Synopses & Reviews
"A beautifully-crafted story reminiscent of the best Mary Gordon or John McGahern or Claire Keegan. Shes got heart and subtlety all at once." Colum McCann, author of
Let the Great World SpinGreta Cahill never believed she would leave her village in the west of Ireland until she found herself on a ship bound for New York. Once landed America, Greta falls in love, raises her own family, and earns her own living.
She longs to return to Ireland, to show her family what she has made of herself, but a secret in her past forces her to keep her life in New York separate and tears her from the people she holds closest. Even fifty years later, when the Ireland of her memory bears little resemblance to that of the present day, she fears she will lose everything she has made for herself when she discovers that her childrenwith the best of intentionshave conspired to unite the worlds shes so carefully kept apart.
"Thoughtful and appealing . . . a solid, intelligent piece of work." Washington Post
"There can be no doubt that [Keane's] voice will only strengthen and dazzle with each new book." Irish Voice
Mary Beth Keane attended Barnard College and earned an MFA from the University of Virginia. A winner of the Chicago Tribunes Nelson Algren Prize in 2004 and a Pushcart Prize nominee, she lives in Philadelphia.
Synopsis
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 decision to spare her children knowledge of a secret in her past forces her to keep her life in New York separate from the life she once loved in Ireland, and tears her from the people she holds closest. Even fifty years later, when the Ireland of her memory bears little resemblance to that of the present day, she fears that it is still possible to lose all when she discovers that her childrenwith the best of intentionshave conspired to unite the worlds shes so carefully kept separate for decades.
A beautifully old-fashioned novel, The Walking People is a debut of remarkable range and power.
Synopsis
Debut author Keane offers an extended meditation on leaving, finding, and making home in a novel focused on the new Irish immigrant experience--"Publishers Weekly."
About the Author
MARY BETH KEANE attended Barnard College and earned an MFA from the University of Virginia, where she was a Henry Hoyns fellow. She was a winner of the Chicago Tribunes Nelson Algren Prize in 2004 and was a 2005 Pushcart Prize nominee.
Mary Beth Keane on PowellsBooks.Blog
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