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The Punishing Journey of Arthur Delaney: A Novel
For readers of Paulette Jiles and Gil Adamson, a 19th-century tale of a father's greatest regret and path to redemption Devastated at his wife's death and stricken at raising two girls and a boy on his own, Arthur Delaney places his children in a Halifax orphanage and runs off to join the Union Army in the American Civil War. The trauma of battle and three years in a disease-ridden prisoner-of-war prison changes his perspective on life and family. After the war, Delaney odd-jobs his way up the American east coast and catches a schooner to Halifax. There he discovers the orphanage has relocated to a farm in rural Nova Scotia. His children are not there. They and others had been sold and resold as farm workers and house servants through the Maritime provinces, as well as Quebec and Ontario. Their whereabouts is unknown. Arthur Delaney sets out on a punishing 20-year journey across Canada to find them. This is a heartbreaking, beautifully told story of a father's attempt to reconnect with his children
224 pages, Paperback
First published June 7, 2022
5 people are currently reading
137 people want to read
About the author
Bob Kroll
7 books17 followersFull name: Robert E. Kroll
Bob Kroll has been writing professionally for more than thirty-five years. His work includes books, stage plays, radio dramas, TV documentaries, as well as historical docu-dramas for Canadian and American museums. He lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Bob Kroll has been writing professionally for more than thirty-five years. His work includes books, stage plays, radio dramas, TV documentaries, as well as historical docu-dramas for Canadian and American museums. He lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
August 21, 2022
The Punishing Journey of Arthur Delaney
by Bob Kroll, narrated by Blair Williams
The saga of Arthur Delaney and his three children is heartbreaking and covers more than two decades. After Arthur's beloved wife dies, he's left alone to raise their three young children, a boy and two girls. In his grief and devastation he fears he isn't up to the task, especially the task of raising daughters. Between talks by a woman who convinces others that her orphanage will give children the upbringing they need and abolitionist talks urging others to join the Union Army in the fight to end slavery (oh the irony), Arthur signs his children over to the orphanage and spends the next years fighting for the Union army, almost dying as a prisoner of war, and then recovering from his time as a POW. When he can, he makes the long journey back to Halifax to be reunited with his children.
Arthur has deep regrets for breaking his promise to his wife to take care of the children and keep them together. He never stopped loving his children and knows he gave up something very precious by leaving them in the hands of others. But he's going home to be the father he should have been to his children. This story is one of long journeys, suffering, and deep regret, and it seems those things will never end, not for Arthur, not for his children, and not for all the impoverished and down on their luck.
We follow not only Arthur but his three children, who were sold and resold as farm workers, some of the many children of those times and later that were nothing more than beasts of burden, to be starved and worked to death. Each of them holds onto their memories of their loving family of five, mother, father, siblings, and try to survive in any way that they can. The story is told in such a way that the times and years are a bit fuzzy, but we are aware of the miles that Arthur travels in his search for his children, one he never gives up.
The narration of the audiobook is perfect for this story. It's told in a very matter of fact way, with little embellishment to dress up the words. This is a hard story to hear but I could not put the story down until I made it to the end. Arthur's love for his late wife and his children is all that keeps him going and I had to see him through this journey.
Published June 30, 2022
Thank you to ECW Press Audio and NetGalley for this ARC.
by Bob Kroll, narrated by Blair Williams
The saga of Arthur Delaney and his three children is heartbreaking and covers more than two decades. After Arthur's beloved wife dies, he's left alone to raise their three young children, a boy and two girls. In his grief and devastation he fears he isn't up to the task, especially the task of raising daughters. Between talks by a woman who convinces others that her orphanage will give children the upbringing they need and abolitionist talks urging others to join the Union Army in the fight to end slavery (oh the irony), Arthur signs his children over to the orphanage and spends the next years fighting for the Union army, almost dying as a prisoner of war, and then recovering from his time as a POW. When he can, he makes the long journey back to Halifax to be reunited with his children.
Arthur has deep regrets for breaking his promise to his wife to take care of the children and keep them together. He never stopped loving his children and knows he gave up something very precious by leaving them in the hands of others. But he's going home to be the father he should have been to his children. This story is one of long journeys, suffering, and deep regret, and it seems those things will never end, not for Arthur, not for his children, and not for all the impoverished and down on their luck.
We follow not only Arthur but his three children, who were sold and resold as farm workers, some of the many children of those times and later that were nothing more than beasts of burden, to be starved and worked to death. Each of them holds onto their memories of their loving family of five, mother, father, siblings, and try to survive in any way that they can. The story is told in such a way that the times and years are a bit fuzzy, but we are aware of the miles that Arthur travels in his search for his children, one he never gives up.
The narration of the audiobook is perfect for this story. It's told in a very matter of fact way, with little embellishment to dress up the words. This is a hard story to hear but I could not put the story down until I made it to the end. Arthur's love for his late wife and his children is all that keeps him going and I had to see him through this journey.
Published June 30, 2022
Thank you to ECW Press Audio and NetGalley for this ARC.
May 10, 2022
Arthur Delaney decides to place his three children Jimmy, Robina and Annie in the Children’s Refuge and Aid home in Halifax after his wife passes away. Arthur joins the Union Army, he’s taken prisoner and spends three years in a Confederate prisoner of war camp.
After having time to reflect on the choices he’s made, Arthur wants to find his children and he has no idea that they have been sold as indentured servants. Arthur has to earn money any way he can to be able to make his way back to Halifax and the only work available is manual labor. When he finally arrives at the orphanage, it’s empty and he discovers it’s been relocated to a farm in Nova Scotia. Of course his children are long gone, initially the two girls were together and his son was working on a farm.
Arthur Delaney wearing his battered Union Army kepi begins the twenty year odyssey traveling across Canada trying to find his children, he has a tattered old photograph of his family taken just before his wife died, he shows this to people, hoping someone might remember seeing them and he follows up on any leads.
I received a copy of The Punishing Journey of Arthur Delaney by Bob Kroll from NetGalley and ECW Press in exchange for an honest review. It’s a heartbreaking tale about Arthur having to make the difficult decision to put his children in an orphanage when his wife died, how could he work and look after them? Arthur has no idea what was going to happen in the future, he makes it his personal quest to find them, he never gives up and it’s a story about hope and hindsight. Four stars from me, it reminded me of the movie The Searchers (without the Indians) and I recommend reading this Canadian historical saga.
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After having time to reflect on the choices he’s made, Arthur wants to find his children and he has no idea that they have been sold as indentured servants. Arthur has to earn money any way he can to be able to make his way back to Halifax and the only work available is manual labor. When he finally arrives at the orphanage, it’s empty and he discovers it’s been relocated to a farm in Nova Scotia. Of course his children are long gone, initially the two girls were together and his son was working on a farm.
Arthur Delaney wearing his battered Union Army kepi begins the twenty year odyssey traveling across Canada trying to find his children, he has a tattered old photograph of his family taken just before his wife died, he shows this to people, hoping someone might remember seeing them and he follows up on any leads.
I received a copy of The Punishing Journey of Arthur Delaney by Bob Kroll from NetGalley and ECW Press in exchange for an honest review. It’s a heartbreaking tale about Arthur having to make the difficult decision to put his children in an orphanage when his wife died, how could he work and look after them? Arthur has no idea what was going to happen in the future, he makes it his personal quest to find them, he never gives up and it’s a story about hope and hindsight. Four stars from me, it reminded me of the movie The Searchers (without the Indians) and I recommend reading this Canadian historical saga.
https://karrenreadsbooks.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/KarrenReadsH...
July 24, 2022
It’s a promise Arthur Delaney made, he made his wife, Mary, a promise before she died to protect their children, and this book is his punishing journey!
“If we don’t blame God, then who do we blame?”
He failed to keep his promise, although I think he wanted to break it! No, I haven't stone heart but for god's sake, if you had a promise to keep children safe, why on earth should convinced that put his three young in an orphanage, think its better for them and the worst part is here, join the Union Army, for what, fight in someone else battle?!
You might think I am angry now, but my friends may know it better, I'm sad, very desperate and heartbroken for making the wrong decisions made that caused a lifetime regret.
The Punishing Journey of Arthur Delaney is about being the constant companion of guilt, the sorrowful and shaking story. In addition to the 18 years of perplexity, the tale of Arthur's children, Jimmy, Robina and Annie also are told in different timelines, which so hurting and heartache.
“It took me years to learn that blame is a hard rule to live by.”
Thanks to ECW Press via Netgalley for ARC, I have given my honest review.
“If we don’t blame God, then who do we blame?”
He failed to keep his promise, although I think he wanted to break it! No, I haven't stone heart but for god's sake, if you had a promise to keep children safe, why on earth should convinced that put his three young in an orphanage, think its better for them and the worst part is here, join the Union Army, for what, fight in someone else battle?!
You might think I am angry now, but my friends may know it better, I'm sad, very desperate and heartbroken for making the wrong decisions made that caused a lifetime regret.
The Punishing Journey of Arthur Delaney is about being the constant companion of guilt, the sorrowful and shaking story. In addition to the 18 years of perplexity, the tale of Arthur's children, Jimmy, Robina and Annie also are told in different timelines, which so hurting and heartache.
“It took me years to learn that blame is a hard rule to live by.”
Thanks to ECW Press via Netgalley for ARC, I have given my honest review.
July 15, 2022
“I was scared of being a father without her. Running off to war was a coward’s way out. I paid for it in that prison.”
The Punishing Journey of Arthur Delaney is the fourth novel by Canadian author, Bob Kroll. The audio version is narrated by Blair Williams. When in 1867, Arthur Delaney walks back to Halifax, Nova Scotia, after fighting in the Civil War and three years in a Confederate prison, he heads straight to Miss Golding’s Children’s Refuge and Aid Home to collect his children. After their mother died, he didn’t feel capable of looking after five-year-old Annie and eight-year-old Robina on his own.
Ten-year-old Jimmy he might have managed, but instead he’d been convinced by the abolitionist preacher to go and fight for what was right. Now, six years on, he arrives to find the orphanage empty, abandoned. Eventually he learns Miss Golding has established Hillside Farm Orphanage and Refuge Centre.
At Hillside, prim and proper Miss Emma Golding, who self-righteously quotes the Bible, “Suffer the little children to come unto me”, has told his children that he died in the war, then indentured them to work on farms or rich homes to work. Jimmy is separated from his sisters, and all are so badly treated that, after a time, they run away.
As the youngest and prettiest, Annie fares better than her siblings, but initially, not by much. All encounter unbelievable cruelty, but are also blessed with the incredible kindness of strangers. Arthur, aching for the happy family life that he sees happening around him, spends decades searching for them. He walks the length of Canada, working at whatever he can to pay his keep, sometimes fares on trains or boats, standing outside churches and on street corners in his free time, showing the only photo he has of his children.
Rather than recounting every little thing that happened to the characters, some things are merely implied. A punishing journey, it certainly is, and includes much hardship, an occasion when he and Jimmy just miss each other, a white-water canoe ride and a winter trek through rugged mountains before Arthur has learned the fate of each of his beloved children.
The depth of Kroll’s research is clear from the picture that Kroll paints of nineteenth century Canada, giving the reader an easily assimilable taste of everyday life during that time. This is a story that is reminiscent of Patrick Gale’s A Place Called Winter, and includes some tear-welling lump-in-the-throat moments. A heart-breaking tale, beautifully told.
This unbiased review is from an audio copy provided by NetGalley and ECW Press
The Punishing Journey of Arthur Delaney is the fourth novel by Canadian author, Bob Kroll. The audio version is narrated by Blair Williams. When in 1867, Arthur Delaney walks back to Halifax, Nova Scotia, after fighting in the Civil War and three years in a Confederate prison, he heads straight to Miss Golding’s Children’s Refuge and Aid Home to collect his children. After their mother died, he didn’t feel capable of looking after five-year-old Annie and eight-year-old Robina on his own.
Ten-year-old Jimmy he might have managed, but instead he’d been convinced by the abolitionist preacher to go and fight for what was right. Now, six years on, he arrives to find the orphanage empty, abandoned. Eventually he learns Miss Golding has established Hillside Farm Orphanage and Refuge Centre.
At Hillside, prim and proper Miss Emma Golding, who self-righteously quotes the Bible, “Suffer the little children to come unto me”, has told his children that he died in the war, then indentured them to work on farms or rich homes to work. Jimmy is separated from his sisters, and all are so badly treated that, after a time, they run away.
As the youngest and prettiest, Annie fares better than her siblings, but initially, not by much. All encounter unbelievable cruelty, but are also blessed with the incredible kindness of strangers. Arthur, aching for the happy family life that he sees happening around him, spends decades searching for them. He walks the length of Canada, working at whatever he can to pay his keep, sometimes fares on trains or boats, standing outside churches and on street corners in his free time, showing the only photo he has of his children.
Rather than recounting every little thing that happened to the characters, some things are merely implied. A punishing journey, it certainly is, and includes much hardship, an occasion when he and Jimmy just miss each other, a white-water canoe ride and a winter trek through rugged mountains before Arthur has learned the fate of each of his beloved children.
The depth of Kroll’s research is clear from the picture that Kroll paints of nineteenth century Canada, giving the reader an easily assimilable taste of everyday life during that time. This is a story that is reminiscent of Patrick Gale’s A Place Called Winter, and includes some tear-welling lump-in-the-throat moments. A heart-breaking tale, beautifully told.
This unbiased review is from an audio copy provided by NetGalley and ECW Press
July 3, 2022
A story told to break your heart but not your spirit.
Arthur Delaney is devastated by the death of his wife and feels incapable of looking after his three young children alone. He leaves his son and two daughters at Miss Golding’s Children’s Refuge and Aid Home in Halifax with the expectation that they will be properly cared for.
Arthur goes off to fight in the American Civil War and having survived the war suffers through three years in a prison of war camp.
Once free his only mission is to collect his children and attempt to put their lives back together. But that is not to be as he finds the home abandoned and learns that his children have been sold off as farm labourers.
Chapters alternate for each of the children who have been separated and must forge ahead on their own in an unforgiving nineteenth century Canada.
Arthur’s journey is one of pain, hardship and anguish but at no point does it enter his mind to give up the search even if it takes twenty punishing years.
This is a heartbreaking story but also a story of a father’s love and a lesson in never giving up on what is truly important.
Arthur Delaney is devastated by the death of his wife and feels incapable of looking after his three young children alone. He leaves his son and two daughters at Miss Golding’s Children’s Refuge and Aid Home in Halifax with the expectation that they will be properly cared for.
Arthur goes off to fight in the American Civil War and having survived the war suffers through three years in a prison of war camp.
Once free his only mission is to collect his children and attempt to put their lives back together. But that is not to be as he finds the home abandoned and learns that his children have been sold off as farm labourers.
Chapters alternate for each of the children who have been separated and must forge ahead on their own in an unforgiving nineteenth century Canada.
Arthur’s journey is one of pain, hardship and anguish but at no point does it enter his mind to give up the search even if it takes twenty punishing years.
This is a heartbreaking story but also a story of a father’s love and a lesson in never giving up on what is truly important.
July 15, 2022
“I was scared of being a father without her. Running off to war was a coward’s way out. I paid for it in that prison.”
The Punishing Journey of Arthur Delaney is the fourth novel by Canadian author, Bob Kroll. When in 1867, Arthur Delaney walks back to Halifax, Nova Scotia, after fighting in the Civil War and three years in a Confederate prison, he heads straight to Miss Golding’s Children’s Refuge and Aid Home to collect his children. After their mother died, he didn’t feel capable of looking after five-year-old Annie and eight-year-old Robina on his own.
Ten-year-old Jimmy he might have managed, but instead he’d been convinced by the abolitionist preacher to go and fight for what was right. Now, six years on, he arrives to find the orphanage empty, abandoned. Eventually he learns Miss Golding has established Hillside Farm Orphanage and Refuge Centre.
At Hillside, prim and proper Miss Emma Golding, who self-righteously quotes the Bible, “Suffer the little children to come unto me”, has told his children that he died in the war, then indentured them to work on farms or rich homes to work. Jimmy is separated from his sisters, and all are so badly treated that, after a time, they run away.
As the youngest and prettiest, Annie fares better than her siblings, but initially, not by much. All encounter unbelievable cruelty, but are also blessed with the incredible kindness of strangers. Arthur, aching for the happy family life that he sees happening around him, spends decades searching for them. He walks the length of Canada, working at whatever he can to pay his keep, sometimes fares on trains or boats, standing outside churches and on street corners in his free time, showing the only photo he has of his children.
Rather than recounting every little thing that happened to the characters, some things are merely implied. A punishing journey, it certainly is, and includes much hardship, an occasion when he and Jimmy just miss each other, a white-water canoe ride and a winter trek through rugged mountains before Arthur has learned the fate of each of his beloved children.
The depth of Kroll’s research is clear from the picture that Kroll paints of nineteenth century Canada, giving the reader an easily assimilable taste of everyday life during that time. This is a story that is reminiscent of Patrick Gale’s A Place Called Winter, and includes some tear-welling lump-in-the-throat moments. A heart-breaking tale, beautifully told.
This unbiased review is from an audio copy provided by NetGalley and ECW Press
The Punishing Journey of Arthur Delaney is the fourth novel by Canadian author, Bob Kroll. When in 1867, Arthur Delaney walks back to Halifax, Nova Scotia, after fighting in the Civil War and three years in a Confederate prison, he heads straight to Miss Golding’s Children’s Refuge and Aid Home to collect his children. After their mother died, he didn’t feel capable of looking after five-year-old Annie and eight-year-old Robina on his own.
Ten-year-old Jimmy he might have managed, but instead he’d been convinced by the abolitionist preacher to go and fight for what was right. Now, six years on, he arrives to find the orphanage empty, abandoned. Eventually he learns Miss Golding has established Hillside Farm Orphanage and Refuge Centre.
At Hillside, prim and proper Miss Emma Golding, who self-righteously quotes the Bible, “Suffer the little children to come unto me”, has told his children that he died in the war, then indentured them to work on farms or rich homes to work. Jimmy is separated from his sisters, and all are so badly treated that, after a time, they run away.
As the youngest and prettiest, Annie fares better than her siblings, but initially, not by much. All encounter unbelievable cruelty, but are also blessed with the incredible kindness of strangers. Arthur, aching for the happy family life that he sees happening around him, spends decades searching for them. He walks the length of Canada, working at whatever he can to pay his keep, sometimes fares on trains or boats, standing outside churches and on street corners in his free time, showing the only photo he has of his children.
Rather than recounting every little thing that happened to the characters, some things are merely implied. A punishing journey, it certainly is, and includes much hardship, an occasion when he and Jimmy just miss each other, a white-water canoe ride and a winter trek through rugged mountains before Arthur has learned the fate of each of his beloved children.
The depth of Kroll’s research is clear from the picture that Kroll paints of nineteenth century Canada, giving the reader an easily assimilable taste of everyday life during that time. This is a story that is reminiscent of Patrick Gale’s A Place Called Winter, and includes some tear-welling lump-in-the-throat moments. A heart-breaking tale, beautifully told.
This unbiased review is from an audio copy provided by NetGalley and ECW Press
December 21, 2023
A heartbreaking story of poor choices.
July 11, 2022
When Arthur Delaney loses his wife and then decides to leave his children in a Canadian children home to fight for the union in the Civil War he always thought he would go back and get them. Unfortunately when he returns the home is empty and his kids have been sold into servitude. When he returns and sees the lady is nowhere around and he has no idea where his children or he sets out to find them. This leads him on a 30 year journey where he meets interesting characters who give him sage and not so sage advice about life. While this is going on we meet his children James has been sold to a farmer and his wife had pretty much treated “OK.“ Asked for AAnnie Ian Ravena they’re sold to John Dooley an abusive jerk who has designs on Little Annie and Rodina wanting to protect her sister does exactly that. They are on the run, author is in search of them and James is growing into a great man. Just a fair warning they have sexual assault and you need Kleenex for this book. You will cry more than once. I love this book and thought the narrator whale did a awesome awesome job. He was great at character distinction and you definitely knew who was talking when they talked. I can honestly highly recommend this book if you love historical fiction at its best you will love this book! I received this book from net Gally and the author and I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review but all opinions are definitely my own.
February 16, 2022
All I wish for is a good story well-told and The Punishing Journey of Arthur Delaney by Bob Kroll delivered that magnificently.
Arthur Delaney didn’t think he was able to raise his three children after his wife died so he allowed himself to succumb to religious/righteous pleas to fight for the Union Army – and to place his three children into the care of an orphanage owner. The war and three years in a prisoner-of-war prison changed his outlook on life and his opinion about raising his children. When released, Delaney set out to find his children, restore his family, and make things right again. The orphanage owner, though, had indentured the children as farm workers and house servants. And as they had been sold on to other farms and households around Canada, his children’s locations are unknown. Arthur Delaney begins a 20 year journey/adventure throughout Canada’s eastern and maritime provinces, chasing down rumours and information to find his children,
The book could easily have been called The Adventures and Psychological Torment of Arthur Delaney and while a lot of the book focuses on the interesting characters and settings of the journey, the author manages to keep Delaney’s torment/self-punishment and the goal of finding his children at the core of the story.
The writing is easy to read and flows well. The reader is given a clear sense of the simplicity of living conditions and the harsh climate in eastern Canada in the late 1800s as well as the economic struggle experienced by most. It was a relatively short/quick read and the author could well have enriched the story by telling us more about each of the three children’s struggles, initially in the orphanage and then in their respective placements. And maybe more of the orphanage owner’s story and the motivations behind her decisions. Nonetheless, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was fully absorbed by both the story and the writing. I certainly came to care enough about the characters to want a happy ending.
Lingering notes: A few days after finishing the book I’m still left with a clear feeling of the hard life experienced post Civil War, the lack of gratitude for the sacrifices made by Delaney, and his tenacity to continue the search to apologise and make things right for his family.
www.books-and-beans.com
Arthur Delaney didn’t think he was able to raise his three children after his wife died so he allowed himself to succumb to religious/righteous pleas to fight for the Union Army – and to place his three children into the care of an orphanage owner. The war and three years in a prisoner-of-war prison changed his outlook on life and his opinion about raising his children. When released, Delaney set out to find his children, restore his family, and make things right again. The orphanage owner, though, had indentured the children as farm workers and house servants. And as they had been sold on to other farms and households around Canada, his children’s locations are unknown. Arthur Delaney begins a 20 year journey/adventure throughout Canada’s eastern and maritime provinces, chasing down rumours and information to find his children,
The book could easily have been called The Adventures and Psychological Torment of Arthur Delaney and while a lot of the book focuses on the interesting characters and settings of the journey, the author manages to keep Delaney’s torment/self-punishment and the goal of finding his children at the core of the story.
The writing is easy to read and flows well. The reader is given a clear sense of the simplicity of living conditions and the harsh climate in eastern Canada in the late 1800s as well as the economic struggle experienced by most. It was a relatively short/quick read and the author could well have enriched the story by telling us more about each of the three children’s struggles, initially in the orphanage and then in their respective placements. And maybe more of the orphanage owner’s story and the motivations behind her decisions. Nonetheless, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was fully absorbed by both the story and the writing. I certainly came to care enough about the characters to want a happy ending.
Lingering notes: A few days after finishing the book I’m still left with a clear feeling of the hard life experienced post Civil War, the lack of gratitude for the sacrifices made by Delaney, and his tenacity to continue the search to apologise and make things right for his family.
www.books-and-beans.com
October 5, 2025
Arthur Delaney worked on the ships in the harbor in Halifax, Canada. He lived there with his wife and three children. When his wife died, there were two events that occurred with long lasting repercussions. The first was that Arthur wasn't sure if he had the ability to raise his children alone. The second was a preacher who was recruiting Canadians to fight in the Civil War in America to free the slaves. Between these two events occurring when Arthur was in the midst of grieving, he made a terrible decision. He signed custody of his children to an orphanage which promised to educate and look after them.
Although the Canadian recruits had been told that their service would only last a few months, that was not the case. Arthur was captured and sent to one of the Confederates' prison camps. Men were starving there as the Confederate Army had fewer and fewer resources. Finally, the war ended and Arthur's three years of time in the prison camp was over.
But when he returned home, it was to a nightmare. The orphanage turned out to be a scam and the children there were indentured out to service or sold outright. Instead of an education, the three Delaney children were forced to work for a series of farmers and the girls were subjected to the attentions of male owners. The son, who was the oldest, ran away from his indenture. The two girls fared worse but were taken from the man who had bought them as servants and more. The family was scattered and no one knew where when Arthur arrived back in Canada. This started a long journey as he traveled from place to place searching for his family.
This novel was based on a true case although changed quite a bit for the novel. There were orphanages that sold the children trusted to them to the highest bidder and once sold or indentured, those children were left to the mercy of their owners. There was a true Arthur Delaney and a court case based on his attempt to get his children back from an orphanage. When you consider that this was a poor man, who spent years walking from one settlement in Canada to another, working odd jobs, often hungry and sick one can see his determination to reunite his family. I listened to this novel and the narrator did a great job. This book is recommended for historical fiction readers.
Although the Canadian recruits had been told that their service would only last a few months, that was not the case. Arthur was captured and sent to one of the Confederates' prison camps. Men were starving there as the Confederate Army had fewer and fewer resources. Finally, the war ended and Arthur's three years of time in the prison camp was over.
But when he returned home, it was to a nightmare. The orphanage turned out to be a scam and the children there were indentured out to service or sold outright. Instead of an education, the three Delaney children were forced to work for a series of farmers and the girls were subjected to the attentions of male owners. The son, who was the oldest, ran away from his indenture. The two girls fared worse but were taken from the man who had bought them as servants and more. The family was scattered and no one knew where when Arthur arrived back in Canada. This started a long journey as he traveled from place to place searching for his family.
This novel was based on a true case although changed quite a bit for the novel. There were orphanages that sold the children trusted to them to the highest bidder and once sold or indentured, those children were left to the mercy of their owners. There was a true Arthur Delaney and a court case based on his attempt to get his children back from an orphanage. When you consider that this was a poor man, who spent years walking from one settlement in Canada to another, working odd jobs, often hungry and sick one can see his determination to reunite his family. I listened to this novel and the narrator did a great job. This book is recommended for historical fiction readers.
April 6, 2022
The War Between the States has ended. After three years as the bone picker in a Confederate prison Arthur Delaney begins his journey back north to his home in Darthmouth, Nova Scotia.
Delaney is burdened with a load of guilt and shame because after his wife’s death he placed his three children in an orphanage of sorts — Miss Golding’s Children’s Refuge and Aid Home — and left Darthmouth to go fight in a foreign war.
What Delaney doesn’t know is that Miss Golding has bonded his children out to other people, none of them of particularly sterling character.
Delaney’s homeward journey, his odyssey — akin in some ways to Ulysses’ wending his way back home to Ithaca after the Trojan War — is one of hardship and downright misery.
Not only is The Punishing Journey of Arthur Delaney [ECW Press] reminiscent of Ulysses’ journey, but also of Faulkner’s As I Lay Drying. Delaney’s story is chock-a-block with almost unbelievable gothic elements.
For instance: A couple of fisherman “net” a woman’s body and carry it back to shore buried beneath the load of fish they catch after hauling the corpse into their boat. When they return to the dock, to the splitting tables, one of the men gutting fish says, “It’s a dead woman. That’s all it is. She drowned or drowned herself.”
Cold, eh?
During the years it takes Delaney to travel back to Nova Scotia he is unaware that since Miss Golding has “unloaded” them — so to speak — his children have gone their separate ways on journeys just a harrowing and punishing as his own.
Each of Delaney’s children, in one way or another, experiences miseries. Year after year, wherever they turn, the children (believing their father is dead by the way) encounter almost unimaginable brutality.
Although this story is filled with despair and tragedy, it does maintain a glimmer of hope.
Despite all this gloom and doom, perhaps because of the gloom and doom plus a smidgen of hope, The Punishing Journey of Arthur Delaney is an excellent, five-star read.
End
Delaney is burdened with a load of guilt and shame because after his wife’s death he placed his three children in an orphanage of sorts — Miss Golding’s Children’s Refuge and Aid Home — and left Darthmouth to go fight in a foreign war.
What Delaney doesn’t know is that Miss Golding has bonded his children out to other people, none of them of particularly sterling character.
Delaney’s homeward journey, his odyssey — akin in some ways to Ulysses’ wending his way back home to Ithaca after the Trojan War — is one of hardship and downright misery.
Not only is The Punishing Journey of Arthur Delaney [ECW Press] reminiscent of Ulysses’ journey, but also of Faulkner’s As I Lay Drying. Delaney’s story is chock-a-block with almost unbelievable gothic elements.
For instance: A couple of fisherman “net” a woman’s body and carry it back to shore buried beneath the load of fish they catch after hauling the corpse into their boat. When they return to the dock, to the splitting tables, one of the men gutting fish says, “It’s a dead woman. That’s all it is. She drowned or drowned herself.”
Cold, eh?
During the years it takes Delaney to travel back to Nova Scotia he is unaware that since Miss Golding has “unloaded” them — so to speak — his children have gone their separate ways on journeys just a harrowing and punishing as his own.
Each of Delaney’s children, in one way or another, experiences miseries. Year after year, wherever they turn, the children (believing their father is dead by the way) encounter almost unimaginable brutality.
Although this story is filled with despair and tragedy, it does maintain a glimmer of hope.
Despite all this gloom and doom, perhaps because of the gloom and doom plus a smidgen of hope, The Punishing Journey of Arthur Delaney is an excellent, five-star read.
End
June 23, 2023
I was taken aback to learn about a book, brought to my attention which is purported to be a work of pure fiction depicting the life of Arthur Delaney. Arthur Delaney, as history records, was the father of three British Home Children: Robina, Annie, and James, who were taken in by Emma Stirling and brought to Canada. The circumstances surrounding this event were steeped in controversy, as the custody of the children was called into question. Their father fought tirelessly in court to have his children returned, but unfortunately, his efforts proved unsuccessful. The ensuing court cases spanned several years and left a lasting impact on the laws governing child migration to Canada. This particular situation held significant importance in the context of children's migration to Canada.
The author of "The Punishing Journey of Arthur Delaney: A Novel Paperback," which was released approximately a year ago, claims to have discovered Arthur Delaney's story in a court document found in the Nova Scotia archives. However, the author then proceeds to use Arthur Delaney's name, as well as the names of the children involved, to spin a tale that has absolutely no resemblance to their true story. This begs the question: why would the author choose to employ their real names instead of crafting a fictional narrative with entirely made-up characters?
For those seeking an accurate account of the Arthur Delaney saga and the subsequent fate of his three children, I invite you to explore my latest book, "Emma Stirling - Died Unmarried." Within its pages, you will find an authentic portrayal of the events surrounding this poignant tale.
The author of "The Punishing Journey of Arthur Delaney: A Novel Paperback," which was released approximately a year ago, claims to have discovered Arthur Delaney's story in a court document found in the Nova Scotia archives. However, the author then proceeds to use Arthur Delaney's name, as well as the names of the children involved, to spin a tale that has absolutely no resemblance to their true story. This begs the question: why would the author choose to employ their real names instead of crafting a fictional narrative with entirely made-up characters?
For those seeking an accurate account of the Arthur Delaney saga and the subsequent fate of his three children, I invite you to explore my latest book, "Emma Stirling - Died Unmarried." Within its pages, you will find an authentic portrayal of the events surrounding this poignant tale.
April 24, 2022
Punishing .... An apt description of Arthur Delaney’s twenty year search for the children he signed over to an orphanage after the death of their mother, his wife.
Punishing is also how I would describe my two weeks spent with this novel. I’m not saying it’s a bad novel. On the contrary, it is extremely well written: sparse but intensely intimate. Nor would I say “... I couldn’t put it down." I often had to put it down ...being so desolate, depressing and tragic at the turn of almost every page. There were bits of light, but they were few and far between.
The plot is not particularly character driven (something I kind of missed).... but driven by Arthur Delaney’s intense desire to find his family; and each of his children’s means of survival after having been sold off into indenture.
I’m finding it difficult to sum up this review. It’s a well written, but extremely hard to read story. All I can say is, “if you like the tragedy without the comedy ... and only a smidge of redemption," this book is for you.
This is my honest and unbiased review of the novel “The Punishing Journey of Arthur Delaney” by Bob Kroll, an advance reading copy of which was provided to me by ECW Press
Punishing is also how I would describe my two weeks spent with this novel. I’m not saying it’s a bad novel. On the contrary, it is extremely well written: sparse but intensely intimate. Nor would I say “... I couldn’t put it down." I often had to put it down ...being so desolate, depressing and tragic at the turn of almost every page. There were bits of light, but they were few and far between.
The plot is not particularly character driven (something I kind of missed).... but driven by Arthur Delaney’s intense desire to find his family; and each of his children’s means of survival after having been sold off into indenture.
I’m finding it difficult to sum up this review. It’s a well written, but extremely hard to read story. All I can say is, “if you like the tragedy without the comedy ... and only a smidge of redemption," this book is for you.
This is my honest and unbiased review of the novel “The Punishing Journey of Arthur Delaney” by Bob Kroll, an advance reading copy of which was provided to me by ECW Press
July 28, 2024
A 19th-century tale of a father's greatest regret and path to redemption Devastated at his wife's death and stricken at raising two girls and a boy on his own, Arthur Delaney places his children in a Halifax orphanage and runs off to join the Union Army in the American Civil War. The trauma of battle and three years in a disease-ridden prisoner-of-war prison changes his perspective on life and family. After the war, Delaney odd-jobs his way up the American east coast and catches a schooner to Halifax. There he discovers the orphanage has relocated to a farm in rural Nova Scotia. His children are not there. They and others had been sold and resold as farm workers and house servants through the Maritime provinces, as well as Quebec and Ontario. Their whereabouts is unknown. Arthur Delaney sets out on a punishing 20-year journey across Canada to find them. This is a heartbreaking, beautifully told story of a father's attempt to reconnect with his children.
I loved the story of Arthur Delaney. It felt real and sad and even hopeful. The narration was perfect. I was captured by the character of Arthur and the description of his journey to find his children. Well written.
I loved the story of Arthur Delaney. It felt real and sad and even hopeful. The narration was perfect. I was captured by the character of Arthur and the description of his journey to find his children. Well written.
March 9, 2022
A strong opening line for a review, but the first chapter of this book is possibly the worst chapter one of any book i have read.
It felt messy, wooden and oddly structured with such a weird flow, and I honestly don't understand it because from there onwards everything was on the up.
Stick with it. The punishing journey is literally the most accurate of titles. Off the back of what for me was a bad start, we are pretty swiftly thrust into this journey that is not just one journey, its four separate and lengthy journeys. each of which is detailed, sad and extremely moving.
Reminiscent of other books set in the same time period, it is easy to draw some similarities(in content, not style/plagiarism), which just adds to the accuracy of the feel for the setting.
This was a one sitting read for me, and I found myself relishing where the story went and looked forward to what the conclusion would bring. 3.5 (rounded up to 4 stars)
This was an ARC review, thankyou to Bob Kroll, ECW Press and Netgalley for my copy of this Ebook.
It felt messy, wooden and oddly structured with such a weird flow, and I honestly don't understand it because from there onwards everything was on the up.
Stick with it. The punishing journey is literally the most accurate of titles. Off the back of what for me was a bad start, we are pretty swiftly thrust into this journey that is not just one journey, its four separate and lengthy journeys. each of which is detailed, sad and extremely moving.
Reminiscent of other books set in the same time period, it is easy to draw some similarities(in content, not style/plagiarism), which just adds to the accuracy of the feel for the setting.
This was a one sitting read for me, and I found myself relishing where the story went and looked forward to what the conclusion would bring. 3.5 (rounded up to 4 stars)
This was an ARC review, thankyou to Bob Kroll, ECW Press and Netgalley for my copy of this Ebook.
July 22, 2022
I am having a hard time articulating my thoughts on this one. I think the biggest issue for me is that it lacked.... depth? Based on the description, I expected sad. But I didn't get sad, per se, more depressing. I didn't feel deeply enough about the story to be sad. I could just passively think "wow, this is depressing". Hopefully that makes sense.
I will say the ending is the best part of the book. While also sad, it is satisfying.
The story is interesting. The writing is good. I just didn't emotionally connect- which you would think I would since I love historical fiction and can occasionally sob uncontrollably with a sad story.
I listened to the audiobook. The narrator was very appropriate for this story- I am assuming he is even Canadian, given how he pronounces some things. (Mid/southeastern Michigander here, so I am quite familiar with Canadian accents.)
I received an audio copy in exchange for an honest review.
I will say the ending is the best part of the book. While also sad, it is satisfying.
The story is interesting. The writing is good. I just didn't emotionally connect- which you would think I would since I love historical fiction and can occasionally sob uncontrollably with a sad story.
I listened to the audiobook. The narrator was very appropriate for this story- I am assuming he is even Canadian, given how he pronounces some things. (Mid/southeastern Michigander here, so I am quite familiar with Canadian accents.)
I received an audio copy in exchange for an honest review.
July 27, 2022
Arthur Delaney is in a difficult spot, his wife recently died, and he does not think he can raise their three children. Despite promising his wife to keep the family together, he relinquishes custody and goes off to fight in the Civil War.
The story covers a 20-year period where we learn about Arthur's children's fate, most living in awful conditions as many of the farmhand children of the period. Arthur also endures a difficult life, spending much of it in a military prison. When he is finally released, he travels on foot across Canada to find his children and to keep his wife's promise, a broken promise that he desperately wants to rectify.
The story is a sad and tragic tale but also unique with the narrative from a father's perspective.
The audio was exceptional, and the pacing was moderate. I recommend this book to those that want a different perspective on children and families in the mid-1800s.
I received the book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The story covers a 20-year period where we learn about Arthur's children's fate, most living in awful conditions as many of the farmhand children of the period. Arthur also endures a difficult life, spending much of it in a military prison. When he is finally released, he travels on foot across Canada to find his children and to keep his wife's promise, a broken promise that he desperately wants to rectify.
The story is a sad and tragic tale but also unique with the narrative from a father's perspective.
The audio was exceptional, and the pacing was moderate. I recommend this book to those that want a different perspective on children and families in the mid-1800s.
I received the book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
December 1, 2023
First thank you to #Netgalley and ECW Press for the opportunity to listen to this book in exchange for a fair review.
I enjoyed this listen. First the narration, which is so important, was well chosen. The cadence, the depth of his voice was extremely enjoyable and appropriate for this story.
I have to think that any book set in the late 1800's has the potential for a brutal story. This is quite literally a punishing journey. Arthur Delaney makes some odd decisions early on in the book which sets the stage for the consequences later. Of course the notion that a man would raise children on his own during that time period was not considered realistic and I felt alot of sympathy for this character - almost throughout this book.
It is hard to put a star rating on it - 3.5. I naturally bump it up to four. But readers should know this is at times a difficult read and not because of the writing. It is simply the world as it was.
I enjoyed this listen. First the narration, which is so important, was well chosen. The cadence, the depth of his voice was extremely enjoyable and appropriate for this story.
I have to think that any book set in the late 1800's has the potential for a brutal story. This is quite literally a punishing journey. Arthur Delaney makes some odd decisions early on in the book which sets the stage for the consequences later. Of course the notion that a man would raise children on his own during that time period was not considered realistic and I felt alot of sympathy for this character - almost throughout this book.
It is hard to put a star rating on it - 3.5. I naturally bump it up to four. But readers should know this is at times a difficult read and not because of the writing. It is simply the world as it was.
July 23, 2022
Reading or listening to The Punishing Journey of Arthur Delaney will hurt your heart, but the overall experience is anything but punishing. The quiet lyricism, the sparse but harshly evocative descriptions of places, storms, and fellow travelers met on Arthur and his children's journeys, and the sad reminder that life, for huge swathes of mankind, is one endurance test after another, combine to immerse the reader into another world that one is reluctant to leave, however painful the visit. This book is not one I would normally pick up, but I am ever so grateful that it came my way. I am a slightly past middle-age female, and I loved the book, but I'm passing it to my husband who I know will probably love it even more than I did. I was fortunate to receive an audio version of this book from NetGalley but have purchased a print copy to reread and share.
November 8, 2022
Dear The Punishing Journey of Arthur Delaney,
Your title is an apt description. I struggled while listening to you to connect with any of the characters and at times even follow your story. There weren't enough differences between their personalities to make them distinct in my mind. While I felt for Arthur and his heartbreak in not knowing where his children were and the trials and tribulations that he went through to find them. I did learn a lot about Canada during this period in time, which I enjoyed a lot. On a whole, there wasn't a lot of your story that stayed with me and I struggled to find connections throughout.
Your title is an apt description. I struggled while listening to you to connect with any of the characters and at times even follow your story. There weren't enough differences between their personalities to make them distinct in my mind. While I felt for Arthur and his heartbreak in not knowing where his children were and the trials and tribulations that he went through to find them. I did learn a lot about Canada during this period in time, which I enjoyed a lot. On a whole, there wasn't a lot of your story that stayed with me and I struggled to find connections throughout.
July 5, 2022
This book had a beautiful ending, the rest of it was okay at best. Parts of it were somewhat interesting, other parts were bogged down in details and descriptions. The author also had a habit of jumping years ahead in the story line which made it difficult to follow at times. I downloaded this book from Hoopla to read on my phone while I traveled, but it was so uncaptivating that I found the conversations of other passengers more interesting (which isn’t something I normally struggle with). This one was okay.
April 8, 2022
In this equal parts heartbreaking and filled with hope gripping novel, the reader journeys alongside Arthur Delaney, who, having left his three children in a Halifax Orphanage after the death of his wife, returns from the Union Army in the American Civil War, and begins his desperate search for them. The story stayed with me a long time after I had finished reading the last page. A beautiful and powerful book. Thank you ECW for sending the ARC.
July 8, 2022
This book jumps around in time and situations which was confusing a bit at first. The one thing good about the jumps is it spares the reader of a slow and plodding read. The main character made some poor choices which he seeks to redeem later in life. Redemption is not always obtainable as is revealed slowly. Truth sometimes comes with a razors edge.
August 3, 2022
Arthur promises his beloved wife on her deathbed that he will care for their three children when she dies. He is however concerned that he will not do a good job bringing them up on his own, so he is talked into handing them all over, in good faith, to an orphanage. He then decides to join the Union army. After a testing time in the army he goes back to see his children, only to be told they have been sent away. Unhappy at not being able to see them, feeling guilty and wanting to explain why he left them in the orphanage he begins a ten year journey to find them.
This moving story tells of his determination to find them and the three siblings struggles to survive as they cope with being sold and resold. I enjoyed the narration and felt it really added to the story. Thank you to the author, Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This moving story tells of his determination to find them and the three siblings struggles to survive as they cope with being sold and resold. I enjoyed the narration and felt it really added to the story. Thank you to the author, Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
December 16, 2023
Hoopla bonus borrow audio-- not a book I would normally pick up - but really glad I did (thanks to Hoopla)!! What a great story about a Father's love for his children and the lengths he goes to find them! I really enjoyed this one!
April 10, 2022
Heartbreaking story of redemption that takes a lifetime. Reminds me of Paulette Jiles.
June 14, 2022
Not an always happy story, but a good read
November 10, 2023
I found parts of this story very sad.
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