Mary Beth Keane

Having escaped her limited prospects and painfully critical family in Ireland, Greta Cahill embarks on a career and starts a family in America, an improved circumstance that forces her to choose between revealing her successes to her relatives back home and exposing her children to her painful past.

The Walking People

Anika | @chaptersofmay

The Walking People is a sophisticated and honest book of family and loyalty spanning through decades and generations. One of the things I enjoyed the most about Ask Again, Yes was how character-driven it is, and The Walking People has this same engaging strength. 

Mary Beth Keane is one of the best when it comes to creating nuanced families. The complex web of connections is very immersive. I haven’t read many books that cover the early 1900s immigration or Irish history, so I enjoyed gaining insight from the characters in The Walking People. The book highlights prejudice towards the travelling community and the Irish immigration to the United States as well as roles and duty within the family.

Each personality is so brilliantly crafted, as are the scenes and settings where their relationships are explored. I actually enjoyed reading about the family, more than I enjoyed the overall plot of the book. In truth, the plot didn’t appeal to me past the first chapter. However, the contrast of rural Ireland to bustling New York with Keane’s raw and real descriptions are compelling. The Walking People is a slow-burning novel, but the unfolding of secrets as the years descend and intricate character profiles kept me reading. 

Keane is a noble storyteller and luminously brings together this expansive saga. The Walking People is a debut full of emotion. It explores human nature and family roles, while highlighting the struggle and challenges of immigration.

The Walking People

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