Sign in with Facebook
Berengaria's Reviews > Walk the Blue Fields
Walk the Blue Fields
by
by
3.5 stars
Not bad.
I think you'd rather have to be Irish, preferably rural Irish, to really get everything there is to get out of the 8 stories in this collection, however.
For non-Irish, terms and even entire sections of dialog can be hard to follow or downright unintelligible, making it difficult to appreciate scenes or interactions which may (or may not) be key to understanding.
With that said, the writing quality is impressively high and the prose in many of the stories fairly sings in the description of rural Irish life.
Some stories make use of Irish folk belief and mythology, others are realistic and sober portrayals of farming existences. Some are 30 pages in length, others are only 10. All are lyrically superb.
As seems to be typical, the stories get better as they go along. The best being in the back, the weakest at the start. Unfortunately, some of the shorter stories succumb to those vague obtuse endings that leave you wondering what the story was supposed to be about and/or if it had a point at all. Others very clearly have a point, or are simply enjoyable yarns.
The best for me are:
Walk the Blue Fields
Close to the Water's Edge
Night of the Quicken Trees
and my favourite: The Forester's Daughter
the remaining ones: Meh. Not really for me.
Recommended for fans of well-done short stories or Irish literature/ stories about Irish life.
Not bad.
I think you'd rather have to be Irish, preferably rural Irish, to really get everything there is to get out of the 8 stories in this collection, however.
For non-Irish, terms and even entire sections of dialog can be hard to follow or downright unintelligible, making it difficult to appreciate scenes or interactions which may (or may not) be key to understanding.
With that said, the writing quality is impressively high and the prose in many of the stories fairly sings in the description of rural Irish life.
Some stories make use of Irish folk belief and mythology, others are realistic and sober portrayals of farming existences. Some are 30 pages in length, others are only 10. All are lyrically superb.
As seems to be typical, the stories get better as they go along. The best being in the back, the weakest at the start. Unfortunately, some of the shorter stories succumb to those vague obtuse endings that leave you wondering what the story was supposed to be about and/or if it had a point at all. Others very clearly have a point, or are simply enjoyable yarns.
The best for me are:
Walk the Blue Fields
Close to the Water's Edge
Night of the Quicken Trees
and my favourite: The Forester's Daughter
the remaining ones: Meh. Not really for me.
Recommended for fans of well-done short stories or Irish literature/ stories about Irish life.
Sign into Goodreads to see if any of your friends have read
Walk the Blue Fields.
Sign In »
Reading Progress
August 7, 2022
–
Started Reading
August 7, 2022
– Shelved
August 10, 2022
–
20.83%
"So far, not terribly impressed. A little too "vague modernist" style for me, but I'm persisting in reading more short story collections, so....we'll see."
page
40
August 15, 2022
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-4 of 4 (4 new)
date
newest »
newest »
Lizp wrote: "I’m not rural Irish and I adored these beautifully written short stories.I am originally city Irish, having spent almost 32 of my 58 years in Western Australia."
Ah, you're another expat like me! I've been 27 years in Germany although I come from the Southern US.
As I said, *preferably* rural Irish, but Irish at any rate, like yourself.
As an American, I had a very difficult time understanding conversations or some dialog exchanges which would probably seem quite natural and clear to those who know the settings Keegan is writing about. Made it hard to appreciate the stories completely due to that.
And I totally agree - the writing is absolutely wonderful!
Ha! very interesting how we appreciate the opposites. 🥰
I am originally city Irish, having spent almost 32 of my 58 years in Western Australia.