WESTMINSTER GAZETTE.
“The only fault we have to find with ‘The Merchant of Killogue’ is that it is too conscientious.... In depicting his characters he shows rare skill and knowledge as well as a very considerable gift of humour. They are all vivid, distinct, and lifelike.... The workmanship is of quite unusual merit.”
DAILY CHRONICLE.
“Mr. Downey’s Celts are human beings, motived by the ordinary motives, and talking like rational men and women. His central figure, John O’Reilly, is an artistic creation.”
LITERARY WORLD.
“Natural, strong in local characterisation and colouring, with many touches of quaint humour peculiarly Irish and racy, and bright and readable from cover to cover.”
SATURDAY REVIEW.
“There is no questioning the ability of Mr. Edmund Downey’s Munster tale. It is long since a writer has introduced us to a set of characters so fresh, so unlike the usual creations of the novelist.”
VANITY FAIR.
“Every character in the book is put down in words so subtle and strong that for yourself you know the people. There is nothing of the new woman in it, and not a line concerning the analyses of soul and body. It is just a picture of Irish life which might have been written in shorthand as it happened, and written out afterwards in longhand, so clear and sharp and vital is it. It is an exciting story, with a thrilling winding up.”