The Walking People cover art

The Walking People

The powerful and moving story from the New York Times bestselling author of Ask Again, Yes

 Preview
This Season's Biggest Deal

£0.99/mo for 3 months + £10 Audible bonus

Auto-renews at £5.99/month after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Get this deal
Offer ends on 28 December, 2026.
More purchase options

The Walking People

By: Mary Beth Keane
Narrated by: Aoife McMahon
Get this deal

Auto-renews at £5.99/mo. after 3 months. Cancel monthly. Offer ends 28 December, 2026.

Buy Now for £11.20

Buy Now for £11.20

This Season's Biggest Deal | £0.99/mo for 3 months + £10 Audible bonus

£5.99/mo after 3 months - terms apply. Cancel monthly
Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ASK AGAIN, YES

Rural Ireland, the 1960s, and Greta Cahill must abandon her deserted village to follow her fearless sister Johanna onto a ship bound for America.

It's here in New York that she steps out of her sister's shadow and in to a life of her own, rich with love, work and family.

As the years pass Greta longs to revisit the past - to see her mother, to show her what she has made of herself - but she must protect a family secret, decades old.

So when her children conspire to unite the worlds she's kept so carefully apart, Greta fears she could lose it all...

A compassionate story of self-discovery and identity, The Walking People has remarkable range and power.

Praise for Mary Beth Keane:

'A novel of great compassion and understanding . . . rich with story' JOHN BOYNE on Ask Again, Yes

'A fearless writer' LISA TADDEO

'A writer of extraordinary depth, feeling and wit' Meg Wolitzer

'I'll read everything she writes' Liane Moriarty

'Immersive and deeply moving' Anna Hope

© Mary Beth Keane 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

 Family Life Fiction Friendship Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Love, Dating & Attraction Relationships Women's Fiction
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1

Critic reviews

A compelling drama of transatlantic Irish life
Marries a deliciously old-fashioned style of storytelling with a fresh take on the immigrant experience . . . A warm, involving family drama
An epic story about immigration, identity and family . . . Keane portrays the complex and, at times, challenging lives of these working-class women with tenderness and compassion
Atmospheric, moving and brilliantly well-written
This atmospheric read that spans from 1950s Ireland to modern-day America and follows the fortunes of a woman on the run from a family secret
Engrossing . . . Captures the windswept grittiness of Irish poverty as vividly as the technicolour hustle and bustle of 1960s New York. The Walking People is the kind of novel you simply don't want to end
Keane's previous novel Ask Again, Yes, was on my best Books of 2019, and this is just as good. Its slow, melodic pace proves we don't always need fast action and twists. Set between Ireland and new York, it's about two sisters; one craves adventure, the other, family; both have secrets
An American dream story, told over decades, taking its reader from rural 1915 Ireland to the streets of New York and back again (Mariella Frostrup)
A beautifully crafted novel about love, loyalty, culture, family and identity
A moving and sweeping story that takes readers from the west coast of Ireland to America, following a family of immigrants across the different decades
All stars
Most relevant
I liked this book a lot. The characters are carefully chiselled and you really learn to know them. Five stars. Great book!

Absolutely great!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This is a wonderful poignant story, beautifully written about a young girl Greta and her sister leaving Ireland for America in the 1950s.

The story takes the listener through the decades that follow in America.

It is written with style and narrated to perfection by Aoife McMahon.

Beautiful Engaging Story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.