Short-listed for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction One of Entertainment Weekly’s ”Must-Read” books for Fall 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 TrainBased on true events in nineteenth century Ireland, Hannah … an unspeakable tragedy.”-Paula Hawkins, bestselling author of The Girl on the Train
Based on true events in nineteenth century Ireland, Hannah Kent’s startling new novel tells the story of three women, drawn together to rescue a child from a superstitious community.
Nora, bereft after the death of her husband, finds herself alone and caring for her grandson Micheal, who can neither speak nor walk. A handmaid, Mary, arrives to help Nora just as rumors begin to spread that Micheal is a changeling child who is bringing bad luck to the valley. Determined to banish evil, Nora and Mary enlist the help of Nance, an elderly wanderer who understands the magic of the old ways.
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 follow-up to Burial Rites shows an author at the height of her powers.
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As with her previous work, ‘Burial Rites’, Kent has taken a true story & built characters to breathe new life into it, a talent which is both rare & unique. The research of her facts shines through, making this a wonderful tale of ancient beliefs in a changing world, where superstition clouds the minds of those who choose to have faith in it. I can’t wait to see what this author will be working on next & wait patiently for another masterpiece.
Set in 1826 in Ireland Co Kerry the reader is immersed into a world full of folklore and fairies. It’s not a case of reading the words but feeling them. So vivid is the writing that you can’t help but feel that you are there.
Recently widowed, Nora Leahy is left caring for he disabled son of her late daughter? But how can this be her grandson? Her grandson is well. Surely he must be fairy. With no-one to turn to but Nance Roche. Nance has “the knowledge” she knows the ways of “The Good People,” Nance will be able to return her grandson to her.
An incredible book and I look forward to reading whatever comes next from the author.
I adore Hannah Kent’s writing style. There is something about it that kept me up late turning the pages on this one. I didn’t find The Good People quite as riveting as Burial Rites, but having said that, I still couldn’t put it down. Once again the setting is in a harsh landscape, with desperately poor people on the very edge of survival. Based around the superstitions of early 19C Ireland, and set just before the start of the potato famine, it is a bleak setting indeed. But Hannah is so damn good at bringing characters and settings to life, even though you are cringing at the thought of what’s going to happen to these characters you can’t help but read on.
Review for The Good People, By Hannah Kent
This novel, set in Ireland, is based on a true story. It soured my idea of fairies being mainly benevolent creatures, if they exist. I find the idea of a fairy inhabiting the body of a child and spiriting away the child’s spirit disturbing. For those who lived in this superstitious era, the notion must have been terrifying. I wanted to dislike and condemn Nora for her thoughts and actions toward her young grandson, Michael, who the community deems a cretin for his disability of limb and speech. Nora believes herself to be a good and kind woman, but she thinks, “Perhaps we are only good when life makes it easy for us to be so.”—a statement worth considering.
I sympathized with Nance, the old woman who proclaims herself a healer of both natural and fairy ailments. Her aunt and teacher had told her, “Some folk are born different… on the outside of things, with a skin a little thinner, eyes a little keener to what goes unnoticed by most.” And Nance believed this rang true of her.
Nance sets out to help Nora reclaim her grandson. Along with the help of a young servant girl named Mary, they work to apply what Nance believes to be a cure for the boy. However, the “treatment” leaves Mary in doubt. She finds it harsh and sinful, but Nora and Nance are determined.
plot, story, and characters
strange punctuation – Single quote marks were used for dialogue, which I thought distracting and strange.
for minimal foul language and a mostly clean read
I enjoyed this fascinating novel and look forward to more books by Kent, a story-crafter who can immerse the reader in the setting and characters.
There is a superstition within me that even still, Ireland is fey. Buried in the bog of make believe, fairy tales are somehow as real as they have always been, always will be. Ireland’s people, its stories, seem touched by something otherworldly.
Hannah Kent has been away with the fairies. She has given tongue to the beauty of Eire with lilting phrase that is as keen as the wind in my hair, and grass beneath my feet. Herbal remedies and home cures. The age-old reverence of Mother Earth. I am transported back to the lives of my own ancestors, their whispered wishes and murmured prayers and I realise that the past is not so distant after all.
The book uncovers a yesterday that still holds the heartbeat of today, and to open the pages of the author’s second book is to glean a little of the desperate, dark beliefs of The Good People, and perhaps an almost forgotten glimpse of our own.
This author just gets better and better. Set in the 1820s in Ireland, it’s the story of a woman left to care for her severely disabled grandson. Wow.