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The rough beauty of County Clare is seventeen-year-old Margaret Meehan’s whole world, and it is nearly perfect. Her family is well and thriving, farming Ireland’s staple crop. She expects to marry handsome Tom Riordan, raise their children, and live in a cottage across the lane from her best friend, Kitty Dooley. She has found her calling and is apprenticed to the old keener Nuala Lynch. Together they keen for the dead, wailing the grief and pain of the bereaved in hopes of healing their sorrow. Margaret’s life is full of hope, full of purpose. But the year is 1846. The potato blight has returned. Pitiful harvests rot overnight and the people are dying. Ireland is dying. And Margaret cannot keen for an entire country. Out of devastation, Margaret Meehan’s tale begins. Leaving her decimated family, the tragic Kitty, and the death of dreams behind, she flees with her husband, now a wanted man, to America. In Troy, New York, where pig iron, starched collars, and union banners herald the success of Irish immigrants, Margaret discovers something even more precious than a new life and modest prosperity. She finds the heart and soul of Ireland. And she finds it in the voice of . . . The Keeners . . . |
Reviews
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"…offers
a simple, inspiring portrait of one woman’s perseverance." "The
Keeners is a deftly woven tale populated with
memorably drawn characters and an engaging drama that grips
the reader's total attention from beginning to end. Highly
recommended reading." "Shaw weaves a rich tapestry, often with dark colors, yet integrates a poignant
tale as she takes the reader on a historical journey rife with misery and loss
but filled with the marvelous sense of family that held the Irish together. Her
characterizations make history come alive in this moving book." "Maura
D. Shaw writes a powerful novel that could move even a stone
to tears. The courageous story of Margaret Meehan and her struggles
for survival isn’t an unfamiliar one to lovers of Irish
history, but it is told in such a way that one feels as though
they are fighting right along with her." "The
Keeners is a bookshelf keeper. A book, a story,
you will want to read again, from a talented author who
respects her craft and cares about her readers and her subject." "If you like to read about Ireland and all her legends, charms and history,
this is the book for you. This is a worthwhile book." "Well-researched
facts, likeable characters and a compelling story are told between
the covers of The Keeners. Competently
written, Shaw writes a moving story that takes the reader through
the heartaches and joys and the decay and ressurection experienced
by the Irish during a time of revolution and turmoil." |
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