Wild Geese, the sequel to the Governor General's Award winning novel Greener Grass, follows Kit Byrne and her friend Mick O'Toole after fleeing famine-ravaged Ireland. Across the Atlantic aboard a notorious "coffin ship", through quarantine, and into the heart of North America, the two displaced teenagers endure storms, epidemics, and discrimination. Desperate to find her family in the New World, Kit is willing to sacrifice everything, even her love for Mick, to reunite the remaining orphaned Byrnes children. Jack and Annie are out there somewhere and Kit will not stop searching until she finds them and her family is together again.
The original "Wild Geese" were Irish soldiers fighting outside of Ireland, but the term later came to encompass all expatriate Irish. People fighting for survival a long, long way from home. People like Kit. This is her Wild Geese story.
"Kit's first-person present-tense narrative is as beautifully simple and lyrical as it was in the first book: "Time to go home, no home to go to . . . with nothing to our names but the tales we tell." The elemental story of immigration will touch readers."
— Booklist
"More engaging than the earlier title if for no other reason than more happens to Kit sooner. In this volume, Kit is always an active participant-she is not simply observing her family and neighbors. A historical novel, a young adult coming-of-age tale, an adventure yarn, a story of faith and love, all of these describe Wild Geese and will draw a wide audience."
— VOYA
"Although this title can stand alone, reading the first book will certainly enhance understanding of this harrowing, realistic look at the immigrant Irish experience. Actual relief workers of the era play important roles, and an author's note offers more information about them and some of the places Kit visits on her journey."
— Kirkus
"One of the best ways to approach leaning history is to read a well-written and carefully researched historical novel. Pignat brings to life an era in pre-Confederation Canadian history through this tale of Irish immigrants while also keeping readers in suspense as Kit's life moves from one adventure to the next. . . Pignat has continued Kit's story with both empathy and enthusiasm and leaves readers satisfied yet yearning to remain with Kit and Mick as their new life in Bytown begins. The wild geese may well have come home to stay, but readers will hope that the story doesn't end there and that Pignat will add to the series and continue to delight her fans.
Highly Recommended."
— CM Magazine
Caroline Pignat was born in Dublin and raised in Ottawa, Caroline Pignat teaches grade 12 Writer's Craft and grade 11 English in Ottawa. She a two-time winner of the Governor General's Award, winning for Greener Grass as well as The Gospel Truth. She has also written the critically acclaimed young adult novels Egghead, Timber Wolf and Wild Geese.
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