thomas Hardy and Wallace Stegner, Keane's writing style is effortless and lovely. Read this one!

like · see review

Mar 10, 2013 Alyssa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really enjoyed this book and the way the author defined "home" on so many levels. Many of the reviewers seemed frustrated with the ending but I thought it was perfect. The characters are embarking on new chapters in their lives and the future twists and turns they can take are endless. Possibly a sequel in the future?
Looking forward to seeing Mary Beth Keane at Anderson's bookstore this week and reading her new novel, Fever.

like · see review

Nov 30, 2009 Paddy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Although 50 pages too long (the editor should have helped cut the number of scenes and detailed descriptions)and filled with flawed characters the reader wants to shake (like real life?), the book is a more than credible first novel. Kudos to the author for her characterizations and research. Are we on to a new trend in immigrant fiction with this book and Colm Toibin's Brooklyn? The Irish in mid-20th-century NYC.

like · see review

Oct 08, 2011 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, contemporary

I picked this book randomly off the shelf at the library (the title caught my eye) and absolutely loved it! It was an engaging and well-written story about immigrants from Ireland to the United States. It earns the highest praise I can give a book, which is that I was living in its world while reading it. For more see http://booksandmiscellany.wordpress.c....

like · see review

Apr 08, 2011 Jackie Sanderson rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: irish-books

Another book about the Irish immigrant experience in the U.S.---specifically New York. Almost covers the same first years as Brooklyn by Toibin.
This one is about an Irish "tinker," who wants to stop roaming around Ireland and settle down but he leaves for the US. The question is will he and his wife ever return to Ireland for a visit? They're hiding a secret and it effects their lives.
I read Under This Unbroken Sky (by Shandi Mitchell) about a Ukrainian family in Canada during the Depression a...more

like · see review

Dec 18, 2009 Teddy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Teddy by: ARC

In the 1950'sJohanna and her sister, Greta lived with their parents, Lily and Big Tom and their brothers in Ballyroan, Ireland. It was a very quiet little town, as many people from the town had immigrated to America. They lead a simple life of farming and fishing salmon. Joanna and Greta went to school while their brothers farmed with Big Tom. The family didn't think that Greta would really amount to much, she was quite awkward and they called her a goose. She stuck to Joanna like glue and rarel...more

like · see review

Feb 20, 2013 Janet Meissner rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A young man from a caravan clan (walking people) wants to try staying in one place, so he leaves his family and hires out on an Irish farm. When their father dies, the two daughters emigrate to America and their hired man goes with them. I liked this new twist on Irish emigration stories and was touched by the hardworking faithful life he lives with the younger daughter.

like · see review

Jan 16, 2010 Brooke rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I couldn't put this book down after about 75 pages, and I was really sad when it was over. The author tells a very captivating story of Irish family life in a remote village on the far west coast where tragedy strikes and the two youngest girls eventually set sail for America and make their way in NYC. Rich character development, fascinating narrative, great writing!

like · see review

May 17, 2013 Marie Fouhey rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Strong characterizations and evocative descriptions of Ireland make this a very enjoyable book. The book became rather episodic and dragged a little once they got to NY and especially after the move to the suburbs. I thought the descriptions of life in Ireland at the beginning of the book, and of Michal's work as a sandhog in New York were the best parts.

like · see review

Jun 25, 2009 Courtney rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really enjoyed this story - I just fell in love with the Goosey Greta. I could NOT figure out the beginning of the book though (how it started) until the very end. I just kept reading and reading and thinking "so what was with that first chapter..." I love stories that make you fall in love with the characters, despite their flaws.

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 27 28 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (5)

More editions...

Genres

Historical Fiction

4 users

Cultural > Ireland

4 users

Drama

2 users

Cultural

2 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Mary Beth Keane

Mary Beth Keane was born in New York City and grew up in Rockland County, New York. She graduated from Barnard College in 1999, and from The University of Virginia in 2005. Her short fiction has appeared in various journals, including The Antioch Review, The Chicago Tribune, The Recorder, The Baltimore Review, and New York Stories. She currently lives in Philadelphia with her husband and son. The...more

More about Mary Beth Keane...

Books by Mary Beth Keane

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About The Walking People

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

title link	preview: The Walking People
avg rating	preview: The Walking People Goodreads rating: 3.68 (299 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6993485-the-walking-people?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348461550l/6993485.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6993485-the-walking-people?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Walking People by Mary Beth Keane[/url]

The Walking People

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website