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The Graves Are Walking: The Great Famine and the Saga of the Irish People Audiobook
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(3.07) - 194 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
It started in 1845 and lasted six years. Before it was over, more than one million men, women, and children starved to death and another million fled the country. Measured in terms of mortality, the Great Irish Potato Famine was one of the worst disasters in the nineteenth century—it claimed twice as many lives as the American Civil War. A perfect storm of bacterial infection, political greed, and religious intolerance sparked this catastrophe. But even more extraordinary than its scope were its political underpinnings, and The Graves Are Walking provides fresh material and analysis on the role that nineteenth-century evangelical Protestantism played in shaping British policies and on Britain's attempt to use the famine to reshape Irish society and character.
Perhaps most important, this is ultimately a story of triumph over perceived destiny: for fifty million Americans of Irish heritage, the saga of a broken people fleeing crushing starvation and remaking themselves in a new land is an inspiring story of exoneration.
Based on extensive research and written with novelistic flair, The Graves Are Walking draws a portrait that is both intimate and panoramic, that captures the drama of individual lives caught up in an unimaginable tragedy, while imparting a new understanding of the famine's causes and consequences.
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"Whether or not you have Irish blood, this is a fascinating, horrible, revealing period of history. I now understand the 19th century, from the perspective of the frequently forgotten small farmer, laborer, and craftsman on a deeper level and this understanding includes the immigrants to Canada, Boston, and Staten Island, New York, where three of my great grandparents landed. Terrific book, but certainly sad reading."
— Nonnie (5 out of 5 stars)
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[Kelly's] exhaustive research covers every aspect, threading the gruesome events into a huge panoramic tapestry that reveals political greed lurking behind the pestilence.
— Publishers Weekly Starred Review
The Graves Are Walking Listener Reviews
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" A little too political for my taste, wanted to know more about the plight of the people and less about the political power issues of the time. "
— Motheaten, 2/16/2014 -
" Historical. Traces Irish famine causes and responses. Confirms for me that my Irish ancestors must have been Anglo-Irish Protestants most likely. "
— Chrismcginn, 2/1/2014 -
" The research for this book is unbelievable, very detailed. The book, however, was a bit boaring. "
— John, 1/25/2014 -
" An absorbing work of imminently readable non-fiction; it was well-researched and deeply engaging, but the abrupt ending left me wanting. Still, it's a fascinating account of the social and political forces that helped create an unmitigated calamity in mid 19th century Ireland. "
— Ayne, 1/17/2014 -
" A highly approachable text which goes on one of the best books I have read this year list. John Kelly is an author who can take a subject matter such as the great famine and make it a very compelling read! Bravo! "
— Greg, 1/15/2014 -
" Dense, and sometimes chronologically meandering, but well worth the read. This will be a future purchase, for sure. "
— Amy, 1/12/2014 -
" A very readable and often infuriating history of the Irish potato famine. "
— Randi, 12/20/2013 -
" Not always the easiest to read but a great narrative using notes and letters from the time period. The book picks up steam as you progress. I highly recommend. "
— Dave, 12/4/2013 -
" A very good, even book on a complex subject "
— Tom, 11/14/2013 -
" Of course, this was a sad book. I found it cumbersome to get through. Too many wrong decisions and not enough help for the people. Politics........ "
— Susan, 11/2/2013 -
" Could not get through it. Pretty depressing subject .... a bit repetitive "
— Marie, 9/27/2013 -
" Utterly depressing, but a fascinating read. "
— McLaren, 8/10/2013 -
" Very good book. What a horrific time, 1 million dead, and 2 million fled. Ireland's population reduced by one third. As a fourth generation Irish-American, this book made me appreciate all that my Irish ancestors went through so that I could be born and raised in America. "
— Bridget, 7/7/2013 -
" Interesting book about how vegetables run our lives and society. "
— Barbara, 2/12/2013 -
" An amazing account of the Irish famine, with echoes of today when it comes to dealing with disasters. "
— Art, 11/14/2012 -
" Not for the faint-hearted - this is an in-depth study on the Irish Potato Famine. "
— Melisende, 10/22/2012
About John Kelly
John Kelly is an independent scholar specializing in the intersection of European history with health, human behavior, and science. His books include The Graves Are Walking: The Great Famine and the Saga of the Irish People, The Most Devastating Plague of all Time, Three on the Edge, and Never Surrender: Winston Churchill and Britain’s Decision to Fight Nazi Germany in the Fateful Summer of 1940, among others.
About Gerard Doyle
Gerard Doyle, a seasoned audio narrator, he has been awarded dozens of AudioFile Earphones Awards, was named a Best Voice in Young Adult Fiction in 2008, and won the prestigious Audie Award for best narration. He was born of Irish parents and raised and educated in England. In Great Britain he has enjoyed an extensive career in both television and repertory theater and toured nationally and internationally with the English Shakespeare Company. He has appeared in London’s West End in the gritty musical The Hired Man. In America he has appeared on Broadway in The Weir and on television in New York Undercover and Law & Order. He has taught drama at Ross School for the several years.