The Canal House: A Gripping Literary War Novel of Love and Impossible Choices in a Military Zone

by Mark Lee

Photojournalist Nicky Bettencourt thinks he's seen everything until he teams up with the legendary war correspondent Daniel McFarland. To Daniel, the story is everything; people come later. But after a plane crash nearly takes his life, Daniel begins to see the world in a different way. He falls in love with Julia Cadell, an idealistic British doctor, and together they find refuge at an old canal house in the center of London. Soon after, Nicky, Daniel, and Julia are called to East Timor, where the government has fled and the entire country is a war zone, and Daniel must decide whether to get the story of a lifetime or to see beyond the headlines to the people whose lives are in the balance.

Fast-paced and gorgeously written, The Canal House is a gripping novel of love, faith, and friendship set in the dangerous world of international wartime journalism.

Genres: Fiction, Australia, Uganda, Italy, Kenya, War, Historical Fiction

368 pages, Paperback

First published April 11, 2003

About the author

Mark Lee is a highly regarded novelist, playwright, journalist and children's book author.

You can learn more on his author website: http://www.markwlee.com

Or read a short Wikipedia entry:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Le...

Reviews

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so glad to have found this exquisite little gem of a book. It's a great story, with characters I truly believed could be real people, and it made me care so much about them. I'll definitely be seeking out Mark Lee's other adult fiction novel.

Somewhat unusually, this is the story of American journalist Daniel McFarland, narrated alternately by the two people who grew to know him best and love him most. Perhaps this has been done before but I can't think of an example. It's remarkable for how it worked so well to accentuate Daniel's character, in particular the distance he kept from other people, and to emphasise the way a life-changing event altered his attitude to the way he was living his life. The two narrators are Nicky Bettencourt, a press photographer and fellow American, and Dr Julia Cadell, a British physician who has spent most of her career drifting from one international hot-spot to another, providing medical aid.

Each of the key locations of Italy, Uganda, England and East Timor are brought to life with little vignettes - some wonderful, others tragic - that are now imprinted on my brain. Although it was pretty clear where the story was heading, it left me feeling quietly bereft at the end. Highly recommended.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are some books that you can't seem to put down because you are so entrenched in the story. Then there are books that feel so real, so alive, that you want to take your time in it, to absorb every little detail and you feel as if you are part of the characters' lives, feeling everything with them. This book falls in the latter category. It's a sorry you don't want to end. The characters are people you could actually know, not stock characters drawn from a textbook. They have real lives, real feelings, and real problems. You find some you love, and some you hate. But even in that, just like with real people, they aren't cut and dried. The ones you love do stupid things. The ones you hate have kind moments. And they're all caught up in events that for so many reasons should not be realities in our world, but they are. And it's written realistically. It's the way it would probably happen in real life. Is this a favorite book? I don't know yet. The story is still too fresh in my mind. Would I read it again? In a heartbeat. But slowly. To savor it.

[Cindelu · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book on Goodreads. It was a stunning story of war and the journalists and photographers who cover these events. A love story involving a doctor who goes to these war torn places to help the innocent victims merges in their stories. Extremely well written and vivid.

[Lindsey Buchanan · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you can keep up with all the traveling and the switching of narrators I think anyone could enjoy this book. It's the journey of a journalist, a photographer and a relief aid doctor. It has adventure, romance and heartbreak. I really enjoyed reading it.

[Jill Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I may be stepping out on a limb by giving this book 5 stars, but I really did LOVE it. Maybe because of the topic of relief work in 3rd world countries, maybe because of the photography references, maybe because the characters were just so awesome. Whatever it was, this book was great!

[Dottie · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of those books which hit me very strongly at the time I read it -- bits of it are still clear in my mind and those bits are enticement to revisit it one day. Highly recommend this one.

[Deborah Sherman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book started out a little slow but I quickly was drawn into the story. I became so entrenched in the lives of the characters I had to absorb every single detail about them; sometimes even re-reading sections to make sure I didn't miss anything. It was one of those books you can
t wait to find out how it ends but when it does you want more.

This was really a sad story but there were some happy times. It was about journalist Daniel, photographer Nicky and Julia, a doctor giving international aid to refugees in Uganda and East Timor. Their lives are so entangled that the author is able to draw you into their lives to the point you can't help caring about them and what could happen to any of them. A gripping story, rich in detail and suspense.

[Camilla Hikarda · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exquisite and carefully written book. I’d highly recommend reading it. The copy I found was an older version with a very strange image for the cover, and the title doesn’t do it justice but I’m glad I wasn’t put off. I couldn’t put it down. Lee’s way of writing was very different but I loved the characters and the rawness of the story. I’ll miss the characters.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was quite impressive. The writer tells the story as if you are right there in the middle of it. Beautiful description of the characters, the locations and the palpable misery.
A sad story, but definitely a good read.

[AdiTurbo · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at 20%. The novel started out very well, with some of the most beautiful writing I've recently read. But then it took a wrong turn and lost its way, unfortunately. I gave it some more time, but eventually found myself too disappointed and uninterested to go on.

[Marianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story from the perspective of an in field photographer and a Dr. Very well written.

[Katy]

I received my copy free through Goodreads Giveaways.

[Kathy Webb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
Thank you to everyone involved.
This book is very well written. Great characters.
You won’t want to put it down.

[Dreama Villa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant!

[Steven Ridgely · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Canal House" is told in two acts and an intermission across territory as far-flung as the UK to Italy to Uganda to East Timor. It is the story of foreign correspondents, international aid workers, and the mercenaries who rush toward disaster to collect gold and glory. Mark Lee's novel and his characters are players in a complex global ecosystem. Each must choose how to live with others, and ultimately whether or not they can live with the versions of themselves that they choose to be. Lee explores broader questions. Do exploitation, manipulation, or self-sacrifice validate resolution to conflicts? Does the end justify the means? Do brutality and greed outweigh love and compassion?

Lee moves his characters Nicky, Julia, Daniel and Richard through the story like pieces on a chessboard, skillfully escalating the tension in a final showdown in East Timor. And even though there are winners and there are losers, there is something else in the end that propels the do-gooders to keep their pieces in the game: hope.

[Jeana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm glad to be finished. For some reason, I never really got into this book. The relationships just seemed a little false to me and I really just don't believe guys go around caring if another guy calls him his "best friend". Sometimes the writing was pretty decent. But I just felt at such a distance from all the characters and that just made me simply not care all that much. I like the cover.

[Philip Shaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read. Lee's experiences ring true in his fiction. Nice pacing, good character development and, 6 years removed from it's original publication, a still relevant reflection on modern war, peace-keeping, and the commercialism of International Aid efforts. You get to learn something and enjoy a thrilling plot, while not being preached to.

I recommend picking it up from your local bookseller. Mine are Bailey Coy and Elliott Bay Books.
Philip Swanstrom Shaw

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

a book about journalists and photographers traveling the world to cover disasters, genocides and the such. This was the view of one of them:

Idealists are dangerous to themselves and the people around them. If you truly wanted to live a good life, it was a revolutionary act....If you want to be a saint, you have to risk looking like a fool.

[Lauri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one about life as a war correspondent in some of the most dangerous war zones in current memory. Interesting work, especially in Africa and East Timore. Recommended to everyone who wants an "interesting" life...

[Natalia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished the book this early morning, in less than 48 hours, and really liking it.
The descriptions are detailed but not overdone, the plot was flowing and intriguing. The characters are strong, and almost real. I would really love to meet these person in life, Daniel, Julia and Nicky.

[Katharina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would definitely recommend this book. Even though my world is very different from the one described, I found it very easy to feel involved in the story line and close to the main characters. The writer knows how to increase the intensity level at the end, I could not put it down. A good read.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very sad story. But finally a book about news writers with a conscience. The war correspondent and photo journalist in East Timor, risking their lives to get interviews and the truth to the international press.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

first novel that I've read that I really liked in quite a while. I'm just sad I can't find more books like it

[Ekf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not a perfect book. But what it does--it does completely. Creates a world on a page. Satisfying.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

gripping fiction about a photographer's growth through experiencing modern danger spots with a fearless journalist

[Stacey Eid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book about war, refuge camps, journalism, and even mild politics.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved how this story of three persons who traveled to many hot spots in the world and their dreams and joys, a love story of the century and how each was impacted by the wars and destruction.

[Meryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the book however I felt that there was way too much of an interval between scenes of action. Daniel had an unfortunate ending.

[Elaine N. Reas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nogo awau