ACIS Logo Tom Phelan's Novel of Ireland and World War I

New from Tom Phelan…
The Canal Bridge
A Novel of Ireland and the First World War
“A powerful and deeply affecting novel.”—Books Ireland
“Another First World War masterpiece…An ambitious, accomplished and deeply moving contribution to Ireland’s formidable corpus of fiction about the Great War.”—Irish Independent
“Incredibly moving story…The writing is consistently stunning.”—Irish Echo
The Canal Bridge is the best novel of love in the time of war since Cold Mountain. It is an old-fashioned story in the very best sense: dramatic, passionate, unpredictable, gorgeously written, heartbreakingly true, and ultimately ennobling. This is truly a great book. I loved every page.”—Howard Frank Mosher, author of Walking to Gatlinburg
In 1913, two friends from Ballyrannel in the Irish midlands, Matthias “Matt” Wrenn and Con Hatchel, decide to see the world at the expense of the king of England and join the British army. A year later, while en route to India, their troop ship is recalled and they find themselves in the slaughterhouse that was World War I.
As stretcher bearers, the two men witness the horrors of the battlefield and the waste of human life at the Somme, Ypres, and Passchendaele. Meanwhile, love awaits the soldiers back home in a transformed Ireland. Con’s sister and Matt’s lover, Kitty Hatchel, yearns for their safe return and reminds them of their carefree childhood on the banks of the local canal, as well as their hopes for the future. On Matt’s return, the love story of Matt and Kitty plays out against the background of a land riven with sectarian tensions and mounting bloodshed.

“Tom Phelan’s The Canal Bridge is a tour de force of writing, passionate, moving, and brilliant. Here is World War I in all its madness and its terrible humanity.”—Kevin Baker, author of Paradise Alley and The Big Crowd
“There is no false bravado in Phelan’s riveting, unsparing account, no sentimentality, no hollow heroes, no hyper-patriotic blather. Phelan’s characters live and breathe and bleed. Phelan’s fiction is the real thing. The Canal Bridge is a classic.” —Peter Quinn, author of The Banished Children of Eve and Dry Bones
Booklist (starred review)
About the Author
Tom Phelan was born and raised on a farm in Co. Laois, Ireland. His novels include In the Season of the Daisies, Iscariot, Derrycloney, and Nailer. His novel Lies the Mushroom Pickers Told will be published by Arcade in early 2015. Phelan’s first novel was chosen for Barnes & Noble’s Discover Great New Writers series. He is a 2008-2009 Fellow of the Christopher Isherwood Foundation. He now lives on Long Island in New York.
The Canal Bridge is published by Arcade, a division of Skyhorse Publishing.
Hardcover
ISBN: 978-1-62872-314-4
Price: $24.95
 
Ebook available at www.amazon.com.
Audio book available at www.audible.com.
 

Glossary
The U.S. version includes a Glossary for readers unfamiliar with Irish usage.
 
 
AVAILABLE IN BOOKSTORES AND ONLINE
 
 
Visit Tom Phelan’s website at www.tomphelan.net
or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/tomphelannovels


For further information, email glanvil3@aol.com.




 
 
 
 
 
 
New from Tom Phelan…

The Canal Bridge
A Novel of Ireland, Love, and the First World War

“A powerful and deeply affecting novel.”—Books Ireland

“Another First World War masterpiece…An ambitious, accomplished and deeply moving contribution to Ireland’s formidable corpus of fiction about the Great War.”
Irish Independent
“Incredibly moving story…The writing is consistently stunning.”—Irish Echo
The Canal Bridge is the best novel of love in the time of war since Cold Mountain. It is an old-fashioned story in the very best sense: dramatic, passionate, unpredictable, gorgeously written, heartbreakingly true, and ultimately ennobling. This is truly a great book. I loved every page.”—Howard Frank Mosher, author of Walking to Gatlinburg



In 1913, two friends from Ballyrannel in the Irish midlands, Matthias “Matt” Wrenn and Con Hatchel, decide to see the world at the expense of the king of England and join the British army. A year later, while en route to India, their troop ship is recalled and they find themselves in the slaughterhouse that was World War I.
 
As stretcher bearers, the two men witness the horrors of the battlefield and the waste of human life at the Somme, Ypres, and Passchendaele. Meanwhile, love awaits the soldiers back home in a transformed Ireland. Con’s sister and Matt’s lover, Kitty Hatchel, yearns for their safe return and reminds them of their carefree childhood on the banks of the local canal, as well as their hopes for the future. On Matt’s return, the love story of Matt and Kitty plays out against the background of a land riven with sectarian tensions and mounting bloodshed.

“Tom Phelan’s The Canal Bridge is a tour de force of writing, passionate, moving, and brilliant. Here is World War I in all its madness and its terrible humanity.”
—Kevin Baker, author of Paradise Alley and The Big Crowd
“There is no false bravado in Phelan’s riveting, unsparing account, no sentimentality, no hollow heroes, no hyper-patriotic blather. Phelan’s characters live and breathe and bleed. Phelan’s fiction is the real thing. The Canal Bridge is a classic.”
—Peter Quinn, author of The Banished Children of Eve and Dry Bones


About the Author
Tom Phelan was born and raised on a farm in Co. Laois, Ireland. His novels include In the Season of the Daisies, Iscariot, Derrycloney, and Nailer. His novel Lies the Mushroom Pickers Told will be published by Arcade in early 2015. Phelan’s first novel was chosen for Barnes & Noble’s Discover Great New Writers series. He is a 2008-2009 Fellow of the Christopher Isherwood Foundation. He now lives on Long Island in New York.

The Canal Bridge is published by Arcade, a division of Skyhorse Publishing.
 
Hardcover
ISBN: 978-1-62872-314-4
Price: $24.95
 
 
Ebook available at www.amazon.com.
Audio book available at www.audible.com.
 

Glossary
The U.S. version includes a Glossary for readers unfamiliar with Irish usage.
 
 
AVAILABLE IN BOOKSTORES AND ONLINE
 
 
Visit Tom Phelan’s website at www.tomphelan.net
or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/tomphelannovels


For further information, email glanvil3@aol.com.