Historical

Days Without End

Days Without End

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-06-25 09:54:37
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Sebastian Barry
  • ISBN：0571340229
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Summary

After signing up for the US army in the 1850s， aged barely seventeen， Thomas McNulty and his brother-in-arms， John Cole， fight in the Indian Wars and the Civil War。 Having both fled terrible hardships， their days are now vivid and filled with wonder， despite the horrors they both see and are complicit in。 Then when a young Indian girl crosses their path， the possibility of lasting happiness seems within reach， if only they can survive。

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Reviews

Repellent Boy ，

Thomas y John se conocen de adolescentes y desde entonces nunca más se separan， tras un breve periodo ganándose la vida haciéndose pasar por mujeres en un bar de bailes， deciden alistarse en el ejército。 Este giro en su camino les hará participar en las guerras indias， y， tiempo después， también en la guerra de Sececión。 Después de toda una vida huyendo del dolor y el sufrimiento， van a conocer en la guerra la gran miseria del ser humano。La primera parte de la historia me sorprendió completament Thomas y John se conocen de adolescentes y desde entonces nunca más se separan， tras un breve periodo ganándose la vida haciéndose pasar por mujeres en un bar de bailes， deciden alistarse en el ejército。 Este giro en su camino les hará participar en las guerras indias， y， tiempo después， también en la guerra de Sececión。 Después de toda una vida huyendo del dolor y el sufrimiento， van a conocer en la guerra la gran miseria del ser humano。La primera parte de la historia me sorprendió completamente， porque realmente me esperaba otra cosa。 No tenía mucha información del contexto en el que se movía la trama y me sorprendió ese rollo casi bélico y tantas escenas de guerra muy violentas。 Aunque me gustó esta parte de la historia en su conjunto， debo admitir que a veces se me hizo algo pesada y eso provocó que en la primera parte del libro me costara arrancar。 Luego se relaja un poco y ya todo es disfrute。Me ha gustado mucho la relación de Thomas y John， como nunca se pone nombre a su historia de amor porque realmente no hace falta， la historia no va de que son o dejan de ser ellos， simplemente se quieren y fin。 También he disfrutado mucho de esa relación paternal que ambos comparten con Winona， una niña india a la que "adoptan" y que servirá de muchas reflexiones ante la violencia que el hombre blanco ejerce contra los indios， por considerarlos inferiores。 Ese aprendizaje que lleva a los personajes a darse cuenta de la barbarie que han cometido y la injusticia con que estas personas son tratadas， choca mucho con esa atracción casi enfermiza que ambos sentían por su honor de "soldado" a la hora de acatar normas o incluso volver a un sitio que consideraban casi el infierno， por lo que habían sufrido。 Lo que más me ha gustado de la historia sin duda son todas esas reflexiones que Thomas hacía sobre su identidad sexual， sin realmente ser consciente de lo que significaban sus sentimientos， puesto que en la época en la que el personaje vive era imposible que llegara a esas conclusiones， pero se hace muy evidente al lector esa felicidad que experimenta cada vez que se vestía de mujer y como deseaba no tener que volver nunca más a su "apariencia" masculina。 Muy interesantes esas reflexiones， aunque me hubiera gustado que huhiesen sido más frecuentes。Y por supuesto también me ha encantando esa estética de película del oeste， me ha parecido todo un acierto， me imáginaba constantemente esos escenarios desérticos， fogonazos de armas y persecusiones a caballo。 Muy disfrutable。 En definitiva， es una historia diferente， que me ha gustado mucho， quizás no me ha parecido perfecta， por algunas partes del inicio como digo， pero que compensa totalmente la lectura。 Los últimos capítulos son una pasada。 Estoy deseando leer la secuela que Sebastian Barry publicó el año pasado， que pinta igual de genial。 。。。more

Teo ，

Tę książkę przeczytałam w tamtym roku i czekam na odpowiedni moment， by przeczytać ją ponownie。 O "zakazanej" miłości dwóch mężczyzn w trakcie wojny secesyjnej。 O "zakazanej" miłości przez pryzmat narodowości。 O wierności， odwadze i tchórzostwie。 Krwawa i romantyczna。 Polecam ją całym moim serduszkiem！ Tę książkę przeczytałam w tamtym roku i czekam na odpowiedni moment， by przeczytać ją ponownie。 O "zakazanej" miłości dwóch mężczyzn w trakcie wojny secesyjnej。 O "zakazanej" miłości przez pryzmat narodowości。 O wierności， odwadze i tchórzostwie。 Krwawa i romantyczna。 Polecam ją całym moim serduszkiem！ 。。。more

Tanis Dennis ，

I wanted to like this book， I really did。 The writing is interesting but the story just never grabbed me。 I got to around page 90 and decided it wasn’t worth it for me to continue， especially with a pile of unread library books waiting to be read。 The description of hunting Buffalo was excellent but I just don’t want to hear about it。 Too much killing， too much deprivation， too much sun， too much plot。

E ，

Dawno nie czytałam tak pustej emocjonalnie książki。 Styl， w którym napisana jest ta powieść， a którym powszechnie wszyscy się zachwycają， dla mnie był nie do zniesienia i kompletnie nie obchodziło mnie， co się działo z bohaterami - a były to postaci tak kartonowe， że chyba bardziej się nie dało。 Co do fabuły， to wystarczy przeczytać opis na okładce i zna się praktycznie 3/4 historii。 Nie polecam。

Allegra ，

LOVE IS REAL！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！

Ida Karenina ，

I'm in love with a cowboy who doesnt know I exist。 John Cole ♥️ Det här är nog årets bästa bok， vilken upplevelse！ I'm in love with a cowboy who doesnt know I exist。 John Cole ♥️ Det här är nog årets bästa bok， vilken upplevelse！ 。。。more

Judith ，

OK。 Started off well， but then it just dragged。 There are interesting bits but the majority is a bit dreary， unfortunately。

David Simon ，

Wonderful story of love and how it can keep us safe and true even in the most terrible of circumstances。 Although set in the American west in the 1850s， a world that is harsh， cruel and nomadic， it has such contemporary themes and Its a favourite Read I have returned to three times now。 It’s sister book Thousand Moons is also a real treat

Hafsah ，

dnf at 81%This was awful omg。

RoadsideFlowers ，

An encyclopedia of emotion。 That is how I’d describe this book。 Fragrant pages， warmed by your fingers as you wouldn’t want to let them go， listing emotion after emotion and filling your heart so much it starts buzzing like a beehive。 These emotions are weaved into the dialogue， into the descriptions， into the very way the prose twists and kneads around you。 Speaking of descriptions， Barry truly is a master in them。 Although I’d rather read something more poetic， something that would take my att An encyclopedia of emotion。 That is how I’d describe this book。 Fragrant pages， warmed by your fingers as you wouldn’t want to let them go， listing emotion after emotion and filling your heart so much it starts buzzing like a beehive。 These emotions are weaved into the dialogue， into the descriptions， into the very way the prose twists and kneads around you。 Speaking of descriptions， Barry truly is a master in them。 Although I’d rather read something more poetic， something that would take my attention away for just a second so I could imagine it， piece it together， the way the author does it is gorgeous and amazing， too。 Descriptions of the soldiers’ surroundings may not be otherworldly， no， he shows but the same world as if it isn’t your own， as if you are here but to borrow its wonder and beauty。 Still， that is where their beauty lies: you are one with the character now， you run with him or slow down as he takes his surroundings in， but he not you decides that。He takes you into war with him， into love， into war again。 You follow and gape around， just for him to stop， wag his finger and remind you “This is war， you can’t stop and admire all day。” And that makes you exasperated， because why can’t you？ Who dares to tell you no， to take the pleasure of reading further from you for just a second？ You become one with the same soldiers that have taken this from you， because they too cannot enjoy it， until you realize， no， it is war that is the true culprit。 And makes you despise it even more。While I expected a book central to the two protagonists’ love （as it’s marketed as a LGBT book） I was surprised by the gentle subtlety of it。 These men are in love with one another。 No more and no less。 Although， there is more， there is always more， yet kept safe behind the curtain of their hearts。 Because it’s for them。 It’s subtle because it’s private。 It’s subtle because it isn’t a tragedy nor a feast。 It’s two men; two men in love。 Content to just be。I love McNulty and his comments， his soothing praises and deep admiration—as intimate yet harmless as a married couple’s banter。 It was soothing to know how much love he harbored for John， how it bled into me， too。“Can’t wear a picture， says John Cole， my beau。” “The moonlight not able to flatter him because he was already beautiful。” It’s stark and clear their love， yet so unseemingly mottled into the background and the very being of the situations they’re in。 It’s not placed central and that is the beauty of it。 It was refreshing to read a book where being gay wasn’t as much special as it was just it。 Just there among the rest of the green grass， not alienated as a single instance。It results in an elaborate dialogue， never put forth between the pages， but steaming inside the reader’s head。 About identity， about writing about it， about the struggles people go through to have something so normal yet so special to themselves。 Because love doesn’t need to be presented like underwear on a sunny day just to be special and seen。Although I had to warm up to the book （as it is a gentle read） and its I-am-telling-a-story esq perspective and not view it through the excitement I had labored through my research， there had rarely been a book that has left me with my mouth gaping open while I was reading it。 The last year or so I’ve been attacked and crushed by books that have meant nothing to me， that have sucked my life force and emotions because I was constantly searching through them。 I could never sit back and just let the emotions wash over me。This book is really giving back my faith in books。Walking into the civil war section is like being pulled by a grappling hook that’s at the bottom of the ocean and getting entangled into its weeds so severely you stay there。 It’s the only way I could describe it。 You know it’s there， you know it’s coming， yet instead of being prepped， getting a presentation like in a history class， all big fights and even bigger patriotism， it just comes; a monster with its jaws detached。 It sweeps you like a tidal wave and you cannot escape it: stop reading， find refuge in a different book。It is yet another war Thomas and John have to fight， but they’re older now， have seen more。 Even so， old scars grow and stretch with them， follow in the prints their shoes leave in the mud。 And those traumas always come in the quiet， burglars ready to steal every thought in their minds。Barry has an incredible talent in making paste out of your bones。 Freezing them until they’re brittle and barely hanging together。 One moment you’re following down the river of his prose， the love， the child they meet， the life they build together， and the next you’re drowning， confronted by a detail so real you can’t even manage to scream from it。 It just sweeps you。 Drags you with the unassuming way through which it is told。 That is especially visible in the last chapters， because while I had safely tucked my guard down， they choked me with their fists and I couldn’t breathe until the moment I turned the last page。Read it。 That is all I could say。 You’re not sure whether you want to？ Do it anyway。 What do you have to lose but a piece of your heart to its gorgeous narrative？ 。。。more

Ava Butzu ，

Thomas McNulty is by nature a lover who is forced by fate and circumstance to fight like hell for survival。 Looking back on his life， he sees his years of battle and days dodging death as the best years of his life - the days without end that threatened to end his life in impossible but historic moments。 Thomas is joined at the hip- and heart - with "beautiful" John Cole before the two are even 16， but just at the moment that the two orphans need something （or someone） to anchor them in a brutal Thomas McNulty is by nature a lover who is forced by fate and circumstance to fight like hell for survival。 Looking back on his life， he sees his years of battle and days dodging death as the best years of his life - the days without end that threatened to end his life in impossible but historic moments。 Thomas is joined at the hip- and heart - with "beautiful" John Cole before the two are even 16， but just at the moment that the two orphans need something （or someone） to anchor them in a brutal world that has forsaken them。 After losing his entire family to the Irish potato famine， finding his way to the U。S。， and barely surviving out West， Thomas （and John） take up work dressing as girls and dancing with miners， finding comfort in being "other" for the first time。 As enlisted boys， they fight in the Indian Wars， and then the Civil War， giving all to their commanders and cause， but saving their heart for each other。"Days Without End" creates the perfect balance of detailing the brutality of some of America's worst， most gruesome， most overly-romanticized history through the eyes a narrator whose powers of observation and plainspeak strike at the heart of the reader。 Thomas McNulty is fiercely loyal to those he has served with， but he is not blinded by loyalty。 His heroism arises as he learns to see the humanity in all， to honor life even as he is surrounded by death。 Sebastian Barry's novel echoes Charles Frazier's "Cold Mountain，" a humanized snapshot of life on the plains and in the south at the time when America's transgressions against its own created rifts we are still trying to heal from。 。。。more

Andrey Demidov ，

Как-то я довольно аналитически подошел к этой книге。 Поэтому мимо меня прошли красоты стилизации。 А она， безупречна， наверное， хотя в этом я - полный профан; прочитал треть на англйиском， но перешел на русский， потому язык оригинала уж слишком агрессивно "топил" мое впечатление от книги。 Поэтика， коей в романе тоже вдосталь， тоже не очень зацепила。 Однако отчего-то мимо меня не прошли несколько других слоев: история колонизации континента， например， которая передана через описание отношений （есл Как-то я довольно аналитически подошел к этой книге。 Поэтому мимо меня прошли красоты стилизации。 А она， безупречна， наверное， хотя в этом я - полный профан; прочитал треть на англйиском， но перешел на русский， потому язык оригинала уж слишком агрессивно "топил" мое впечатление от книги。 Поэтика， коей в романе тоже вдосталь， тоже не очень зацепила。 Однако отчего-то мимо меня не прошли несколько других слоев: история колонизации континента， например， которая передана через описание отношений （если убийства и можно назвать "отношениями"） индейцев и белых， история ирландской эмиграции， хотя и она вроде бы вскользь， штрихами， социальная жесть и дно жизни эмигрантов и простого люда， да и， конечно， взгляд на Гражданскую глазами солдата-рассказчика （и не только его）。 Поразило вот что: Томас повествует об ужасах войны и в своих рассуждениях даже выходит за пределы приземленного солдатского опыта неграмотного парнишки， но одновременно остается совершенно отстраненным и невосприимчивым к смерти как событию， что на мой взгляд крутая оптика: солдаты же обычно показаны либо как упоротые патриоты， либо как мечтающие о суиуциде свидетели ужаса。 На самом же деле все довольно слоисто у них в головах: вот надо убивать индейских женщин и детей， но вечернее солнце раскрасило небо и "красота у мира получается неплохо"。 От соседства таких психических процессов жутковато - это же чел， который стреляет до мозолей на пальцах - но от внутреннего принятия， что такое соседство и составляет основу мышления солдат никуда не деться。 По этой же причине сопереживания герою никакого， ну за исключением небольшого облегчения в конце， когда 。。。。 без спойлеров。 В некоторых отзывах пишут， что книга о любви， семье и тяге к дому。 Возможно， хотя мне кажется， что автор лукавит: описанное выше соседство противоположных псих процессов рано или поздно приводит к срыву колпака， а парни на протяжении всего романа нежно любят друг друга， никто не спивается и не начинает бить приемную дочь и запаливать амбар。Наконец， ЛГБТ линия。 Не очень понятно， зачем она тут。 Не очень понятно， зачем ее надо было помещать в контекст ужаса и зверств колонизации и Гражданской - тут автор， мне кажется， прокололся， потому что не рассказал как этот контекст повлиял на отношения героев。 Читается так как будто они не на войну вместе сходили， а в лес прогуляться。 Смазано。 Не совсем ясна цель дрэг шоу， кроме ее инструментализации в конце （это мне напомнило как в старом советском приключенческом сериале "Гардемарины， вперед" один из героев скрывался в женском платье от преследования - то есть старая тема）。 Ну и， наконец， тотальное молчание единственного женского персонажа， как будто с ней не произошло трагедии геноцида собственного народа。 Неубедительно и скучно。 В целом， жду второй серии。Если она будет， то надеюсь， что Барри учтет мои веские аргументы :-） Спасибо за то， что пришли на мой Ted Talk。 。。。more

B。L。 ，

"Yep， he sure looks big for that mule。 Like the mule and him ain't in the same world exactly。 Then he pulls his hat down tight。 Ain't nothing in it。 He pulls his hatbrim down， under the moon。 With the dark trees around。 And the owls。 Don't mean nothing。 Be hard in the world without him。 I'm thinking that。 That part of the country you see two or three shooting stars a minute。 Must be time of year for shooting stars。 Looking for each other， like everything is。"I've tabbed off so many parts of this "Yep， he sure looks big for that mule。 Like the mule and him ain't in the same world exactly。 Then he pulls his hat down tight。 Ain't nothing in it。 He pulls his hatbrim down， under the moon。 With the dark trees around。 And the owls。 Don't mean nothing。 Be hard in the world without him。 I'm thinking that。 That part of the country you see two or three shooting stars a minute。 Must be time of year for shooting stars。 Looking for each other， like everything is。"I've tabbed off so many parts of this book because the writing is just THAT beautiful。 So many wee one liners that made me stop and think or have a moment。 There's unspeakable cruelty in this book， but also a deep sense of connection and kindness。 "I guess love laughs at history a little"， Barry says！ 。。。more

Bart Reinalda ，

One of the most heart-wrenching and powerful books I've read。 There is so much heart and humanity in it， and the characters are so sympathetic， so alive， so human。 And even though the story is full of haunting scenes of unforgettable horror， there are also moments of extraordinary beauty， which stand out even brighter in contrast， like stars in a dark night sky。 And all this in Barry's uniquely poetic， utterly convincing style。 I really can't recommend this novel enough。 One of the most heart-wrenching and powerful books I've read。 There is so much heart and humanity in it， and the characters are so sympathetic， so alive， so human。 And even though the story is full of haunting scenes of unforgettable horror， there are also moments of extraordinary beauty， which stand out even brighter in contrast， like stars in a dark night sky。 And all this in Barry's uniquely poetic， utterly convincing style。 I really can't recommend this novel enough。 。。。more

Maureen ，

This was a heart wrenching story about the Indian Wars and the Civil War。It is a brutal account of this horrific time in our history。 There were times I could not go on reading， even though the writing was poetic and lyrical。The violence was just too much for me。 It is a good read if you can get through this。It is told in the voice of Thomas McNulty who fled Ireland to escape the potato famine。 This the tale of two young boys who encounter each other during this horrific time and befriend each o This was a heart wrenching story about the Indian Wars and the Civil War。It is a brutal account of this horrific time in our history。 There were times I could not go on reading， even though the writing was poetic and lyrical。The violence was just too much for me。 It is a good read if you can get through this。It is told in the voice of Thomas McNulty who fled Ireland to escape the potato famine。 This the tale of two young boys who encounter each other during this horrific time and befriend each other。 It is the story of the hardship of war and the love of a young Indian girl。Thomas McNulty and John Cole adopt her and become an unlikely family。It is the story of endurance and love， beautifully written。 。。。more

Martin ，

Having thoroughly enjoyed A Thousand Moons I was keen to read the first in the series and was NOT in any way disappointed。Such a commanding intelligent ability to use language to relate a story which engages the reader from the beginning to the end。Atmospheric and absorbing。“When there is no food eat the first thing that goes is even a flimsy grasp of hygiene”

Stacey Falls ，

I feel like I must be the only person in this world who hated this book。 I admit， I read it at a time when I was working too much， and I felt like I was slogging through my days， but this book just felt like a chore that I did not look forward to at the end of the day。 I read it for my book club， and I felt some obligation to finish it， and it got a bit better in the last hundred pages， but the first 200 pages felt so boring。I am giving it two stars for the beautiful poetry of the writing， the e I feel like I must be the only person in this world who hated this book。 I admit， I read it at a time when I was working too much， and I felt like I was slogging through my days， but this book just felt like a chore that I did not look forward to at the end of the day。 I read it for my book club， and I felt some obligation to finish it， and it got a bit better in the last hundred pages， but the first 200 pages felt so boring。I am giving it two stars for the beautiful poetry of the writing， the elegant descriptions of place， but I think a book needs more than beautiful descriptions of scenery， something like plot or character development。 I don't need a book to have a really vigorous plot。 I love slow meditations， like Gilead， but then I think the book needs to be character driven， and I really don't feel like I know these characters at all， besides the few superficial things we are told about them。 （Told， not shown）。 I mean， can anyone who finished this book actually tell me anything about John Cole besides the fact that he is handsome？ What about Starling Carlton--he's a big man who sweats a lot and likes being a solider。 The major--he has a pretty wife。 Liege Martin--I don't know anything about him。 I mean， I feel like they are all just names on a page， and I don't really care about any of them。The lack of character development ends up feeling really problematic to me。 I think we are supposed to like and empathize with our protagonist， Thomas McNulty， but it is hard for reconcile the way he seems like a sensitive guy who would just rather wear dresses and spend his days with his beau， with the man who， like a crazed animal， tears apart women and children in the Indian Wars。 I mean， let's just say it， our protagonist is a murderer of indigenous people， but he is supposed to be the guy we are cheering for。 This feels really problematic。 Someone in my book group suggested I was too fixated on being "woke"。 Maybe， but I continue to think the book is the problem， not me。Don't get me wrong， I think there are plenty of protagonists whose heads we are inside who we really get to know， but who we don't like， and we aren't supposed to like。 As I was reading this book， I was listening to the Lolita Podcast， and I am reminded about Humbert Humbert。 By the end of the book we know him so well， we know and understand all the ways he justifies his villainy to himself， and we like him less because of it。 Nabokov is brilliant in helping us both fully understand someone and also loathe him。I also understand that good people do bad things。 Good people doing bad things is the basis for every horror that has occurred on the face of this planet--when people are scared or desperate or ignorant and uninformed they will help round up their neighbors for the concentration camps， join the army and bomb innocent civilians， or turn a blind eye to atrocities committed in their name。 To understand and empathize with these people， we have to understand their circumstances; we have to live with them in their desperation， experience the propaganda， understand the threats made against them。 Tim O'Brien does a brilliant job of this--helping us see the horror that people live through， the horror that makes them numb。 I can empathize with his characters while also being repelled by the things they do。Barry makes McNulty such a typical man in some ways （despite the cross dressing and homosexuality）--a stoic man who will never reveal his pain to his fellow soldiers， who maybe won't even reveal it to himself。 So when he goes on an army-ordered killing spree， killing dozens of women and children， all he can say is that the horror he felt took him back to the pain of the Great Famine in Ireland and the horror of the coffin ships coming over to Canada。 Then he asks himself "What is the point of reliving that pain？" In real life， this is a great question。 The horrors that persist in the mind's eye can drive a person crazy。 Most people who have lived through great tragedy have to put those tragedies out of mind or go mad。 But in the context of a book， reliving the pain is essential for helping us understand why he persists in the army， fighting a brutal war against innocent Native people who just wish to continue with their way of life。 The people in my book group who loved this book had already read a lot about the Great Famine and the coffin ships。 They automatically filled in all the details of the pain and horror。 That is a history I am less familiar with， and my brain couldn't simply fill in the missing details。 I needed Barry to do that for me， and he didn't。 He spends tons of energy describing the sunset over the plain， but very little on the context that McNulty grew up in。 We know his family died。 We are told that， but we never live the horror next to him。 We can assume being in the army is a job someone might take if they have no other options， but he and John Cole join casually without too much thought， and stay despite the horrors， telling us about the rape of native women the way a newscaster would read a headline。 None of it works for me。 I didn't feel invested in the characters， and the emotional distance from the genocide felt irresponsible and， frankly， pretty racist。 。。。more

Frank ，

Gripping and with something to say。 Despite its briefness， drags a bit in the middle。

Neil Wilson ，

Great tale set across the Red Indian Wars and the American Civil War

Ginny T。 ，

I couldn’t read anything for several days after finishing this book， because this one washed out my mind with its magic。 The story is vivid and compelling; the prose is poetic and enthralling。 Sebastian Barry amazed me with this interesting （several times upsetting） narrative of an uneducated man who has very deep and compassionate thoughts about human behavior。 Young Thomas witnesses or participates in some grotesque and inhumane events during the US Army’s plains war with the Sioux， but he sti I couldn’t read anything for several days after finishing this book， because this one washed out my mind with its magic。 The story is vivid and compelling; the prose is poetic and enthralling。 Sebastian Barry amazed me with this interesting （several times upsetting） narrative of an uneducated man who has very deep and compassionate thoughts about human behavior。 Young Thomas witnesses or participates in some grotesque and inhumane events during the US Army’s plains war with the Sioux， but he still has a candle of love and compassion burning inside him。 As a Union soldier in the Civil War and as a POW in the notorious Andersonville prison， he sees even more to crush his patient， loving spirit—but it doesn’t。Thomas sees beauty in the land and nature wherever he is， and he values love above all things。 He and John Cole， his best friend and partner， endure much and go forward with only their emotional bond to support them。 Together they fashion a family with a young Sioux girl。 This novel is raw， violent， beautiful， heartbreaking and hopeful。 I want to read the sequel， A Thousand Moons。 。。。more

Diana McComas ，

This was a harder book to enjoy。 I finished it because it was part of my book group at the library。 Our group either really enjoyed the character study or disliked it due to the civil war references not seeming accurate。 I personally enjoyed the relationship between the men and their adopted daughter Winona。 I hope to read the sequel。

Jane ，

It took me longer than usual to read this book。 It was just too much to take in。 The voice of the narrator was so expressive。 But the violence just got to me。 What I loved about it was the beautiful language。 “His skin is made of the aftermath of smiles。” The imagery amazed me。 “Our faces round and sere and bleached like the seedpods of the flower honesty。” 🤯

Sofia ，

Read for my book club。 I found it difficult in the beginning， both because of the narrator's slang and the graphic violence， but by the end I could not put it down。 It's definitely an uncomfortable view through the eyes of a young soldier being part of the brutal colonization of the Western US， and his beginning to question the system he is part of。 I really want to read the sequel， told through the eyes of his "adopted" native american daughter， as she did not have a voice in this novel， which Read for my book club。 I found it difficult in the beginning， both because of the narrator's slang and the graphic violence， but by the end I could not put it down。 It's definitely an uncomfortable view through the eyes of a young soldier being part of the brutal colonization of the Western US， and his beginning to question the system he is part of。 I really want to read the sequel， told through the eyes of his "adopted" native american daughter， as she did not have a voice in this novel， which was sorely lacking。 。。。more

Clemy-chan ，

Αυτό το βιβλίο ήταν φανταστικό！ Δεν είναι κάποια ιδιαίτερα ιδιαίτερη ιστορία ως πλοκή， δεν έχει σπάνιες δυνάμεις， φανταστικά πλάσματα ή ακραίους χαρακτήρες σαν τα βιβλία που διαβάζω συνήθως， αλλά με κέρδισε η γραφή του。 Γιατί είναι μια γραφή παράξενη， ταυτόχρονα απλή， απέρριτη και πότε πότε χονδροειδής ή χυδαία αλλά που με μια φράση σε βάζει μέσα στην εποχή， στο μυαλό του ήρωα， και μεταδίδει έντονα συναισθήματα κι εντυπώσεις χωρίς υπερβολές συναισθήματος κι επαναλήψεις。 Σα να δίνει το έναυσμα στ Αυτό το βιβλίο ήταν φανταστικό！ Δεν είναι κάποια ιδιαίτερα ιδιαίτερη ιστορία ως πλοκή， δεν έχει σπάνιες δυνάμεις， φανταστικά πλάσματα ή ακραίους χαρακτήρες σαν τα βιβλία που διαβάζω συνήθως， αλλά με κέρδισε η γραφή του。 Γιατί είναι μια γραφή παράξενη， ταυτόχρονα απλή， απέρριτη και πότε πότε χονδροειδής ή χυδαία αλλά που με μια φράση σε βάζει μέσα στην εποχή， στο μυαλό του ήρωα， και μεταδίδει έντονα συναισθήματα κι εντυπώσεις χωρίς υπερβολές συναισθήματος κι επαναλήψεις。 Σα να δίνει το έναυσμα στον αναγνώστη να νιώσει， να βιώσει την εμπειρία του ήρωα και μετά να αφήσει το συναίσθημα ν' αντικατασταθεί από το επόμενο， μ' ένα τρόπο αβίαστο， φυσικό χωρίς τεχνητά ξεσπάσματα。 Δεν χρειάζεται να περάσουμε 10 σελίδες ακούγοντας μια παραλλαγή της ίδιας σκέψης μέσα στο μυαλό του πρωταγωνιστή για να καταλάβουμε τι νιώθει- το συναίσθημα περιγράφεται σύντομα， λιτά χωρίς αυτό να μειώνει την έντασή του。Το συστήνω λοιπόν σε όλους ως ανάγνωσμα και ιδίως σ' εκείνους που τους αρέσουν οι ιστορίες τις Άγριας Δύσης， με αδικημένους Ινδιάνους， λιμασμένους στρατιώτες και τυχοδιώκτες。 。。。more

Lisa Friel ，

This is so beautifully written I deliberately slowed down towards the end as I didn't want it to finish！ Set in mid-west America around the time of the civil war， the very conversational style of the narrator makes some of the shocking events more easy to digest but also makes other events more shocking when described with such simple language， but with the sense of nothing in life ever really being simple at all。 Such a contrast between a brutal and a loving life - beautiful！ This is so beautifully written I deliberately slowed down towards the end as I didn't want it to finish！ Set in mid-west America around the time of the civil war， the very conversational style of the narrator makes some of the shocking events more easy to digest but also makes other events more shocking when described with such simple language， but with the sense of nothing in life ever really being simple at all。 Such a contrast between a brutal and a loving life - beautiful！ 。。。more

Sebastian ，

Glimpses of sheer genius and the writing of Sebastian Barry is so exquisite that sometimes you would just like to pause and cherish the words floating through the pages of this short novel。 The book is told from the perspective of Thomas McNulty， an Irish émigré who enlists in the army and takes part in both the Indian Wars and the American Civil War。 War， violence， discrimination， multiple bloodbaths， love， cross-dressing and queer romance - this is all that you can find on more than 200 pages Glimpses of sheer genius and the writing of Sebastian Barry is so exquisite that sometimes you would just like to pause and cherish the words floating through the pages of this short novel。 The book is told from the perspective of Thomas McNulty， an Irish émigré who enlists in the army and takes part in both the Indian Wars and the American Civil War。 War， violence， discrimination， multiple bloodbaths， love， cross-dressing and queer romance - this is all that you can find on more than 200 pages of this novel。 Sometimes chaotic as the times of conflict， sometimes very focused to distill some peace and quite in the times of unrest。 It seems to me that one of the premise of this novel is that when things are uncertain and the tumult around us seems to have no end having close ones to fall back on and seek support when it is needed is one of the crucial factors that helps us survive。 But there is also far more to this book than only this simple premise。 。。。more

Elizabeth Elliott ，

Some of the description in this book was beautiful and evocative。 The story was sad， interesting and intriguing but for me too much about warfare （hence 3 stars）。 I would have preferred more exploration about the two lead characters and Winona。

Benkan ，

Min första cowbojsare

Karen ，

One of the most beautifully written books I can remember reading。 Very hard to read at times as the accounts of civil war atrocities are quite graphic， but important to know what is in our history

Em Langan ，

This book was incredibly uncomfortable and heartbreaking to read。 I did find it hard to follow in parts， but this seemed to make certain scenes and prose stand out even more starkly。 It feels like you are following the narrators mind through all his thoughts and， intermittently， he has periods of intense clarity， which blow you away。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Days Without End

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Days Without End&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Days Without End&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0