Strangers and Sojourners

Children of the Last Days #1

by Michael D. O'Brien

An epic novel set in the rugged interior of British Columbia, the first volume of a trilogy which traces the lives of four generations of a family of exiles. Beginning in 1900, and concluding with the climactic events leading up to the Millennium, the series follows Anne and Stephen Delaney and their descendants as they live through the tumultuous events of this century. Anne is a highly educated Englishwoman who arrives in British Columbia at the end of the First World War. Raised in a family of spiritualists and Fabian socialists, she has fled civilization in search of adventure. She meets and eventually marries a trapper-homesteader, an Irish immigrant who is fleeing the "troubles" in his own violent past. This is a story about the gradual movement of souls from despair and unbelief to faith, hope, and love, about the psychology of perception, and about the ultimate questions of life, death and the mystery of being. Interwoven with scenes from Ireland, England, Poland, Russia, and Belgium during the War, Strangers and Sojourners is a tale of the extraordinary hidden within the ordinary. It is about courage and fear, and the triumph of the human spirit.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Catholic, Christian, Christian Fiction, Novels, Religion

580 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Michael D. O'Brien is a Roman Catholic author, artist, and frequent essayist and lecturer on faith and culture, living in Combermere, Ontario, Canada.

Reviews

[booklady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Began by listening to this on FORMED and while it was good, I soon knew it was a book I wanted to read for myself, so I bought a print copy. I do not read as many novels as I used to but a GRs friend here has turned me into a Michael D. O’Brien fan and so I decided to read the Children of the Last Days series, this being the first in it, and I LOVED it!

The story’s central characters are Stephen and Anne, man and woman, Irish and English, fire and water, night and day, opposites yet inexplicably and irresistibly drawn to each other. As reader we know they are destined for each other as their first meeting is fireworks, their love passionate, and the relationship tumultuous.

In my younger days, I raced through stories I loved. Now I linger over them as one does with a delicious piece of rich food, taking tiny nibbles if possible, savoring the sweetness and holding it in the mouth as long as it will stay. Often with this book I tried to set it down physically, but emotionally, spiritually and mentally I was still very much a part of the story, only wanting it to last as long as possible.

As a few other reviewers have mentioned, this is a book best appreciated by mature readers as it deals with the natural fluctuations in long-term relationships. I try to imagine my daughters reading this and I expect they (for all their young maturity) could not appreciate this book so much yet as they are happily in the young golden days of their lives and marriages. This is not a disparaging nor bitter observation, but only the recognition that whoever marries and however elevated the relationship, it is always the union of two flawed human beings. Time has a way of revealing as well as forging (if we allow it) character or the lack thereof; such things cannot be fully understood until one has experienced them and even then (or now as in my case) it is an on-going process.

Strangers and Sojourners follows Anne and Stephen and their small British Columbian town from pre-World War II through the 1960’s. We watch the couple raise a family, face tragedies, encounter unexpected joys and inevitably age. I found it to be an immensely comforting story, mysterious and mystical in places, but then the greatest mystery in the world is another human being and usually the one closest to us. O’Brien captures that aspect in the marriage of Stephen and Anne perfectly.

I am really looking forward to the next book in the series, although I have to get it first.

[John O'Brien · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm rating my father's novels here as a fan. But I think I'm going to decline writing a review for now, due to my kinship with the author. Suffice to say, I look forward to his books as much as anyone else, and find them deeply moving. I am not unaware of their flaws, but their strengths surpass them, and so abundantly, that I find them almost moot. I'm normally moved to the point of tears about 3-4 times per novel (If I find myself choked up only once, I tell him it's not his best work). He has a rare gift of penetrating deeply into spiritual truths, which is a reflection of the person he is -- an artist who has been refined in a furnace of faith, not unlike many of his characters.

Strangers and Sojourners was my favourite until Island of the World came out in 2007. It takes place in a fictional town that is loosely based on events and family histories in Valemount, British Columbia. Its themes are universal.

[Brandi Banadyga · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have had more of a conversion of heart reading this novel than any spiritual reading I’ve done. I will definitely read it again, and almost want to start right now.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am torn with this book. The book itself is very well written, but the story flows very slowly. The book covers the life of Anne Delaney, but skips large portions of time to cover what the author thinks are important events in her life. The book is comprised of a series of narratives and journal entries. There is nothing that drives one to press forward with the story and the ending is not very satisfactory. If it were not for the fact that the story is well written I may have given up on the book. There are good little nuggets of thought in this book, but those alone are not worth recommending this book to others.

[Fr. Dominic Rankin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michael O'Brien gifts the reader with an exquisite panorama of a family undergoing the ravages and benedictions of time, blossoming at times, bearing fruit, growing together, and, as is the case in real life, undergoing hardship, loneliness, and loss in equal measure. The phrase "oak in winter" is used throughout the book as an icon of the main character whose life we are privileged to follow, Anne Delaney, yet as the reader is swept along the life of Anne Delaney, we realize that she is only one story interwoven with many others, one oak within a forest of other trees, all fighting against the frost.

Leaving behind such a beautiful forest is heartwrenching, but I carry with me the many-colored kaleidoscope of human life and emotions so delightfully and meticulously strung together by O'Brien, by which he so powerfully draws the reader into their lives, and reminds us that the same glances, graces, and knowledge that Anne, and the others, grew together by in Strangers and Sojourners are found in real-life too, as long as we persevere as well, and together, through the crises and cold that await us too.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read this book soon after it was published 20 years ago. Reading it for a book club 20 years later was an interesting experience. I found myself much more attuned to the peaks and valleys in the marital relationship between Anne and Stephen as well as the interior thoughts of Anne as she approached middle age. Also, I had forgotten how lovely and wonderful the character of Turid was...

[Jacob Benne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. I think it really grasped parts of the human experience so well such as the acceptance of our circumstances and the importance of choosing to love. I liked how it really showed life at all stages. Touches on many philosophical ideas which were interesting to see played out and acted upon by the different generations in the story. The pace could have been picked up at times and I would like to have gone deeper into a few of the characters, but I am excited to continue reading the series!

[Maddie Zehner · Rating 5 out of 5]

What does it mean to be home? What is home? Do we ever really have a home? These are some of the questions that this book has brought up which I have been praying with (yes praying with, not just thinking about).

We are all strangers and sojourners in this foreign land aching to be known and aching for a home.

Michael D. O’Brien is hands down my favorite author.

[Erin Nugent · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my new favorite books!! While I read Father Elijah super quickly, this one took me about a year. I had to keep putting it down because the main character's fears/hopes/wounds resonated so deeply with me. O'Brien's writing is piercing and engaging, and he does a wonderful job of describing the beauty and despair that accompanies the human experience. I will most certainly be rereading.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is probably more like a 4.7/4.8. I REALLY loved it, but there were a few moments where the writing felt a bit lacking. Other than that, I was deeply moved by the story and especially Anne's character (main characters named Anne/Anna-- I just relate so hard).

"[My heart] has learned that a tidy universe without love is cold. Here is where I must be beaten upon the threshing floor. Hidden, crushed, and transformed beneath the stones. I suspect that I shall be broken; I suspect that I shall finally live." (140)

"I am coming to see that it is not so much a question of finding the right place, the right time, the ideal marriage. Neither life nor happiness hinges upon such things. It is wholly within. It is response to what is given. It is choice." (407)

"If you're going to be sensitive, you'd better be strong too! Otherwise there's simply no point; you become just one more victim. What this world needs is people who are strong, not powerful or tough, but made of something inside that doesn't give up and doesn't whine about how hard life is." (443)

"He was empty, and he was full. He was alone. Yes, he was alone among men. He was an alien, a stranger and sojourner like all his fathers before him. He knew now the anguish of exiles, the depth of their loneliness. And he saw that this was a gift, for it was the state of pilgrims journeying toward their own true home." (568)

[Leila Chandler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am surprised that Michael D O'Brien is not more well-known as a writer. I had never heard of him until I got a job at a small Catholic book store, and I had never cared to read any of his books until I met my husband, whose parents own most of O'Brien's books. I was not expecting much, since "Christian fiction" usually conjures up images of Amish romances and cheesy stories about how prayer suddenly makes everyone's life perfect. But Strangers and Sojourners was not cheesy at all, neither was it preachy or simplistic. I was impressed by the quality of writing and the depth of the characters, and stories about Canadian pioneers is one of my favourite genres. This is not just a story about some Catholic people, it is much more than that. In fact, most of the characters are and remain non-religious, and some of the more religious ones are eccentric and unable to defend their faith very well. O'Brien does a great job of making the people and the town feel real. My only complaint is that sometimes the plot slowed down too much, as the main character needed to stop and analyze her annoying feelings ad nauseam. But it always picks up again at some point. I would recommend it to everyone.

[Jason Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is not a quick read; the plot moves quite slowly. But, the characters are incredibly well-developed and the author, as usual, shows tremendous insight into human nature. A great story of the search for (and struggle with) faith during the course of a challenging life. O'Brien is perhaps the greatest Catholic novelist of our time.

[Erin Kasprowicz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ll be honest, this book took me a little while to get into but it was totally worth it. It is slow but only in the way that life is slow. Ultimately it is filled with beauty and truth and stories and lessons that are worth wrestling with to fully understand.

[Kaitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely beautiful look into seemingly ordinary life and the moral and spiritual struggles that go along with it. This story will live in my heart.

[William Muraski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I simply don’t know how Michael Obrien once again makes someone like me, who is not into poetry or beautiful literature, absolutely devour one of his books. This is truly an epic novel that challenges you to the core and, if you allow it, will make you begin to reflect more on your life and your interior in a truly right way. Love the story, love the writing, love the challenge.

[Matthew Lauderdale · Rating 5 out of 5]

My second read of this book. This was one of the first Michael O'Brien books I ever read, 13 years ago. I liked it then, but I felt like it didn't compare to his other works. Reading it now, with over a decade more life experiences and having my own family now, I can confidently say that this book stands with the rest of his magnificent works. This book is deeply profound, packed with beauty, truth, and goodness. There are many things that I have read that will stick with me for a long, long while.

"I cry out, I cry out, but there is only silence!" "Is it silence or deafness? We are all deaf. The way of emptiness teaches us to hear."

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first of O'brien's novels I've read that has a female protagonist, and probably the closest I will get to understanding how women see the world. In typical style, it is remarkably perceptive but this one is a slower burn with less action than his other novels, and the cultural commentary is more subtle as well. The slow pace however makes the characters more endearing as they move to the forefront of the drama, and the fact that I wept at the end is a credit to the quality of their portrayal, Anne in particular. All in all a moving testimony to the things that endure while we sojourn here below. Inshallah I will lay my hands on a copy of plague journal soon.

[Maggie Lunsford · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my second time reading this book and I just am left a little speechless. Anne is such a relatable character as she struggles for what is true, her desire to know and be known, and her surrender. A beautiful novel about life and its messiness.

“Suppose there is a great Love behind creation, but the original unity of this vast work of art has been damaged, and all of existence as we know it is merely a brief moment during which the artist repairs his masterpiece.”

[Abigail Wingard · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books. I highlighted and underlined a lot as I was reading this, so rather than rereading it, I just return to the most loved passages. Highly recommend for everyone.

[Anita Yoder · Rating 5 out of 5]

O'Brien tells an aching story full of longing and the driving search for belonging and he tells it stunningly and accurately from a woman's point of view. Stellar and profound, like all his writing.

[Jesse · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. I would find it hard to point to the exact thing that strikes me so much. Whether it is the poetry of the words and images, or the spirals of story that weave together the mundane with the painful into a life that feels almost as vivid to me as my own, I don't know.
The characters are what makes the book truly come to life. Following a character for most of their life gives you an inroad into their soul, attitudes, and thoughts and how they change in a way that is really difficult to describe. When the end comes, and the end is inevitable, it is worth a few tears.
This book is a painting of words that eventually fades into empty canvas and you have to go back to living your own life, but every minute spent reading was worth it.

[Erin Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Suppose there is a great Love behind creation, but the original unity of this vast work of art has been damaged, and all of existence as we know it is merely a brief moment during which the artist repairs his masterpiece. If he is that beautiful, it would be unspeakably shattering to have a glimpse of his face…. Nothing… except the gift of trust in what I can’t yet see face to face. There is beauty in the world. There is no reason for it to be here. If it’s all biology, all eating and getting eaten and the strongest devouring the weakest, then it’s madness. Nothing more than madness. It’s dying and drowning, and all love is illusion. But there is love you see. Poor, weak, and broken love — a sign of something from a distant land.” (Pg. 568)

[Emmanuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was hard, and long, and dry, as life is — but, as life, it's worth it. While reading, I was reminded of my experience with Studio Ghibli's "Only Yesterday", a film about a woman on a trip to Yamagata's countryside to take part in the harvest of safflower. During the trip, she reminisces about her past and her school life. I almost gave up after the girls started talking about puberty, but I decided to keep watching and was moved to tears at the end. Journey before destination, as they say; that is, you can't harvest the fruits without work, without going through the process. You have to learn to enjoy the process. This book felt like that; it's as if you're living and growing with the Delaneys, and, at the very end, you learned about life, about its perils and tribulations, and joys and pleasures, and how everything comes to nothing, even our dreams and strivings. But even this is a good thing. It's a sign that we fought until the very end.

[Caterina · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5

[Lydia Therese · Rating 4 out of 5]

He was empty, and he was full. He was alone. Yes, he was alone among men. He was an alien, a stranger and a sojourner like all this fathers before him. He knew now the anguish of exiles, the depth of their loneliness. And he saw that this was a gift, for it was the state of pilgrims journeying toward their own true home.

When I began this book, I was a bit confused. The writing was good, but where was the plot? What was this book supposed to be about? It turns out, it's about a lot of things: a woman on an honest journey to find Truth, a family's battle with generational pride and guilt, and the changes in the world and in society's view of God throughout the twentieth century.

What I really enjoyed about this book, though, was the focus on finding Truth. O'Brien skillfully points out the subtle lies the Enemy feeds us to pull us farther and farther away from Christ, until we are so far gone we don't even realize it:
"Real people make the reality they want. I will help you to be real. I will help you to create your reality. I am the master of knowing, and I will teach you."
Doesn't this sound like the messaging we hear all the time from our culture? But this is the Enemy speaking, trying to capture the soul of one of Anne's children. Only through the power of the cross does Nathaniel avoid this fate: "it had lost by the authority of one who, long ago, had carved a rebuttal with the sacrifice of his life."

Strangers and Sojourners helped me to be more aware of what I take in and what I believe. Do I believe in my own power instead of Christ's? Do I believe, in my pride, that knowledge will save me? What lies am I unwittingly taking in and believing in the depths of my heart? How do my life experiences influence my faith, for better or for worse?

This book was subtly and unassumingly powerful. 4/5 stars. Really good piece of fiction.

[Ellie Huber · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a joy to immerse myself in another one of O'Brien's masterful works! This book is so beautiful and so poetically written.

[Holly Walling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man, Michael O’Brien never fails to leave me meditating and amazed after a work of thematically Catholic historical fiction.

This particular novel spans the stories of individuals in one family over a hundred years. That being said, it took me a long time to read, because I kept putting it down and letting it rest before I could dive in again. Reading this was like going through a constant cycle. Some of it felt slow so I had to endure, but then it would pick up again and hold my attention enraptured. However, I can’t really be mad at its cyclical nature, nor at my own cyclical reading. It’s a book about the constant interconnectedness that is our lives and God’s hand in them… and cycles, well, that’s just how this life works, isn’t it?

[Kristen Yoder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful writing. O'Brien definitely has a more unique style of word-crafting, but I enjoyed his more poetic storytelling. Heads up: it's long, and pretty detailed in some places. In other places, though, he jumps years ahead, so be prepared for switching back and forth between that. I doubt I'll reread it, but it was enjoyable.

[Morgan Moore]

The first time in a very, very long time I've ever DNFed a book. I really, really wanted to like this one, but the inconsistent dialogue, the unrelatable characters who are kept distant due to confusing (and sometimes, nonsensical) switches of POV, and the narrative focused more on showing the prowess of the author's prose rather than forming a connection with the reader threw me off entirely. I might try one of the author's more popular books, but we'll see . . .

[Christina Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this one for Well-Read Mom...don't know if I would have ever picked up Michael O'Brien's work otherwise. The size of the tomes was just too intimidating, and I have never had a friend hand me one of his books and say, "You have to read this." I won't be doing that, either.
The story of Anne's life and her search for something greater - the reader knows it is God whom she seeks, but Anne takes a very long time to come around to this fact - is epic in scale. It contains some gems. I loved the Polish immigrant who implores Anne's grandson to "make beauty." But I found it overwritten, and I repeatedly had difficulty suspending my disbelief during the more mystical scenes.
It is an interesting world O'Brien paints, with its mixture of stark realism and mystical, spiritual revelation which confronts the characters very viscerally. Often I could see his point, and frankly agreed with him, but still found myself frowning at what I was reading. (Perhaps this is part of the problem - too often it was blatantly clear what his point was, to the detriment of the storytelling.)
I'm not sorry I read Strangers and Sojourners. It provided food for thought, and I did find myself interested in the lives of some of the characters as I got farther into the book. But it's now one I would hurry to read again, or one I would press onto my friends.