The sub title of the book is The Life of an Irish Travelling Woman
Told through the voice of Nan. We hear about how travelers lived, their crafts, where they came from, and how and why they ended up in the countryside. Nan was a Traveler, sometimes living in tents, sometimes a wagon or barn or at times just under the sky. To earn a living the travelers would mend tinware, sweep chimneys, sell household goods, tell fortunes or get employment as home helps and farm laborers.
The author first met Nan in the 1970s. Over a period of several years Nan told her the story of her life, of how she traveled through Ireland and England, countryside and city slums. She had more than her fair share of heartbreak but also times of luck.
Nan had a very tough life, had 18 children and suffered at the hands of her second partner who was violent when he’d been drinking. Through all of her troubles she didn’t let anything break her and managed to find a little happiness for herself.
The author is a cultural anthropologist who specialises in ethnic identity, visual anthropology, and tourism.