Why read Walking with Ghosts?

Book cover of Walking with Ghosts

Book description

Walking with Ghosts is the stunningly evocative memoir by Irish actor and Hollywood star, Gabriel Byrne.

'Dreamy, lyrical and utterly unvarnished' - Colm Toibin

As a young boy growing up in the outskirts of Dublin, Gabriel Byrne sought refuge in a world of imagination among the fields and hills near…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Walking with Ghosts as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Cynthia Reeves

Author

I could love Byrne’s memoir strictly for its gorgeous language, but it’s so much more—the story of his life (thus far) is a remarkable recounting of an ascent from an ordinary childhood to a life of extraordinary accomplishment. The opening chapter literally propelled me into the Ireland of his youth. Through the precision and poetry of his descriptions, I could see, hear, taste, feel, and smell.

Beyond the language are Byrne’s deeply insightful observations of what living in his time and place has meant. I read the book first, then listened to the audiobook, narrated by Byrne himself. What a…

From Cynthia's 3 favorite reads in 2023.