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A Long Long Way

AN IRISH TIMES BEST IRISH BOOK OF THE 21ST CENTURY
By Sebastian Barry
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
A Long Long Way by Sebastian Barry follows the journey of Willie Dunne, a young Irishman caught in the turmoil of World War I and the political upheavals in Ireland. As he serves in the British army, Willie grapples with his identity, torn between his Irish roots and his duties as a soldier. The novel poignantly explores themes of loyalty, family, and the cost of war on an individual's spirit.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you're drawn to poignant tales of conflict and personal growth. Set against the backdrop of World War I, it beautifully portrays the struggles and emotional journeys of soldiers, exploring themes of loyalty and the human cost of war. If you appreciate richly detailed historical settings and complex characters facing moral dilemmas, this story will likely captivate you.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

The powerful and moving First World War novel, shortlisted for the 2005 Man Booker Prize.

A Long Long Way by Sebastian Barry - shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2005 - is an epic and moving story of one man's war.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Told in Sebastian Barry's characteristically beautiful prose, A Long Long Way evokes the camaraderie and humour of Willie and his regiment, the Royal Dublin Fusiliers, but also the cruelty and sadness of war, and the divided loyalties that many Irish soldiers felt.

Tracing their experiences through the course of the war, the narrative brilliantly explores and dramatises the events of the Easter Rising within Ireland, and how such a seminal political moment came to affect those boys off fighting for the King of England on foreign fields— the paralysing doubts and divisions it caused them.

It also charts Willie's coming of age, his leaving behind of his sweetheart Gretta, and the effect the war has on his relationship with his father, a member of the Dublin Military Police and fervent loyalist.

Running throughout is the question of how such young men came to be fighting in a war, and how they struggled with the events that raged around them.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

A Long Long Way by Sebastian Barry is highly praised for its gripping and unforgettable narrative, vividly depicting the harrowing realities of war. It is lauded as a remarkable achievement, comparable to the great war testimonies by poets like Owen and Sassoon, and includes a deeply moving exploration of courage and loyalty.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780571218011

Publisher: Faber & Faber

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 06 April 2006

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Faber & Faber

Edition: Main

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 18.0mm

Width: 126.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 247g

Pages: 304

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Best Sellers at Book Hero Fiction General Fiction In Stock Books In-Stock Fiction Books Literary Fiction New Release Fiction Sebastian Barry

About the Author

Sebastian Barry was born in Dublin in 1955. His novels include The Whereabouts of Eneas McNulty (1998), Annie Dunne (2002), A Long Long Way (2005) and The Secret Scripture (2008). A Long Long Way, which was also shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and the Dublin International Impac Prize, was the Dublin: One City One Book choice for 2007. The Secret Scripture won several awards. It was also shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. He lives in Wicklow with his wife and three children.

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