Play Book Tag discussion

Days Without End was the Costa Book of the Year for 2016 and won the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction in 2017; absolutely well deserved.




Days Without End - Barry
Audio performance by Aidan Kelly ( a perfect 5 star performance)
5 stars

“We were two wood-shavings of humanity in a rough world. We were of the opinion that our share of the food was there if we sought it out.”

Thomas McNulty, true to his Irish roots, has the gift of blarney. He tells a good story, beginning with the luck of his meeting John Cole and their initial joint enterprise, their ‘dancing days’. ( "We were the first girls in Daggsville and we weren’t the worst.” ) And when the ‘bloom’ was off them, Thomas tells how he and John Cole join the army to fight the Indians on the plains and in California. Thinking their army days are done, they spend a brief time in a minstrel show with their adopted daughter, Winona. Then the civil war, and more tragedy fighting the Indians. Thomas McNulty has a survivor’s story to tell. Is he a reliable narrator? I’m not sure it matters. He makes no apology for who he is and he has no difficulty stating his priorities; John Cole and Winona.

No description of this book can really do justice to the power of the writing. It’s deceptively simple; an Irish immigrant looks back over a difficult and unusual life and tells his story. Sometimes it’s charming, but often it’s dark, very dark. “It’s a dark thing when the world sets no value on you and your kin, and then Death comes stalking in, in his bloody boots”. There’s the darkness of poverty and starvation; the dark injustice of the Indian Wars and the slaughter of the Civil War. The tragedies, atrocities, and disasters follow each other without much respite. Sebastian Barry, with Thomas McNulty’s voice doesn’t stint on the realities of the times. You would think this would be a very depressing book.

But it isn’t. It’s really a love story; handsome John Cole and Thomas (Thomasina) McNulty and their daughter Winona. There’s lots of dry, Irish humor, affection, and wisdom in the telling of this story. And there’s poetry. I don’t know how Barry does it. McNulty’s voice is always in character, completely believable as a nearly uneducated Irish immigrant. But his words are strong and profound. I wanted to highlight them, memorize them, cut them out and keep them with me. The ending left me feeling that against all the odds, there might be hope for humanity.

I really cannot write a review that does justice to this book. This review from The Guardian does it better.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/201...

I predict this will make the Man Booker longlist. Nice review

Jen wrote: "I predict this will make the Man Booker longlist. Nice review"

He seems to be on the short list on a regular basis, but he hasn't won yet.

This sounds like something I would like.

7/24
I listened to this one as an overdrive loan, but it just turned up as today's audible daily deal. It was an excellent audiobook.

Jgrace wrote: "Jen wrote: "I predict this will make the Man Booker longlist. Nice review"

He seems to be on the short list on a regular basis, but he hasn't won yet."H

Yes, I think he's been shortlisted twice and longlisted once. I think two of us predicted he would make the longlist this year

oh GREAT! Just bought it. I was 8th on the list at the Library.

I'm really looking forward to reading this. Thanks for your review.

Dishonorble Behavior: The Scurge of Miliary Sexual Assault and the Warriors Masculine Code
https://theamericanscholar.org/dishon...

This article turned up in my emails this morning. It gave me more food for thought, given: 1) recent tweets from the White House, 2) one child in active service, home on leave, and 3)Sebastian Barry's creation of a homosexual/transvestite character who wears trousers to war but prefers a dress in civilian life.

Jgrace wrote: " Dishonorble Behavior: The Scurge of Miliary Sexual Assault and the Warriors Masculine Code
https://theamericanscholar.org/dishon...

This article turned..."

Interesting. I just skimmed the article but will read it more carefully when I get home today.

My area of speciality when I left graduate school was men's health and specifically the ways in which masculinity norm adherence impacted psychological health. I then moved to the VA where I began to look at the intersection between masculinity norms and military norms.

I did find this book pretty interesting. It wasn't a 5-star read for me but it certainly is a good book.