Delaney's storytelling style is a little uneven for me - he makes character and scene jumps without warning. However, he is a very good storyteller and I was sad to see that he just passed away last year. I will certainly read more of his books.

This particular book concerns an American Catholic chaplain named Robert Shannon. He was regarded as a hero in WWI but like many young men he suffered from extreme shell shock before war's end. We begin the story roughly 4 years later. Robert has been sent to Ireland to try and heal his mind. He has a quest to travel the length of the river Shannon and seek his family roots. This was something he was interested in since he was a young boy and it is hoped that he may be able to rebuild himself through the physical activity and a search for himself.

There are some side stories in here, but everything comes together and at the end of this I was very satisfied with how this played out and how it ends. Delaney weaves a great deal of Irish history into the story as Robert hears tales on his journey and meets a wide assortment of characters. ( )

This was a book that I fell in love with when I first started reading. I worried that things might not turn out well, but was completely captivated. Really wonderful sense of place. I'm ready to visit the Shannon. Great characters, good tension, very satisfying ending for me. I really enjoyed being immersed in this book. I have always liked the kind of book where you watch the characters grow and blossom. Shannon is a delightful example of this. ( )

It's 1922 and Marine Chaplain Robert Shannon has crashed mentally, physically and emotionally into the depths of shell shock. With ulterior motives, Boston Cardinal O'Connell has sent him to Ireland to walk along the Shannon River in search of his ancestry and healing. Friends of the Cardinal have sent along their own stalking horse to make sure he doesn't return.

But Father Shannon has landed in the midst of civil war in Ireland and is caught up its tangles from the very first day of his arrival. Unknown to him, his mentor has written to local Archbishops to keep an eye out for his well-being. The care of his invisible support network begins his healing, allowing him the silence he needs to rediscover his soul. ( )

I had to stop reading this book. It was well written but I found it too depressing and couldn't finish it. ( )

WW I marine chaplain becomes shell shocked, returns to Ireland to find his roots, reunites with nurse who cared for him in France, Fr. Shannon is pursued by assassin because of what he knows about corrupt Boston diocise. ( )