The Walking People Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Irish Travellers and our BookBrowse Review of The Walking People.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

Introduction


Greta Cahill never believed she would leave her village in the west of Ireland until she found herself on a ship bound for New York, along with her sister Johanna and a boy named Michael Ward. Labeled a "softheaded goose" by her family, Greta discovers that in America she can fall in love, raise her own family, and earn a living. Though she longs to return and show her family what she has made of herself, her decision to spare her children knowledge of a secret in her past forces her to keep her life in New York separate from the life she once loved in Ireland, and tears her from the people she holds closest. Even fifty years later, when the Ireland of her memory bears little resemblance to that of the present day, she fears that it is still possible to lose all when she discovers that her children—with the best of intentions—have conspired to unite the worlds she's so carefully kept separate for decades.



Discussion Questions

1. Why do you think the author decided to call this book The Walking People? Discuss the possible meanings of the title.
2. The Walking People is a family saga that covers the years from 1956 to 2007. Did knowing from the start that Greta and Michael would end up married and settled in America change your experience as a reader?
3. In many ways, this is a story about mothers: Greta, Johanna, and their mother, Lilly; Michael and the early loss of his mother; Greta and her own children. What are some of the unusual features of motherhood in the novel? Do you think some of the unique situations make the family bonds stronger or more fragile?

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Mariner Books. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.