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melissasprettybookshelf's review
4.0
This is an Irish coming of age story. It was a fun listen for the Irish accent alone. The FMC had so many hard life altering turns to navigate. It was written well because it was like listening to someone share their life experiences.
amysbrittain's review
4.0
Hanan's 1980s Irish coming-of-age story is full of angst, secrets, life-and-death danger, youthful determination--and the feeling that everything is going to work out in the end. 3.5 stars for me.
To see my full review on The Bossy Bookworm, or to find out about Bossy reviews and Greedy Reading Lists as soon as they're posted, please see My Heart Went Walking.
Young Una has only ever loved one man, her best friend Cullen. But now Una has abruptly left town, left her family, left Cullen--she's left behind everything she knows in a desperate attempt to make things right by keeping her mysterious suffering to herself.
She questions whether she's doing the right thing, meanwhile various complications--including the discovery of Cullen's new affection for her sister Ellie--keep her out of touch and determined to stand on her own two feet, no matter how difficult it is.
But when tragedy looms for Ellie, Una and the boy who broke each other's hearts must try to come back together and save Ellie somehow.
Set in 1980s Ireland between Donegal and Dublin, My Heart Went Walking follows the sisters and Cullen as they try to find redemption, to forgive, and to move forward into their futures with hope.
I loved the details of daily Irish life and the heartwarming found-family element. Hanan explores the fascinating, infuriating condemnation surrounding--and delicate navigation of the challenges of--teen pregnancy in that time and place.
For much of the book I wasn't quite clear on the status of the characters' evolving romantic loyalties and preferences. Did Una and Cullen still love each other, or was their connection naive and without basis beyond friendship? Were their new partners better fits, as they seemed? We didn't get to see Una and Cullen together for much of the book, so it was impossible to evaluate the strength of their romantic connection for ourselves, and this felt unsatisfying.
There's a primary setup of "I can't tell you this enormous, life-changing fact, so I'll run away, leaving you wondering" that is essential to the story but can feel frustrating. I questioned how both Cullen and Ellie conveniently didn't ponder the likely scenario or ask more questions as soon as doing so was possible--questions that would have immediately revealed the truth of Una's situation. In the middle of the book especially I found myself wanting more specifics than summary. (I also had a few nitpicky questions, such as: why would Ellie need an explanation of a Claddagh ring? This brief exposition seemed clearly to be present for the reader's illumination.)
But I absolutely loved how Una was a strong, determined, gritty young woman in the face of so many enormous challenges. The found-family element of My Heart Went Walking was heartwarming and a favorite aspect of mine.
In My Heart Went Walking, Una, Ellie, and Cullen cope with grave situations and life-and-death struggles that threaten to tear them apart. Some of the book's resolutions feel conveniently clean, but the tone of Hanan's book is such that it feels evident that the reader won't be left unsatisfied or facing loose ends at the end, and I ultimately liked having everything wrapped up with a bow at the conclusion of Hanan's story.
My Heart Went Walking was published February 5. I received a prepublication digital edition of this book courtesy of NetGalley and Fire Drinkers Publishing.
Find hundreds of reviews and lots of roundups of my favorite books on the blog: Bossy Bookworm
Follow me on Instagram! @bossybookwormblog
Or Facebook! The Bossy Bookworm
To see my full review on The Bossy Bookworm, or to find out about Bossy reviews and Greedy Reading Lists as soon as they're posted, please see My Heart Went Walking.
You can't keep a secret in this town unless you leave with it.
Young Una has only ever loved one man, her best friend Cullen. But now Una has abruptly left town, left her family, left Cullen--she's left behind everything she knows in a desperate attempt to make things right by keeping her mysterious suffering to herself.
She questions whether she's doing the right thing, meanwhile various complications--including the discovery of Cullen's new affection for her sister Ellie--keep her out of touch and determined to stand on her own two feet, no matter how difficult it is.
But when tragedy looms for Ellie, Una and the boy who broke each other's hearts must try to come back together and save Ellie somehow.
Set in 1980s Ireland between Donegal and Dublin, My Heart Went Walking follows the sisters and Cullen as they try to find redemption, to forgive, and to move forward into their futures with hope.
I loved the details of daily Irish life and the heartwarming found-family element. Hanan explores the fascinating, infuriating condemnation surrounding--and delicate navigation of the challenges of--teen pregnancy in that time and place.
For much of the book I wasn't quite clear on the status of the characters' evolving romantic loyalties and preferences. Did Una and Cullen still love each other, or was their connection naive and without basis beyond friendship? Were their new partners better fits, as they seemed? We didn't get to see Una and Cullen together for much of the book, so it was impossible to evaluate the strength of their romantic connection for ourselves, and this felt unsatisfying.
There's a primary setup of "I can't tell you this enormous, life-changing fact, so I'll run away, leaving you wondering" that is essential to the story but can feel frustrating. I questioned how both Cullen and Ellie conveniently didn't ponder the likely scenario or ask more questions as soon as doing so was possible--questions that would have immediately revealed the truth of Una's situation. In the middle of the book especially I found myself wanting more specifics than summary. (I also had a few nitpicky questions, such as: why would Ellie need an explanation of a Claddagh ring? This brief exposition seemed clearly to be present for the reader's illumination.)
But I absolutely loved how Una was a strong, determined, gritty young woman in the face of so many enormous challenges. The found-family element of My Heart Went Walking was heartwarming and a favorite aspect of mine.
In My Heart Went Walking, Una, Ellie, and Cullen cope with grave situations and life-and-death struggles that threaten to tear them apart. Some of the book's resolutions feel conveniently clean, but the tone of Hanan's book is such that it feels evident that the reader won't be left unsatisfied or facing loose ends at the end, and I ultimately liked having everything wrapped up with a bow at the conclusion of Hanan's story.
My Heart Went Walking was published February 5. I received a prepublication digital edition of this book courtesy of NetGalley and Fire Drinkers Publishing.
Find hundreds of reviews and lots of roundups of my favorite books on the blog: Bossy Bookworm
Follow me on Instagram! @bossybookwormblog
Or Facebook! The Bossy Bookworm
constantreader471's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars for a work of literary fiction that takes place in early 1980s rural Ireland. The book opens with Una Gallagher telling her mother that she is pregnant. Una is 16 and unmarried--still a source of shame in Donegal, Ireland. Her mother decides that she must give the baby up for adoption. Una flees to Dublin because she wants to keep the baby. How she manages to find help in Dublin from an unlikely source and keep her baby is a heartwarming story.
She eventually manages to reconnect with her family and the father after the first attempt goes awry, when she sees her younger sister and her boyfriend together. Her seeing the two of them a few moments after she gets gets off the bus from Dublin seemed a bit contrived when I read it, but it does work well with the rest of the story.
The author provides a glossary of Irish terms and English equivalents which is helpful if you are not from Ireland.
One quote: Ellie, Una's sister: "Sometimes I feel like I'm just watching us happen, like I'm an actor in a movie and all this loved and stuff is part of someone else's life."
Thanks to Sally Hanan and Fire Drinkers Publishing for sending me this eARC through NetGalley.
#Irishfiction #NetGalley
She eventually manages to reconnect with her family and the father after the first attempt goes awry, when she sees her younger sister and her boyfriend together. Her seeing the two of them a few moments after she gets gets off the bus from Dublin seemed a bit contrived when I read it, but it does work well with the rest of the story.
The author provides a glossary of Irish terms and English equivalents which is helpful if you are not from Ireland.
One quote: Ellie, Una's sister: "Sometimes I feel like I'm just watching us happen, like I'm an actor in a movie and all this loved and stuff is part of someone else's life."
Thanks to Sally Hanan and Fire Drinkers Publishing for sending me this eARC through NetGalley.
#Irishfiction #NetGalley
portybelle's review
4.0
I so enjoyed My Heart Went Walking. The story of Una, Ellie and Cullen was told in a very compelling way. There was such a complicated situation with Cullen. As you’ll guess from the book information, he is the love interest for both sisters but probably not in the way you might be thinking. That’s so vague isn’t it, but I don’t want to give anything away.
Una, our main character, is such a strong woman. She is in a very difficult situation, a situation very much frowned upon in 1908s Ireland, and she makes brave choices. She had to decide whether to tell the while truth of her situation with the devastating fallout that would cause. I really admired her tenacity and the way she made positive decisions for herself which led her to a very different kind of life she might not have expected. I adored Catherine and Des for the unconditional love, kindness and support they gave to Una.
The author has captured the setting of 1980s Ireland so well I feel, though I am not myself Irish. The expectations of family and community are clear. Being a teenager myself in the 80s, I enjoyed the references to the music, fashion and contemporary issues of the times There was a lot of warmth and humour even though there are some very difficult times for the characters. The author made her characters feel authentically Irish to me, not least through the dialogue. There’s a very helpful glossary of Irish words and phrases for readers who might not be familiar with some terms, although many have an American ‘translation’.
While My Heart Went Walking has its tense and poignant moments, it is a warm, emotional and uplifting book. I’d be keen to read more by Sally Hanan, who has a natural storytelling style. My Heart Went Walking is a beautifully written novel about the ties of family and of love.
Una, our main character, is such a strong woman. She is in a very difficult situation, a situation very much frowned upon in 1908s Ireland, and she makes brave choices. She had to decide whether to tell the while truth of her situation with the devastating fallout that would cause. I really admired her tenacity and the way she made positive decisions for herself which led her to a very different kind of life she might not have expected. I adored Catherine and Des for the unconditional love, kindness and support they gave to Una.
The author has captured the setting of 1980s Ireland so well I feel, though I am not myself Irish. The expectations of family and community are clear. Being a teenager myself in the 80s, I enjoyed the references to the music, fashion and contemporary issues of the times There was a lot of warmth and humour even though there are some very difficult times for the characters. The author made her characters feel authentically Irish to me, not least through the dialogue. There’s a very helpful glossary of Irish words and phrases for readers who might not be familiar with some terms, although many have an American ‘translation’.
While My Heart Went Walking has its tense and poignant moments, it is a warm, emotional and uplifting book. I’d be keen to read more by Sally Hanan, who has a natural storytelling style. My Heart Went Walking is a beautifully written novel about the ties of family and of love.
beachburgmom's review
4.0
This is a heartwarming coming of age story. I really enjoyed reading this book and found it hard to put down. It shows the beautiful side of those who step up and offer help without knowing someone and in the end the help they give is being given back to them ten fold.
It’s a story of young love and then life taking a turn and in the end finding yourself and letting go of what you thought you wanted or needed and realizing it’s changed and what you need is right in front of you. It’s a story about family and heartache.....and the resolutions that come from tragedy.
I found it to be a well written book and I loved and felt the emotion from the characters.....
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily
It’s a story of young love and then life taking a turn and in the end finding yourself and letting go of what you thought you wanted or needed and realizing it’s changed and what you need is right in front of you. It’s a story about family and heartache.....and the resolutions that come from tragedy.
I found it to be a well written book and I loved and felt the emotion from the characters.....
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily
multicoloredbookreviews's review against another edition
2.0
Full disclosure: I didn't much like this book.
My Heart Went Waking is a tale about a teenage girl who falls unexpectedly pregnant after a drunken bout of rolling in the
Here's my issue with it: I felt it was too superficial. It proposed interesting, complex topics, such as teenage pregnancy, first time love and relationships, messy family dynamics, life changing and life threatening illnesses, guilt and self-doubt, etc. And therein lied the problem. This book attempted to tackle so many topics, that in the end did a poor job of properly exploring any one of them. There's this saying in Spanish: "Quien mucho abarca, poco aprieta", which has a half way meaning somewhere between "Jack of all trades, master of none" and "Don't bite off more than you can chew".
All of these plot lines also made the story very messy. There were just too many things going wrong for too many characters all at the same time. It made the story progression very jumpy. On top of that, the writing was quite inconsistent in the character's personalities. Conversations, reactions and emotions were all over the place. Pieces of dialogue came seemingly out of nowhere from time to time, and a lot of their responses felt out of character from what I'd grown to expect from them. Not even the eye color of the male main character was consistent. We cycled through blue, brown and green within the first third of the book.
I also felt a lot of good opportunities for drama went to waste, while silly stuff was played up. The reveal of Cullen being the father should have been one of the major climaxes, it had huge potential for being emotional and heartbreaking, but the author went another route and the result was decidedly a plain lukewarm reveal. While on the topic of the baby, I'm not happy with how that was done either. Kieran felt like little more that a background prop. A plot element seldom brought to the forefront. Una largely lived her life, and freely moved around like he didn't even exist most of the time. It didn't seem realistic. I expected the baby to be a lot more prominent and a more central part of the story and Una's new life.
I don't know that the whole "Ireland’s changing culture of the ‘80s" came across all that much, but I certainly appreciated the pronunciation guide and glossary at the beginning of the book.
Ultimately, I was unsatisfied with how this book was executed and wish the ending would have been different. I feel a bittersweet ending would have fit better and been more realistic.
Spoiler
This story reminded me a lot of Little Women, except worse, because here both main characters were in love with each other before the misunderstanding happened and the sister swooped in. At least, in Louisa May Alcott's novel, Jo wasn't romantically interested in Teddy. If I were to re-write this, Una and Cullen would have had a big falling out, she would have run away and had the baby, he would have fallen madly in love with the sister, found out the baby was his, been royally hurt and pissed off and then the sister would have actually died of leukemia. Then, in their shared grief, they would have found their way back to each other. Hurt, guilt, self-loathing, angst and bittersweet moments. Not the shiny, glittery, bow-wrapped ending we got. But that's just me**I received a advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Netgalley and Fire Drinkers Publishing for the opportunity**
jaded618's review
5.0
What a beautiful book about love and finding yourself and where you fit in life.
I love Ireland so much. So I was excited to read this book and just imagine being there again. The characters were interesting and full of life.
I love Ireland so much. So I was excited to read this book and just imagine being there again. The characters were interesting and full of life.
sadiereadsagain's review against another edition
3.0
It's the 1980's, and in rural Ireland we meet 16 year old Una, who has just found out that she is pregnant. The baby is her best friend's, but she doesn't want to tell him in fear of it ruining the plans he has for his life. Her mum is determined that she will go to a home run by nuns in order to put the baby up for adoption, but Una doesn't want to do this. So she runs away to Dublin, where no one can find her. We follow her as she makes a new life, as well as what happens in the lives of those she has left behind.
I wanted to read this after adoring [a:Tish Delaney|19633414|Tish Delaney|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]'s [b:Before My Actual Heart Breaks|50787607|Before My Actual Heart Breaks|Tish Delaney|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1585839988l/50787607._SY75_.jpg|73692341] last year. The premise gave me similar vibes, but in reality this is a much lighter, more commercial version. That isn't a criticism, as this book was fun and enjoyable to read. It did bring up some good points about finding yourself pregnant at a young age too, ones which felt authentic and to which I could relate. But it's also a total fairy tale version of that situation - for Una, things conveniently fall into place. Tough times do happen in this book, for Una's sister especially, but the bitter is tempered with the sweet in a way which, although heart-warming, was a bit too neat for my expectations. Still, this is a nice, cosy read with some very well-drawn characters and a nice sense of place.
I received a NetGalley of this title from Fire Drinkers Publishing in return for a review. All opinions are my own.
I wanted to read this after adoring [a:Tish Delaney|19633414|Tish Delaney|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]'s [b:Before My Actual Heart Breaks|50787607|Before My Actual Heart Breaks|Tish Delaney|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1585839988l/50787607._SY75_.jpg|73692341] last year. The premise gave me similar vibes, but in reality this is a much lighter, more commercial version. That isn't a criticism, as this book was fun and enjoyable to read. It did bring up some good points about finding yourself pregnant at a young age too, ones which felt authentic and to which I could relate. But it's also a total fairy tale version of that situation - for Una, things conveniently fall into place. Tough times do happen in this book, for Una's sister especially, but the bitter is tempered with the sweet in a way which, although heart-warming, was a bit too neat for my expectations. Still, this is a nice, cosy read with some very well-drawn characters and a nice sense of place.
I received a NetGalley of this title from Fire Drinkers Publishing in return for a review. All opinions are my own.
danak's review
3.0
A beautifully written book about a protagonist who unfortunately really got up my nose! I had to keep reminding myself that she was only a teenager - but some of the self-centered choices she makes and the constant inner whining I found terribly grating.
thechristinereads's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you for NetGalley for giving me a copy of this book.
This is my first literary fiction and I loved it.
This is my first literary fiction and I loved it.