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Walking with Ghosts
- A Memoir
- Narrated by: Gabriel Byrne
- Length: 6 hrs and 56 mins
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Walking with Ghosts
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Summary
Walking with Ghosts is the stunningly evocative memoir by Irish actor and Hollywood star Gabriel Byrne.
As a young boy growing up in the outskirts of Dublin, Gabriel Byrne sought refuge in a world of imagination among the fields and hills near his home, at the edge of a rapidly encroaching city. Born to working-class parents and the eldest of six children, he harboured a childhood desire to become a priest. When he was 11 years old, Byrne found himself crossing the Irish Sea to join a seminary in England.
Four years later, Byrne had been expelled and he quickly returned to his native city. There he took odd jobs as a messenger boy and a factory labourer to get by. In his spare time he visited the cinema, where he could be alone and yet part of a crowd. It was here that he could begin to imagine a life beyond the grey world of ’60s Ireland.
He revelled in the theatre and poetry of Dublin’s streets, populated by characters as eccentric and remarkable as any in fiction, those who spin a yarn with acuity and wit. It was a friend who suggested Byrne join an amateur drama group, a decision that would change his life forever and launch him on an extraordinary 40-year career in film and theatre. Moving between sensual recollection of childhood in a now almost vanished Ireland and reflections on stardom in Hollywood and on Broadway, Byrne also courageously recounts his battle with addiction and the ambivalence of fame.
Walking with Ghosts is by turns hilarious and heartbreaking as well as a lyrical homage to the people and landscapes that ultimately shape our destinies.
Critic reviews
"Make no mistake about it: this is a masterpiece. A book that will wring out our tired hearts. It is by turns poetic, moving and very funny. You will find it on the shelf alongside other great Irish memoirs including those by Frank McCourt, Nuala O'Faolain and Edna O’Brien." (Colum McCann, author of Let the Great World Spin)
"Dreamy, lyrical and utterly unvarnished." (Colm Tóibín)
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What listeners say about Walking with Ghosts
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- J. Andersen
- 10-02-22
It’s stunning
It’s stunning, and even more so I think if you grew up in Dublin too, like I did. Lots of evocative Dublinisms that made me laugh and others so tender I almost cried.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 25-11-20
Gabriel Byrne. wonderful
amazing! fantastic book . I had to stay up till the early hours so riveting
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- sam
- 12-11-22
humility and integrity walking with Ghosts
an experience to treasure..Gaybriel Byrnes journey..through life is rich in wisdom and gravity earned through having the courage to face his own demons and look in the mirror to reflect his own failings with integrity ..his success with humility..and is often funny and deeply touching in telling the story of family and friends and the many wonderful and not so pleasant people who are now ghosts inhabiting his spirit..and life..
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- mr
- 23-05-21
Beautifully Poetic
loved the book and its openess and honesty. Well written and read. recommend this
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1 person found this helpful
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- Angelina
- 01-12-21
walking with ghosts /amazing
Beautiful ,touching and interesting memoir. It felt like it truly came from the heart.
Enjoyed the way it wasn't in chronological order. Finished it in one day. loved it.
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- roger seeney
- 20-04-21
Funny and poignant
He made me laugh and feel sad in this very honest but fantastically detailed story of some of his life. I found it interesting that his relationships get short thrift but there is a master storyteller here. Does not go into his parts either much but just a lot about Ireland
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- Celt
- 25-12-21
Why isn’t everyone listening to this
Faultless sensitive account of an actors dreams and history - not to be missed. Calming and funny
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- Jack Lyons
- 25-09-22
Incredibly moving & a performance in itself…
Gabriel’s story is one of many hardships & a long road from the streets of working class Dublin to his early years of performing in London & brief forays into his career in acting & how he handles fame.
The performance of this audio book is brilliant too as he perfectly visualises the Ireland of the past he knew & the one he sees now. It feels like you’re both in conversation about it & at no point, does it take you out of it. I highly recommend this if you’re a fan of his work & him as a person.
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- paul
- 13-04-21
A wonderful Irish icon
A brilliant listen , I felt it from start to finish. Gabriel is super in all the people he would speak of. His storytelling is a thing of beauty, some sad stories also . Well done
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- Ben Kane
- 26-07-21
Wonderful
Gabriel Byrne is not just a fine actor, he is a lyrical poet of an author. I was mesmerised by his voice, his story, his insight. I smiled, laughed, cried throughout the book. Simply magnificent.
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