The Good People Audiobook By Hannah Kent cover art

The Good People

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The Good People

By: Hannah Kent
Narrated by: Caroline Lennon
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Short-listed for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction

From the author of Burial Rites, "a literary novel with the pace and tension of a thriller that takes us on a frightening journey towards an unspeakable tragedy." (Paula Hawkins, best-selling author of The Girl on the Train)

Based on true events in 19th-century Ireland, Hannah Kent's startling new novel tells the story of three women drawn together to rescue child from a superstitious community.

Nóra, bereft after the death of her husband, finds herself alone and caring for her grandson, Micheál, who can neither speak nor walk. A handmaid, Mary, arrives to help Nóra just as rumours begin to spread that Micheál is a changeling child who is bringing bad luck to the valley. Determined to banish evil, Nóra and Mary enlist the help of Nance, an elderly wanderer who understands the magic of the old ways.

Set in a lost world bound by its own laws, The Good People is Hannah Kent's startling new novel about absolute belief and devoted love.

Terrifying, thrilling, and moving in equal measure, this follow-up to Burial Rites shows an author at the height of her powers.

©2017 Hannah Kent (P)2017 Hachette Audio Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Suspense Thriller & Suspense Fiction Exciting Heartfelt Scary Mystery

Critic reviews

"The novel is thrillingly alive to the dynamic of poor, close-knit communities, where fear of the outsider trumps reason and compassion." ( Metro)
"Faith, folk-knowledge, and fear coalesce in remote 19th-century Ireland in this second novel from Kent.... Though rife with description, backstory, and a surfeit of gossip, the book's pervasive sense of foreboding and clear narrative arcs keep the tale immersive. Kent leads the listener on a rocky, disquieting journey to the misty crossroads of Irish folk beliefs past and future." ( Publishers Weekly)
"An imaginative tour-de-force that recreates a way of perceiving the world with extraordinary vividness...With its exquisite prose, this harrowing, haunting narrative of love and suffering is sure to be a prize-winner." ( Daily Mail)
Well-written Story • Beautiful Prose • Lyrical Writing • Well-crafted Characters • Compelling Storyline • Artful Voicing
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Wonderful book. The visual images alone are worth the time and effort. Add a well-crafted story, characters with depth, historical fidelity and elegant prose, this book had it all.

Poetry in Fiction

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Beautiful writing & story, though may be hard to stomach a few parts for some. Creepy & mysterious enough that you have to get to the end to figure it out. I was hoping that the last few pages would be different or have an unsuspected twist. But I still Loved it, will definitely keep going to chat gpt for these hidden gem recommendations lol

Secretly was hoping for a different ending but it is still a great story

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I absolutely love this author. The narrator does an excellent job. The story is compelling.

Historical fiction at it's best.

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The Good People was very well written and performed, which is usually enough for me to be able to enjoy a book, however, the story was so depressing that I really struggled making myself get through it.

Well written but so depressing

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This book is a little out of my reading comfort zone but I chose it for just that reason. It is well written and and narration is spot on. Why did I rate the story with a mediocre 3 stars you ask?
The story line is interesting and the characters are well developed. However, about midway through, the author took a turn and added so much folklore and superstitions from the time period that it became hard to follow and the characters got a little lost.

Overboard????

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Even better on the second read / listen. Can't wait for more from Hannah Kent.

Poignantly beautiful.

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What did you love best about The Good People?

Hannah Kent is great at making characters come to life. Caroline Lennon added to that with her wonderful narration. Definitely recommending this book to others!

Another great book from Hannah Kent!

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The Good People is a book worth your time to listen. The story is good, filled with Hannah Kent detail & lovey prose. The narration could not be better. Hearing it made me want to learn to speak Irish Gaelic! The only reason I gave it 3 stars instead of 5 is that I had set my expectations too high.

I absorbed Burial Rites. You know how it is when you are looking for a book & happen onto one that you think will be a nice distraction, instead becoming lost in it. I unintentionally compared The Good People to Burial Rites from the start, which only led to my “meh” attitude.

Give this book a shot, without pre-judgement. I will dive into Hannah Kent’s next book with an open mind.

My expectations were too high

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I had read "Burial Rites" by Hannah Kent and absolutely love her writing and wanted more so I decided to read "The Good People". I did enjoy the book and did not struggle to finish it. I gave it 3 stars overall because there were a few times in the story I felt like parts of the story were added as filler and would have been better left out. I loved how the author really drove home how powerful our beliefs can be and how critical our support systems are in times of need.

interesting

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the book was a good study of women on educated disempowered believing in Superstition of the era no different than believing in the superstitions of Christianity of that same era. I loved Hannah Kent's previous book burial rites it is truly my number one top favorite book. this book didn't quite have the depth of character creation or story.

not as brilliant as Burial Rites

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