{"id":6062,"date":"2019-06-29T09:16:41","date_gmt":"2019-06-29T08:16:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=6062"},"modified":"2019-06-29T09:16:41","modified_gmt":"2019-06-29T08:16:41","slug":"sebastian-barry-days-without-end","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=6062","title":{"rendered":"Sebastian Barry -Days Without End"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sebastian Barry -Days Without End <\/strong><\/p>\n

The novel is narrated by Thomas McNulty, an Irish emigrant who flees to Canada and then America to escape the Great Famine. In America he befriends John Cole and the two form a close relationship, working first, as young boys, cross-dressing entertainers and then enlisting in the army and taking part in both the Indian Wars and the American Civil War. Having fled terrible hardships, they find these days to be vivid and filled with wonder, despite the horrors they both see and take part in. Their lives are further enriched when a young Indian girl crosses their path and becomes their family bringing the possibility of lasting happiness if only they can survive. Moving from the plains of the West to Tennessee, Barry’s book is full of atmosphere and language. An intensely moving story of two men and their path through life. A story of the most fateful years in America history. Nearly every page dotted with unique descriptions that raise ordinary things into the extraordinary eg A herd of buffaloes stampeding towards them is like \u201ca big boil of black molasses in a skillet, surging up\u201d; soldiers digging trenches \u201csweat like window glass in the winter\u201d; and dusk is \u201cGod pulling a ragged black cloth slowly across his handiwork\u201d. It is a commanding and unforgettable read. It is brutal and bloody but it is also beautiful.<\/p>\n

Every member of the group felt that the book was a difficult read at first because of the way the prose was presented by the narrator but once this was overcome found it a fairly good read. There is a need to be prepared for the vivid, horrendous pictures that are presented through the graphic prose. This would probably prevent some members recommending the book. It scored an 8.<\/p>\n

After our discussion we were treated to wonderful homemade shortbread and delicious chocolate cake from Helen our hostess for the evening.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sebastian Barry -Days Without End The novel is narrated by Thomas McNulty, an Irish emigrant who flees to Canada and then America to escape the Great Famine. In America he befriends John Cole and the two form a close relationship, working first, as young boys, cross-dressing entertainers and then enlisting in the army and taking part in both the Indian […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[41],"tags":[346],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6cWjO-1zM","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":15382,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=15382","url_meta":{"origin":6062,"position":0},"title":"The Life And Times Of Mr J C Meggitt – Part 2","author":"Alan Williams","date":"9th April 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"THE LIFE AND TIMES OF MR J C MEGGITT - Part 2 In Part I, we learned how the 28 year old John Claxton Meggitt came from Wolverhampton and established a thriving timber supply business in Barry. Initially this was to supply the timber needed for \u201cfalse works\u201d in the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Interest Articles"","block_context":{"text":"General Interest Articles","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=334"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Picture7.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3765,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=3765","url_meta":{"origin":6062,"position":1},"title":"The Year of the Runaways","author":"Alan Williams","date":"27th September 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The Year of the Runaways by Sanjeev Sahota This Booker-short listed novel traces the lives of three Indian immigrants over a year. The three young men, Tarlochan Kumar (Tochi), Avtar Nijjar and Randeep Sanghera, move into a house in Sheffield which is shared by numerous migrant workers. 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