The Canal Bridge: A Novel of Ireland, Love, and the First World War

This is an excellent story set against the background of World War 1 that deals with one of the more disgraceful episodes in Irish history. Over 200,000 Irish Catholics served in the British Army in World War 1 and the Republic of Ireland has only recently and grudgingly acknowledged their service. This is of special interest to me as both my grandfather and a great uncle served. My grandfather took a bullet in the knee at Gallipoli and his brother was killed at Passchendale. This is the only book I have ever read which understood why they served. Some sought adventure, most were young and naive, many could not find work. Of course after the war they were branded as rogues and most kept their service to themselves. My grandfather emigrated to America and left Ireland for good. I've seen his "village" and I thank God everyday he did. By that time, of course, all of their detractors were claiming to be IRA men and deeply involved in the rebellion. This is a narrative we have all heard ad nauseam for 100 years. This book presents a different side, a story of ordinary people caught up in a horror not of their own making. I truly enjoyed this and it is a story that was long overdue.

The story is told chapter by chapter by individuals involved. It takes a little while to piece together as each person adds his or her part, but it will happen and you will see how the contribution of each character in the novel comes together to add up to a great novel. I liked the book. Even if I had not liked the book the ability of the author to give us insights to the inner feelings of the various characters makes it worth reading. The descriptions of the horrors of war, in this case World War I, make you see all wars as you probably never have considered them before unless you have been personally and directly involved. It is a novel, fiction, but those descriptive pages are real enough and make you feel as though you are there in the middle of the horrors on the battlefield or back at home hoping for the survival of those who are away fighting in the trenches. There were times in reading this book that I could not put it down and then, when I did, I had to pause a while just to consider what I had read. This book isn't one where everyone lives happily ever after. It is the real real lives of people in Ireland during WWI. It is well worth reading for the story it tells and for the ability of the author to tell that story.

This story of childhood friends growing up together and the effects of the first world war on their relationships and lives was gripping and unforgettable. It is truly a love story, and also a very human story of war and loss. As difficult and painful as parts of this were, the book was honest and very real to me. A piece of history came into clear focus for me, and I will never forget this. Also I felt that the book delivered a beautiful message about redemption and healing. I would highly recommend it, but it is not for the faint of heart.

I must admit that I’m a fickle reader. I usually start reading three or four books at a time, winnowing them down until I’m immersed in the one that has captured my attention to the exclusion of the others. The Canal Bridge is one of those books. The author is the most talented lyrical writer I’ve read in a long while to awful, beautiful and touching effect. From the strong-willed Kitty Hatchel to her love, the enigmatic Matthias Wrenn, the characters were revealed in extraordinary depth. From halcyon childhood days in Ballyrannel, Ireland to the killing fields of Europe in World War I and beyond, the author effectively transports you to time and place. The chapters are arranged by character; some with a single chapter, others with many. Each character tells the story from his or her viewpoint, knowledge and understanding, making a unified whole that flows gracefully and perhaps more fully than it would from a single point of view. I’m looking forward to reading other work by Tom Phelan.

This is a narrative from several characters' viewpoints. It took me until halfway through the novel to become interested in the story. But then I became invested in the character's, and followed them through the War. It has the same disillusionment of war that Rilke's "All Quiet on the Western Front" and Hemingway's "A Farewell to Arms" had, and it's ending has the poignancy of Steinbeck's " Of Mice and Men".

Caveat: I think WWI continues to this day. Empires have changed somewhat and new borders arranged but old nationalist grudges and demands still exist. The French are still French, the Turks, Turkish, Americans, somewhat grabby but naive, and the centuries old contentiousness bet. Islam and Christianity continue. Having said that, the experiences of the soldiers have been overlooked and forgotten, but Phelan describes the godawful experiences of average people in terrible times. I was a little surprised about the demonizing of the Irish independence fighters especially in the year of the 100 anniversary of the Easter Rising. Although revisionists deny its necessity, the average Irish citizen supported the remembrance with both solemnity and joy. Maybe Phelan's people were on the other side. Generals are usually honored and battles recalled but the suffering of individuals who have little or no power to influence events is actively disremembered. That may be in the service of revving nations up to do it again.

This is a very descriptive novel from the the beginning in a small village in Ireland to the great battle of WWI. It literally puts the reader onto the battlefield at Somme & Ypres. The characters are brought to life by the discreiptive writing. I thourghly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

Phelan's creative narrative style affords life to many voices that ring true and powerful, echoing the beauty of a simpler Ireland and the horror of an often forgotten war. The canal was life in an Ireland just beyond memory, and the trenches death. The telling of the former was hard to put down and the latter sometimes hard to stomach. Sweet and awful.

A beautifully written poignant and descriptive tale of war love and rural Irish culture in the early 20th Century. I am largely a non fiction reader but I could not put this book down because of it’s historical accuracy and reasoned comment

to each their own.....

This is the second book I have read by Tom Phelan, the first was The Lies The Mushroom Pickers Told, which made me laugh and cry in equal measure, this book however made me cry. Everyone should read this book to learn about the horrors of war.

brilliant book ...a must read, many thanks tom phelan