On Canaan's Side

Written by Sebastian Barry

Narrated by Wanda McCaddon

From the two-time Man Booker short-listed author of The Secret Scripture comes a magnificent new novel that is the story of the twentieth century in America.

Told in the first person, as a narrative of Lilly Bere’s life over seventeen days, On Canaan’s Side opens as Lilly mourns the loss of her grandson, Bill. Lilly revisits her past, going back to the moment she was forced to flee Ireland at the end of the First World War, and continues her tale in America, a world filled with both hope and danger.

At once epic and intimate, Lilly’s story unfolds as she tries to make sense of the sorrows and troubles of her life and of the people whose lives she has touched. Spanning nearly seven decades, from the Great Depression to World War II and the Vietnam War, it is the heartbreaking story of a woman whose capability to love is enormous and whose compassion, even for those who have wronged her, is astonishing.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Blackstone Audio
• Release date: Sep 8, 2011
• ISBN: 9781441793799

Reviews for On Canaan's Side

[st5croixsue · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Beautiful prose.

[lizchris_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a beautifully-written novel about an Irish woman who flees Ireland for the United States at the end of the First World War. The memoir of an elderly and grief-stricken woman, it moves from fleeing the Black & Tans in Ireland to early survival in America and finding her feet and building a life in America. As ever, Barry is good on how the events of Irish history tore families and communities apart, with reverberations being felt many years on.The memoir seems to be simple, everyday, ordinary, especially when it is combined with a trip to the hairdresser or a visit from a neighbour, but the events and characters it describes are extraordinary.A lovely piece of writing, good story and characters.

[juva_3 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Lilly is still a young girl when she is forced to flee her home of Ireland shortly after the first world war. She washes up in Chicago with her new husband. Just when they feel safe, a strange man shows up and shoots her husband. Alone in America with no connections, Lilly must reinvent her life and discover her own way to survive. The narrative of her life is told over several days as part of an elaborate suicide note. After the death of her grandson, Lilly decides to end her life, but first, she relives it one more time. This story is not particularly moving for me, but it is so beautifully and lyrically told that it makes up for it. Lovely.

[pcollins-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A poignant story of an old Irish woman living in America, looking back on her life and the people in it which she loved. Her life spans the 20th century and we get a taste of pre-independence Ireland from a pro-empire perspective which I found quite refreshing. It's nice to see that the author portrays the fact that there were many Irish people who were not neccesarily interested in a republic. All in all a moving story that I enjoyed, however I don't buy the comment from the protaganist towards the end of the book, in which the protaganist more or less states she did not know whether the 'black and tans' were doing bad things or not during the 20s. I don't know if this was maybe a little apologist nod from the author but it certainly doesn't sit with a 1st generation Irish American character, considering Irish Americans have historically been almost more pro-indepencence (albeit romantically) than the Irish themselves.

Although I enjoyed this book I much preferred Barry's previous book The Secret Scripture.

[chewdigest · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book tugged my heart strings in a way that I can't ever remember a book doing. Powerful.

[vguy_6 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Brilliant and brilliantly read by Grania ?? Narrated by a simple warm-hearted woman who loses men to almost all the wars of the 20th century,from WW1 to Iraq including the Irish troubles on the way. She loves, suffers, observes, survives. Beats most other 'survey of the century' novels by a wide margin. Helped by not name-checking the famous - only one who appears is Martin Luther King, briefly and credibly.

[vashonjim · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Old woman reflects on her life, beginning with her getting chased out if Ireland by the I.R.A. when she was a teenager. Never grabbed me.

[newsomejp · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Beautifully written!! Every word savored.After page 30, I could not put it down.

[gayla.bassham · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I think this is Barry's best book. Beautifully written and a real page-turner to boot. My only criticism is that sometimes I got so caught up in the gorgeous prose that I forgot to pay attention to what was happening.

[oldblack-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I found this to be a very good book. I'm judging that by the mood it has induced in me....well, that 's not quite right - a better way of putting it would be that the feelings I already had have been somehow validated and reinforced by reading this book. It's a companion book to "Annie Dunne" - it's the story of Annie's sister who migrated from Ireland to America. She has a lot of sadness in her life (as did Annie) and this is her reminisence about her life on the occasion of the loss of her grandson. I find it very hard to establish why it works for me through some sort of analysis (because I'm not capable of that level of thinking), but I can say that I reckon Sebastian Barry must have a good understanding of such a life, and be good at capturing that in words. It's interesting that he is writing from a woman's point of view and I find that perspective very realistic - but neither Barry nor I are women, so there's a possibility that women reading this might not feel the same.

[vivienner_3 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

At 89 years old, Lilly relates a sentimental account of escape from political upheaval in Ireland to the US, sharing memories measured by the number of days since her grandson Bill died. The hyperbolic language, surely invented by writers of the "Irish immigrant in America" genre, is annoying. Lilly is shown to be ill-educated, ignorant, yet this is not apparent in her flights of flamboyant prose "I carry in my skull a sort of molten sphere instead of a brain, and I am burning there, with horror, and misery." Although I can appreciate Barry's talent with words, they do not sit comfortably with Lily's persona. If the theatrical clichéd quality can be tuned out, Lily's story of her eighty-nine years unfolds more credibly. There is no doubt that Barry can create a colourful turn of phrase and tell a vivid story, but they are not my choice.

[jack2410 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An autobiography written by a nearly 90 year old lady. We are reading it as she is writing it and reliving her life.
She immigrated to America in her teens from Ireland with her husband to be.
It was a life of much sadness and fear but also a life of much love, fullness, and good fortune.
Other:
Courage and fortitude not only in her but in others
Caring for others: caring for her by others outside her family
Effects of war on some young people—her brother, son, and grandson, close friend
Reminded of the existence of groups of evil men in the world: mafia, Irish society, etc.
What can happen to sons’ foundation when there is no father in the home.
Race difference is not always simple—she married a white man who had black genes which became obvious in her grandchild.

[petterw_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

On Canaan´s Side is a story about the significance of a seemingly insignificant life, of selfless kindness and reckless selfishness, of how wars, any wars, wreck lives, both of people fighting and people who are left behind. Sebstian Barry´s novel made my eyes water from the first page, describing people I knew nothing about, then again at the end when I had learned about some extraordinary characters and followed an amazing, well-woven story. It is, however, a bit uneven, and one may be tempted to leave the story in the middle - which would be a terrible shame, missing the astonishing ending. I stopped many times, rereading lines, because the prose is so good and rich. Barry is an impressive writer, I now know there are novels written about minor characters in On Canaan´s Side, and I hope to read the others at a later stage.

[lambertnagle · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Written in the first person, On Canaan’s Side tells the story of Lilly Bere, the 89 year old narrator and protagonist who has had to live her life in exile and under the radar in the US.Lilly’s story brings to life one of the most turbulent times in Irish history, when political divisions meant that many caught up in the conflict after the first world war, were either forced into exile or killed. Lilly’s story has some parallels with that of my own Irish grandmother’s, who, luckily for her, left Ireland not long after the end of the first war, and before the bloodshed and deep political divisions, prior to the creation of the Irish Free State, forced some, like Lilly, to flee in fear of their lives.Lilly’s crime was to fall in love with Tadg Bere, who on returning from the First World War, chose to work as an auxiliary police officer for the oppressors, the hated Black and Tans. When Tadg’s name appears on a hit-list he and Lily run from Dublin to America and head for Chicago. Perhaps, with hindsight they should have chosen to go west, rather than east, and certainly not to a city already full of immigrants from Ireland and supporters for the other side of the political divide.Rather than add in some plot spoilers at this juncture, suffice to say that Lilly is a survivor and despite the seemingly endless dreadful blows that life deals her, she not only endures but, even manages to enjoy her life with quiet stoicism. Lilly takes pride in her work as a cook and is admired and appreciated by her employer.Sebastian Barry writes haunting, poetic and achingly beautiful prose. His characterisation of an elderly Irish woman is utterly convincing. When I finished the book I felt bereft. As I have come late to Barry’s work and now know that these characters appear in not just an earlier novel but in his earlier plays, I can’t wait to reconnect with them.

[michigantrumpet_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Eighty-seven year old Lilly Bere reflects on her life, back to her childhood in Ireland, fleeing with her husband to America, and her years of love, suffering, joy and grief in various parts of the US. A lyrical, heartfelt and atmospheric book. Lilly's cadence of thought is hypnotic and memorable. I found her tale and her tone to be hauntingly beautiful.

[crgalvin · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lily Bere recalls and records the decades of her life since enforced immigration from Ireland with new husband Tadg. Each chapter is a day further from the death of her grandson. She looks back on individual incidents and the circumstances that have brought her to the determination to end her 87 year old life.This is a beautifully written book. Savour the language and reread passages to enjoy.

[lesleymc · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In a word - ExquisiteAs per Jerry Maguire this novel 'Had me in the first four lines'. I can't praise this book enough, the writing is exquisite so much so that I found myself rereading sections just because it was so beautifully penned. The storyline flowed with ease and even though it wasn't completely linear everything was revealed as and when it should have been. Sebastian Barry is an arresting author and I will certainly be reading more of his work.

[thejohnsmith · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Another captivating tale from Sebastian Barry. Beautifully written, Lilly Bere’s recollections of her life and its tragedies in Ireland and the USA tell an entertaining but heart breaking story.

[michaelbartley · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I liked the idea of the book, a older woman looks back at her life in an attempt to understand how she is where she is. I liked the writing but I thought it was too clever. too cute

[pdebolt_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When Lilly Bere reflects on her life at the age of 87, it is from the vantage point of deep grief. Sebastian Barry has a remarkable gift for allowing the reader into a very unique life filled with tragedy, betrayal, courage, forgiveness and love. Lilly Bere is a character who will stay with anyone who reads this poignant account of her life.

[lesleynicol · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A thoroughly enjoyable book,written in the first person in the voice of an elderly woman of 87 as she tells the story of her life.,very cleverly told especially as the writer is a man of only 50 odd years.

[smiler69 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"Part 1: First Day Without BillBill is gone. What is the sound of an 89 year-old heart breaking? It might not be much more than silence, and certainly a small, slight sound."*Lily Bere has just lost her grandson Bill. She is 89 years old and, having lived a long life filled with heartbreak and loss, she has decided that she no longer wants to go on. She is determined to take her life, but first, she decides to write her memoirs, with each chapter's heading counting off the days since the loss of her grandson. During seventeen days and seventeen chapters, she recalls the events of her life which have led her to the present circumstances; from her girlhood with her family in Ireland, to a pressing escape to America with her beloved, and all the many people and and adventures and experiences she has accumulated. Though her story is filled with sorrow, the telling of it is by turns quite amusing. Though she writes in what could be considered a conversational tone, there is also much poetry in the choosing of her words. To say I loved this book does it little justice. I was completely immersed in it, and felt like I was living life right alongside Lily. I'm sure one of the things that made it such an unforgettable experience, was the fact that the audiobook I listened to is narrated by the excellent Wanda McCaddon, aka Nadia May, whose sensitive reading along with the slight Irish accent she uses made Lily seem that much more real. Wholeheartedly recommended, and I predict: one of my favourites of the year."To remember sometimes, is a great sorrow. But when the remembering has been done, there comes afterwards a very curious peacefulness—because you have planted your flag on the summit of the sorrow, you have climbed it. And I notice again in the writing of this confession that there is nothing called "long ago" after all. When things are summoned up, it is all present time, pure and simple. So that much to my surprise, people I have loved are allowed to live again." —Fifteenth Day Without Bill*quotes are transcripts from the audio version, and as such aren't fully consistent with the original, though I've tried to render them as meticulously as possible.

[janismack · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I just couldn't get interested in the book. Author kept going off in different tangents.

[ccayne_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The language alone is worth the trip. Barry moves back and forth in time as the narrator, Lilly Bere, reflects in the day's after her grandson's death. Hers was not an easy life and Barry weaves her story skillfully and without editorializing. He is a beautiful writer who has the rare gift of combining lyrical prose with a good plot.

[schatje_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The narrator is 89-year-old Lily Bere. Over seventeen days after the death of her grandson, she recounts the major events of her life beginning with her childhood in Ireland and continuing through her adulthood in America.America does not prove to be Canaan, the Biblical Promised Land. America is not a place of refuge since Lily's life and the lives of her loved ones are dominated by violence. Her story includes many of the historical events of the twentieth century (war, racial tensions). These events are not detailed; the focus is on the damage they leave in their wake. Her presence in the wings of so many momentous events might seem far-fetched, but there is an emotional truth in Lily's narrative.Lily is a character who will long remain with the reader. Her life story is full of hatred and vengefulness, but it is told by a humble, kind, non-judgmental, and compassionate woman. Her stoicism and indomitable will in the face of multiple bereavements and separations and hardships is remarkable, as is her joy in small pleasures. Lily attributes all of these qualities to Mrs. Wolohan, her long-time employer, not realizing she herself possesses them in abundance.Obviously, this is a novel of memory and remembrance. Early in her "confession" Lily mentions that "There is no inoculation against [memory]" (83). It is this very remembering that brings her deliverance: "To remember sometimes is a great sorrow, but when the remembering has been done, there comes afterwards a very curious peacefulness. Because you have planted your flag on the summit of the sorrow. You have climbed it" (217). Barry's language is wonderfully poetic. The figurative diction is reminiscent of T. S. Eliot: "The sea sat out on the beach like a thousand patients at a surgery, still, vexed, worrisome" (253) and "the sun was falling away under the table of the world, like a drinking man" (254). The book is worth a re-read just to savour the lyricism. Sebastian Barry has appeared on the Man Booker lists three times. I predict that someday he WILL win this award or the Nobel Prize for Literature.

[beamis12 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Beautiful writing and so descriptive with the narrator a 89 yr. old woman, heartbroken after the suicide of her grandson. Very slow paced though and a lot of back and forth between her early childhood in Ireland and her present life. Don't think I was in the mood for a slow paced book and think this affected my rating.

[lit_chick_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

“I am cold because I cannot find my heart.” (Ch 2)Now eighty-nine years old, Lilly Bere fled Ireland as a young woman with her first love, Tadg, after the first World War. She has lived out her life in domestic service to wealthy patrons on the east coast of the US, “Canaan’s Side.” Lilly is recording her life’s memories as she reels with grief at the recent loss of her grandson, Bill. Lilly has endured far more than her share of loss: brother, husband, father, son, grandson. Keenly aware of the terror of grief, she knows that at last “there is solace in nothing.” (Ch 1) Still, the power of human memory dictates that one is never free from revisiting cumulative losses:“We may be immune to typhoid, tetanus, chickenpox, diphtheria, but never memory. There is no inoculation against that.” (Ch 7)Beautifully written and achingly beautiful, On Canaan’s Side moves seamlessly between past and present. Chapters are named for the number of days which have passed since Bill’s death. For me, the prominent theme in the novel is the hollowing out of the soul – as Lilly’s brother and son are hollowed out by the experience of war, Lilly is hollowed out by grief. Undoubtedly, the novel is immersed in great sadness, almost too much, but I don’t remember writing more fluid, more lovely.

[laura400 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A good book, but one that will appeal most to those captivated by consciously lyrical, even flowery, prose. The author obviously relishes moments of beauty in ordinary life: he revels in writing those. But the book wants to go further, to its credit. It ambitiously attempts to show the effects of a 20th Century of wars on one woman's life, in Ireland and America. Unfortunately this broad scope turns her life into a long skein of tragic events, from birth to old age. At times it feels like we're moving from town to town, tragedy to tragedy, war to war, assassination to assassination.The story is set mostly in America, but it doesn't feel like an American book. It feels, or reads, like an Irish book. The narrator's move to America is set in motion by the Irish War of Independence, an event that, characteristically, is only alluded to, and which the main character herself doesn't really understand. But it is the wellspring for what comes after. The book may have its flaws, but it is powerfully felt. The characters come alive. The story resonates. The prose can seem too extravagant at times, but some of the images are beautiful and haunting.

[jimelkins · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

If you like this book, you know nothing about Ireland. There isn't any other option. The book has some real empathy and emotion, and it is written tenderly, as Colm Tóibín says. But the onslaught of clichés begins on the first page and never lets up. At first I thought it was ironic, and later I hoped it might be an attempt to create a period feeling, but the clichés are unremitting. There are entire pages made up of nothing but clichés about old Ireland, Irishness, the Irish landscape, the Irish character. I wouldn't mind an evocation of the clichés of the past, since this is, after all, a narrative about an 89-year old woman. But Barr himself swims in this stuff. There is no authorial distance. A reader wades in thickened nostalgia for ideas that were old even in their generation.There are arch references and explanations for some of the more local usages; at one point Barry informs us that people in Dublin call packages "messages." Sometimes the sheer number of clichés is itself astounding: it's amazing an entire book can be made out of things so worn and used, so treacly, so illegitimately nostalgic, so inappropriate, so hopeless removed from any sense of Ireland that has developed since the 1930s. The line that stopped me -- I will never finish this book, or read anything else of his! -- is on page 128, when he brings the hoariest of all clichés onstage, the wirra-wirra. But the way he does it makes it clear that he doesn't think he needs to frame it, take any distance from it, or treat it with any kind of circumspection:"Wirra-wirra cried the old keeners around the coffins in vanished Wicklow days."It's the phrase, "vanished Wicklow days," that did it. If you can read that without an uncontrollable shiver, then you aren't aware of anything since 1921.

[kidzdoc_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

illy Bere is a retired Irish immigrant living in a small cottage on Long Island, who reflects on her life after the death of her beloved grandson Bill. She grew up in Dublin as the beloved daughter of a respected policeman, but was forced to flee to the United States with her first love Tadg, after he was targeted for harm by Irish nationalists during the Troubles. The two settled in Chicago, living initially as brother and sister under hidden identities, but they eventually married. Unfortunately tragedy falls upon the two lovers, and Lilly travels undercover to Cleveland. There she remains homeless and jobless, until she collapses and is rescued by a black man who comes upon her. He takes her into his home, and she becomes best friends with his daughter, whose physical size is exceeded by her generous and warm heart. Lilly's life in Cleveland continues to be filled with pain and grief, which follows her to the nation's capital, where she is employed by a wealthy woman, and Long Island, where the woman's daughter allows her to spend her retirement in physical comfort, although she is unable to escape the ghosts that have haunted her past.On Canaan's Side is a captivating and heartbreaking novel, perhaps too much so, which I enjoyed more than Barry's previous Booker Prize shortlisted novel The Secret Scripture. It certainly deserved to be on the longlist, and I'm surprised and disappointed that it wasn't selected for the shortlist this year.