Name: Bi's review of The Good People by Hannah Kent
Item: The Good People
Rating: 5
Author: Bi

Hannah Kent

In rural Ireland, 1825, three women gather to save a child. It all begins with rumours : stories of unexplained misfortunes. Nóra, mourning the deaths of her husband and daughter, knows the whispers are about her grandson. Four-year-old Micheál can no longer speak or walk, and people are saying that he is a changeling, bringing bad luck to the valley. In desperation Nóra begs the help of two others, Mary and Nance. Together, the women will do anything to cure the little boy, but as their world of folklore and ritual tightens around them, it threatens to blur the line between mercy and murder...

The Good People

The fires on the hills smouldered orange as the women left, pockets charged with ashes to guard them from the night. Watching them fade into the grey fall of snow, Nance thought she could hear Maggie's voice. A whisper in the dark. "Some folk are born different, Nance. They are born on the outside of things, with a skin a little thinner, eyes a little keener to what goes unnoticed by most. Their hearts swallow more blood than ordinary hearts; the river runs differently for them." Nóra Leahy has lost her daughter and her husband in the same year, and is now burdened with the care of her four-year-old grandson, Micheál. The boy cannot walk, or speak, and Nora, mistrustful of the tongues of gossips, has kept the child hidden from those who might see in his deformity evidence of otherworldly interference. Unable to care for the child alone, Nóra hires a fourteen-year-old servant girl, Mary, who soon hears the whispers in the valley about the blasted creature causing grief to fall upon the widow's house. Alone, hedged in by rumour, Mary and her mistress seek out the only person in the valley who might be able to help Micheál. For although her neighbours are wary of her, it is said that old Nance Roche has the knowledge. That she consorts with Them, the Good People. And that only she can return those whom they have taken...

Kahli Scott

My favourite book of 2016, but then I am a sucker for Irish folklore! I also love Hannah Kent's writing style - incredibly atmospheric, without being unnecessarily flowery. The cast of characters were intriguing, with perspectives alternating between three women - young, middle-aged and old. THREE authentic and well-rounded female voices in one novel, what a delight! Can't wait to see what Kent does next.

This book felt so much like a Greek tragedy to me. You witness the characters making choices you want to blame them for but at the same time you know that of course that is the way things would play out, there was never any other alternative. Of course Antigone, filled with love and devotion for her brother, would choose to bury his body. Of course Nóra, a simple woman from a small remote village, driven sick by grief over her daughter and husband's death, would choose to believe anything about her ill grandson rather than face her grim reality. Of course she would do anything in her power to try to get her daughter's son back.
It was very difficult to read this at times, mostly because it involves a disabled child's suffering. The topic is very heavy and for this alone I would not recommend this to people who feel they cannot read such a story. Reading this made me feel weary and hopeless and deeply heartbroken. Unlike Greek tragedies, there was no catharsis to be found - how could you even find catharsis in such a situation? Nonetheless, I liked the moral ambiguity and the lack of judgement in the way Kent handled this story, and I felt that this choice helped to highlight the tragic nature of these events more than anything. 
I also liked the ending of the story - though my gut instinct was dissatisfaction at first, I must admit. Still, by the time I got to the last page of the book, in just a few minutes from first feeling that instinctual dissatisfaction, it was clear to me that it was the only way the story could have ended. Once again, I felt like Kent's narrative choice only helped to bring forth the tragic nature of the story she chose to tell. 
Meticulously researched and filled with the striking prose that drives all of Kent's novels, this story was carefully handled and masterfully crafted. Kent's favoured themes of grief, nature, faith & the occult, outsiders, and women's roles in society shine in The Good People, too. Overall, despite the terribly difficult topic of this novel, The Good People has cemented Hannah Kent's position as one of my favourite authors. Now that I've read and loved all her books, I can only eagerly anticipate whatever she writes next.

Shorlisted for theWalter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction From the author of Burial Rites, "a literary novel with the pace and tension of a thriller [that] takes us on a frightening journey towards an unspeakable tragedy" (Paula Hawkins, bestselling author of The Girl on the Train) Hedged in by gossip and joined by their desperation, three women in nineteenth-century Ireland are drawn together in the hope of rescuing a child from a superstitious community, determined to rid itself of the strange and unknowable. Bereft after the loss of her husband, Nora finds herself alone and caring for her young grandson Micheal--a boy whom she recalls as having been a happy and healthy infant but now, in the wake of both his mother's and grandfather's deaths, can neither speak nor walk. Mary, a servant girl from more rural parts, comes to the valley to help Nora just as the rumors are spreading: the talk of unexplained misfortunes and illnesses, and the theory that deformed Micheal is a changeling, a fairy child to blame for the bad luck the valley has endured since his arrival. Determined to banish the evil in Micheal, Nora and Mary enlist the help of the elderly Nance, a recluse and wanderer once revered by her neighbors for her healing powers, but now condemned as a fraud and a threat by the new priest in town. As the trio's situation grows more dire, their folkloric practices become increasingly daring--culminating, at last, in a stunning and irreversible act that will put all their lives in danger. Terrifying, thrilling, and wholly original, THE GOOD PEOPLE is a startling examination of absolute belief and superstition taken to their extremes, of the universal yearning to belong, and of love, both tender and harsh.

Elena Garcia Navarro

I don't really know how to express how much I loved this book. Getting into it I knew I was going to enjoy it, 'cause I already loved the first book by this author, but it exceeded my expectations, this book left a lasting imprint on me. 

This book was cleverly built up. What I loved the most was the setting. The author throws us in the 1800s Ireland where two worlds coexist. The story follows Nora while she tries to save his grandson, who she believes is a changeling, a fairy child, and bring the mortal child back from the place she believes him to be. During most of the book we get to experience how people from the rural Ireland were completely detached from all the progress and innovations happening in the big cities. Folcklore and traditions were deeply engraved in their lives and played a crucial part in their day-to-day whereabouts. They were very superstitious as well and went through great lenghts to "protect" and ensure nothing bad befell upon them.
Kent constructs such a perfect narration, making us hesitate and even root for what the main character is trying to accomplish and the way she is doing it. And then the two worlds collide and we are forced to reevaluate everything that just happened under a new light. I can't describe what I felt when the shock of realisation of what just had occured hit me, it was masterfully done. 

What Kent created and the way she solves it all, it was striking. 

I will read everything Hannah Kent comes up with. I completely loved this story and now I'm itching to learn more about Irish folcklore.

From the bestselling author of the multi-award-winning Burial Rites."Lyrical and unsettling ... A literary novel with the pace and tension of a thriller, Hannah Kent takes us on a frightening journey towards an unspeakable tragedy. I am in awe of Kent's gifts as a storyteller." Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the Train"a thoroughly engrossing entree into the macabre nature of a vanished society, its virtues and its follies and its lethal impulses." Thomas Keneally, winner of the Booker Prize"Hannah Kent's much-anticipated second novel is a thoroughly atmospheric and involving read" Books and PublishingIn the year 1825, in a remote valley lying between the mountains of south-west Ireland, three women are brought together by strange and troubling events. Nora Leahy has lost her daughter and her husband in the same year, and is now burdened with the care of her four-year-old grandson: a boy who suffers from a mysterious malady and can neither walk nor speak. Unable to care for the child alone, Nora hires a servant girl, Mary, who soon hears whispers in the valley about the blasted creature causing grief to fall on the widow's house.Alone, hedged in by rumour, Mary and her mistress seek out the only person who might be able to help Michael. For although her neighbours are wary of her, it is said that Nance Roche has the knowledge. That she consorts with Them, the Good People. And that only she can return those whom they have taken ...

Dearna Mulvaney

I adored Hannah Kent's first book  Burial Rites  and loved  The Good People  just as much. Kent has the way of bringing to life these women who live in a different time for us. She shows us that even though they lacked the technology we have today, people haven't that much changed. I adore seeing the folklore of 1800s Ireland and how it infused with their strict catholic beliefs. It was heart wrenching to see how the villagers treated people with physical and mental differences. I loved seeing how where science lacked to explain things folklore and myth took over. I adore these women, Mary, Nora and Nance, they are unforgiving and unapologetic. These characters will be with me for a long time. Highly recommend for any interested in the changeling lore, historical fiction or well rounded characters.

Shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize 2017County Kerry, Ireland, 1825. N�RA, bereft after the sudden death of her beloved husband, finds herself alone and caring for her young grandson Miche�l. Miche�l cannot speak and cannot walk and N�ra is desperate to know what is wrong with him. What happened to the healthy, happy grandson she met when her daughter was still alive?MARY arrives in the valley to help N�ra just as the whispers are spreading: the stories of unexplained misfortunes, of illnesses, and the rumours that Miche�l is a changeling child who is bringing bad luck to the valley. NANCE's knowledge keeps her apart. To the new priest, she is a threat, but to the valley people she is a wanderer, a healer. Nance knows how to use the plants and berries of the woodland; she understands the magic in the old ways. And she might be able to help Miche�l. As these three women are drawn together in the hope of restoring Miche�l, their world of folklore and belief, of ritual and stories, tightens around them. It will lead them down a dangerous path, and force them to question everything they have ever known.Based on true events and set in a lost world bound by its own laws, The Good People is Hannah Kent's startling new novel about absolute belief and devoted love. Terrifying, thrilling and moving in equal measure, this long-awaited follow-up to Burial Rites shows an author at the height of her powers.

Laura

I got this book off Book Depository, since it's not out in print in America yet and also I thought the hardcover was more attractive. In this book, just as in her last book, the main attraction is the atmosphere of the novel. I adore atmospheric books, especially atmospheric historical fiction. The setting, the culture, the lives of these people just lept off the page and I could picture the valley perfectly, as well as its inhabitants. 
I did wish there was a pronunciation guide or glossary, as there was in her debut, though maybe there will be one in the American edition. I had to look up how to pronounce names like Áine or Eilís. And then even though I was reading silently, I felt really tired having to remember how to pronounce each name in my head. Does anyone else do that? 
If you want likeable characters, I wouldn't recommend this book to you. While I could find at least some sympathy for all the characters, I only really felt bad for two of them- Mary, the maid and unwitting accomplice, and, of course, the boy, Micheál. I think it's pretty impossible not to feel bad for Micheál, though Mary might strain some people's sympathy. 
One thing I really admire about Kent's work is that she doesn't bog down her historical fiction with unnecessary facts or aspects. It would be tempting for a lot of authors to add bits about Anglo-Irish relations during this time, including bitterness about colonization or resentment towards the Irish families placed in charge of the rest of the villagers, but apart from a few mentions of a landlord that's mostly left out, making the story seem more centered as a result. Kent knows what information to give and what to withhold. The bits about Irish folklore were fascinating, and both the beliefs of the Catholic Church and the beliefs left over from the days of the Gaels were treated with respect. The priest is not outwardly villainized anymore than Nance is. I liked how everyone in this book was morally grey, and, while this book was very successful oscillating between these three women, I do kind of wish that a priest figure or someone from this new school of Catholicism was given a point of view so that the cultural clash between the old ways and the attempts for the Catholic Church to reform was developed more, though we see a bit of that with Mary (who was probably my favorite character, especially since she was the only one who really seemed to care about Micheál).

Continue reading this review on my blog here: http://bookwormbasics.blogspot.com/20...

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