A wonderfully atmospheric and compelling exploration of religion, folklore and superstition in an impoverished small Irish village in the early 1800s, the book is based on a real life incident, which for me made it even more intriguing. The author has done her research and manages to really penetrate into the hearts and minds of these poor, often illiterate peasant families, caught between the teachings of the Church and the old beliefs about changelings, fairies and The Good People. It’s a slow-moving tale but I found that worked well to really get inside the lives of the main characters, most of whom I found credible and convincing. This isolated community felt very authentic and my heart went out to their plight when faced with problems that seem to have no solutions or explanations. A really absorbing and thought-provoking novel.

An emotional realistic tale that is hard not to recommend

I admit I had not completely fallen in the enchanted tangle of Icelandic atmosphere and true life inspiration that bound together the 2013 historical bestseller Burial Rites. Perhaps it was just my reading tastes at the time and not to upset anyone but I found it very easy to put down. I just needed something more than the limited cold scents and bones of characters to keep me coming back and Ms. Kent’s second novel provided this wary reader with all she has been hoping for and even a few hidden tricks to delight along the way. Simply The Good People is an emotional realistic tale that is hard not to recommend to anyone who has been waiting for a good old fashioned story that is told in elegant prose with varied personalities you love to hate but oddly care about. In this yarn the reader is confronted with multiple topics but mostly grief, religion, old beliefs and what can ensue when one suspicious threat overbalances everything we think we hold dear. Like Burial Rites inspiration is taken directly from a true regional bygone crime and in The Good People harrowing events of June 1826 in rural Ireland are spread out in fiction with liberal drams of herb lore, powerful Irish superstition, proverbs and dangers of kin suspicions.

For this reader, there were a few negatives mostly the stiff and awkward presented dialogue, periodic measured pace and the ending felt incomplete. Usually those disappointing points would have me rating a novel lower but The Good People had one or two tricks waiting cleverly in plain sight and I couldn’t help but raise my overall final impression when I encountered memories of reading The Witch of Blackbird Pond for the first time as Nance and Mary made their initial appearances. I also enjoyed discovering the potential of endless discussions this novel could provide and my fellow nurses have already debated long into the night over this story. This type of novel is not for everyone there are some very disturbing scenes that can overstep boundaries of comfort but it is well worth reading and if you are like me and the book description is calling to you with possibilities- you may find yourself in another place and time on the first page and by the final swept by The Good People.

*I would like to thank NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for the opportunity to read and enjoy The Good People

The Good People, is not your typical "Fairy Tale", but a fairy tale it is indeed.

A magical story of Irish Folklore set in the background of the modern 1820 Ireland. A time when the world was changing, Christianity set against Paganism. "Learned " people set against the "ignorant" people.
3 outcast women set together in the midst of heartache with one common goal: To cure an ailing child. But with a new Priest preaching against the beliefs of the old world, what cost will these woman pay for the sake of their beliefs.
This story makes the reader come face to face with their own beliefs, makes them answer the question:
"''Twas it the "Fairy" people?" " or " Was it the will of God?"

I very much enjoyed this book, I devoured it in one sitting. I recommend this book to people who love the mystical, mysterious & not so merry, fairy tale.

Fear and superstition take center stage in this novel of 19th century Ireland. After losing her husband, a heartbroken Nora begins caring for her grandson Michael, who was always a happy and healthy child. But since the death of both his mother and grandfather, the boy will not speak or even walk. Nora is joined by serving girl Mary as they try to help Michael and deflect the growing tide of rumor that casts Micheal as a changeling, guilty of causing death and misfortune. In desperation, Nora turns to elderly Nance, a woman once known as a healer to ask her to banish the “evil” in Michael. In a fight against the Church, prejudice and ignorance, three women battle for the life and soul of a child. Kent does for rural Ireland what she did for Iceland in Burial Rites in this stark and mesmerizing story