Eyes That Do Not See is a sweet little book based almost entirely on journals written by the author's great grandmother, Mary Ann Jones Kearney, and retelling stories from the life of her husband, Henry Charles Kearney. And what a life! In many ways, Henry's life and story encompasses the time period in which he lived - the Irish famine, the so-called "coffin ships' filled with Irish immigrants and refugees, the horror of the US Civil War, and the trials of homesteading as Americans made their way West.

Although it is clear the author augmented his ancestor's journals with relevant facts and context, Mary Ann's voice comes through loud and clear, and lends a non-nonsense hardtack touch to the story. it's easy to imagine you are reading the original entries while sitting around the fire. And, when the author did insert himself into the story, it added value and felt organic rather than contrived.

That said, there is little sophistication to the writing, and there are, at times, large gaps which the reader is forced to fill on their own. I found it authentic and charming, but other readers may not agree.

As a genealogist and fan of family and local history, Eyes That Do Not See ticked off a lot of boxes for me. It provided deep and genuine insight into a specific time and experience, and helped me put my own family history into a deeper and more visceral context - always a win!

I would have appreciated a simple family tree for reference, especially as the Kearney family grew and expanded, however that's likely the genealogist in me wanting more information.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Again, it is a sweet story, and one that deserves to be shared.

I knew I had to read this book because I love that time era. This was a book I didn’t want to put down! I recommend this for your next read.

I received a copy from Netgalley for my honest review.

From days as a potato farmer's child during the blight, to a County Cork workhouse, to living with his shoemaker grandfather who wouldn't speak to him, Henry Charles Kearney had a very rough start. The boy would leave his home country of Ireland to travel by "coffin ship" to the United States by himself. Unable to read and write, in later years his wife, Mary Ann Jones Kearney, would fill notebooks with the stories he told about his childhood, workhouse, training and racing horses, as a Civil War soldier and then she recorded the family experiences living as homesteaders. What a life.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and NetGalley and this is my own unsolicited opinion about it. The book, written by Kent Kearney, the great, great grandson of Henry, is to me, an important piece of Irish American history. It is emotional, filled with historical value and makes me think of my own Irish ancestors along with those of my husband. I deeply appreciate that the Kearney family shares Henry's life in novel form with readers who are proud of their Irish heritage. It filled this reader with emotion about the suffering that was endured by a people who were also persecuted and enslaved by others. Henry is a person who rose above many horrendous experiences, including great tragedy and persevered. This is a story worth reading for many reasons.

What a remarkable story, all the more so for being true & well worth recording : thankyou, Mary Ann! An absolute gift for future generations, finding such a trove to learn about their family’s journey.
This is very well-written & easy to read, it is quite possible to finish it in one sitting as it certainly holds the interest.
Although I have read a great many books on Irish history, this has taught me from an ‘insider’s’, Irish point of view. (I hadn’t realised they had been forbidden by the English to be educated at all, even to learn to read & write!) It certainly does give some understanding to their attitude today...
Likewise with the American Civil War – despite all my reading over the years, I really hadn’t thought about what the future was like for the men who lost limbs, or eyesight, & were unable to return to their previous occupations.
I loved the 7 Ls, & appreciated the additional history notes at the end of the book. Definitely recommended!

It was an interesting read that I never knew about. I learned many new things about the Irish way of life.
It kept me engaged throughout the whole book.
With excellent writing, this new to me author has brought an historic figure to life.
However, there were some parts that did drag a bit. But that's ok too.
This man and his family had a hard life, but I enjoyed reading about their journey.
There was hope, fear, love, and liberty.
4 stars for some excellent writing. I recommend this novel that will teach you many things that school did not.
I really enjoyed the author's notes at the end. To me, that was a special touch. They are what makes a book that much more interesting.
My thanks for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I was very interested in this book as I have Irish ancestry myself and am always looking for books that are historically correct about Ireland. This book was a good read following the life of young Henry Kearney. His life is forever impacted by the great Potato Famine, losing his family and emigrating to the US. He gets caught up in the civil war and later becomes a Homesteader in Nebraska. The only issue I have with the book is that after following in great detail Henry's escapades the chapter about his death seemed very brief and skimmed over. There was a lot about his relationship with horses and how that shaped his life. I would have liked more about his feelings towards his family.

Eyes That Do Not See

I liked this book. The book is Eyes That Do Not See by Kent Kearney, I thank Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for letting me read it in return for an honest review.

The story reminds us of the types of things many of our ancestors endured to find a better life for both them and their descendants.

In this case it was a boy who survived the Irish potato famine, traveled to the United States, got caught in our Civil War, and later homesteaded on the plains of Nebraska. In summary, lots of bad luck with a few lucky breaks.

Although this story featured an Irish immigrant and his experiences, there are probably parts that someone with non-Irish ancestors, or Irish ancestors who had very different experiences, can identify with. For example, many of my Irish ancestors came decades after the famine and settled in New York City. For those less familiar with some events in the book, there is an Appendix at the end of the book which tells you a bit about them as well as a list of books if you want to learn more.

The book is well-written and tells the story of one family but shows us a bit of what our ancestors went through. The Kindle version is a great deal (at least when I checked).

Only at 25%, but this is highly recommended. I’m addicted to reading it. Will update as I continue/finish.

Chapter 8 mentions a Maximillian O’Toole who instructs Hank/Henry regarding the tanning process.

At 35%. Better than historical fiction. Still loving this one!

So at chapter 23 (approx 70%), I decided to jump to the end and read authors notes or acknowledgements. Oops … this book is based on Kent Kearney’s great grandfather, but is his first novel. (The cover clearly indicates A NOVEL.) I feel that I’ve learned more about the Irish from this book than any that I’ve ever read. Even though it is historical fiction, I’m still loving this book and really enjoying the unique writing style. Pretty sure that I’ll have it finished tonight.

Yep. Finished tonight. I really enjoyed Eyes That Do Not See. (From the Biography at the end of the book) Kent Kearney (the author) and his daughter took a trip to Ireland in an attempt to find out more about his great grandfather Henry Kearney, but were largely unsuccessful. They found little about him but learned a great deal about the history of Ireland. This book brought that history to life and it seemed so personal. I'm so glad that I read Eyes That Do Not See.

Publication date was May 9, 2023. Thank you to NetGalley for (yet once again) introducing me to a "new to me" (and everyone else) debut author Kent Kearney. This honest review is in exchange for the opportunity to read the advance read copy. Thank you to publisher The Happy Self Publisher for approving my NetGalley request.