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A review by thehlb
The Graves Are Walking: The Great Famine and the Saga of the Irish People by John Kelly
3.0
This wasn't the book I thought it was going in. I think I was hoping for more personal stories about the famine and more particularly the migration of the Irish people. Instead I was presented with an extremely thorough and complicated history of the politics and policies which contributed to the needless deaths and emigration of millions of Irish (Including my ancestors).
It was extremely enlightening, though not a quick or easy read. The author goes in great detail in some areas and assumes prior knowledge on the part of the reader in the other. I had to keep my phone handy to frequently look up names, terms, and titles that I felt I still needed to better understand.
A good knowledge of nineteenth century British government and the landlord/tenant relationship and tax structure, as well as some history of the Catholic/Protestant issues of the time would be helpful in getting through the book with a more complete understanding.
It was extremely enlightening, though not a quick or easy read. The author goes in great detail in some areas and assumes prior knowledge on the part of the reader in the other. I had to keep my phone handy to frequently look up names, terms, and titles that I felt I still needed to better understand.
A good knowledge of nineteenth century British government and the landlord/tenant relationship and tax structure, as well as some history of the Catholic/Protestant issues of the time would be helpful in getting through the book with a more complete understanding.