Reviews

Barry manages to shadow Cormac McCarthy's simplicity and precision of the West, with a lyrical touch to the narrator's rudimentary cadence and vernacular, flowering into an unexpected love story within the violence of civil war Era America.

mr_rogers_el_camino's review against another edition

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challenging dark informative medium-paced

3.0

This book was....honestly I don't know, weird maybe, disturbing definitely. I'll try and explain it and let you get an idea of what I'm talking about. It follows two Irish immigrants who take jobs in a calvary/militia killing Indians up and down the plains. Men, women, children all are slaughtered in bloody frenzy and methodical planning. The two main characters often feel bad for the evil they commit, but because it is state sanctioned they are able to excuse it. Eventually they have had enough of the killing and start a drag show in a local saloon. The miners of the town love it and they become local celebrities. But their stint with fame is short lived due to unforeseeable circumstances, namely the Civil War. Dragged into events much bigger than themselves they attempt to stay alive by any means necessary. Evocative of Cormac McCarthys Blood Meridian due to the bleak stylish prose combined with unrelenting savage violence it is definitely an acquired taste.

casebounder's review against another edition

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3.0

Last week I figured it was finally time to read Days Without End, the much-lauded, Irish-authored, queer-featuring American western novel long-listed for the Man Booker and awarded the Costa Book Award in 2016. And it was an experience! I found the writing - a feverish almost stream-of-consciousness - to be a challenge to dip into while commuting on the train, but each time I did get into the rhythm of the novel, it was fascinating. Barry's pacing leads you barreling through not one but two wars, all the while following the love shared between two men.

Barry's Irish immigrants make for interesting windows into the racial violence during the Native American "war" and the American Civil War. These closeted queer characters feel their "otherness" in their sexual orientation, gender expression, and racial discrimination, and are therefore more apt to empathize with those who are being murdered, pushed out of homes, and forced into warfare. Which is not to say they don't participate. They are complicit. But there are moments of strange beauty amongst their part in the harsh American story.

Overall I rated this one four stars, slightly lower than my Goodreads friends who've raved at five stars. So if this book tickles an interest for you, I recommend it.

sukulenty's review against another edition

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2.0

Trochę się nudziłam przyznam.

r_holland's review against another edition

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5.0

A veritable parade of misery and suffering that found a way to be beautiful. I went into this book knowing almost nothing about it and I'm so glad of that. One of my favourite books of the year so far.

syan22's review against another edition

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i was absolutely enchanted, particularly when winona joined them. the last few chapters had me feeling a multitude of nervous and joyful emotions and i honestly could not put the book down until i found out their fates at the end

Spoiler

and i sighed with relief during my commute this morning when thomas was "set free like a mourning dove" and marvelling at the "whole way sparkles with the beauty of woods and fields" as he makes his way home to john cole and their daughter winona

. their little family was so sweet.

the writing was simple enough but i ached.

oldfairencrow's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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