Brian Keenan went to Beirut in 1985 for a change of scene from his native Belfast. He became headline news when he was kidnapped by fundamentalist Shi'ite militiamen and held in the suburbs of Beirut for the next four and a half years. For much of that time he was shut off from all news and contact with anyone other than his jailers and, later, his fellow hostages, amongst them John McCarthy. (20010730)
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Review
"An early nineties classic... It reminds you of the privilege of freedom" (Joseph Fiennes Daily Express )
"There may have been more important books than Brian Keenan's An Evil Cradling, but its thoughtfulness and delicacy of feeling are unforgettable. Four years of savage captivity in Lebanon have been transmuted into understanding, not bitterness: a remarkable achievement" (Daily Telegraph )
"From the horror has come something wonderful. An Evil Cradling is a great book... it has been created from harsh reality, and it has been created by a true writer... With the publication of An Evil Cradling, Brian Keenan is not letting the world forget. This is a mighty achievement by a magnificent writer" (Frank McGuinness Irish Times )
"Scriptural in its resonances and its broad artistry, while being as gripping as an airport thriller" (Observer )
"Unforgettable...a remarkable achievement" (John Simpson )
"There may have been more important books than Brian Keenan's An Evil Cradling, but its thoughtfulness and delicacy of feeling are unforgettable. Four years of savage captivity in Lebanon have been transmuted into understanding, not bitterness: a remarkable achievement" (Daily Telegraph )
"From the horror has come something wonderful. An Evil Cradling is a great book... it has been created from harsh reality, and it has been created by a true writer... With the publication of An Evil Cradling, Brian Keenan is not letting the world forget. This is a mighty achievement by a magnificent writer" (Frank McGuinness Irish Times )
"Scriptural in its resonances and its broad artistry, while being as gripping as an airport thriller" (Observer )
"Unforgettable...a remarkable achievement" (John Simpson )
Book Description
'A moving and remarkable triumph' Sebastian Faulks, Independent on Sunday (20010730)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
26 of 26 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Brian Keenan's account of his and John McCarthy's incarceration in Beirut is, in my opinion, the greatest non-fiction title ever written. What makes this book stand head and shoulders above all of the other factual accounts I have read over the years is Keenan's superlative prose. Unlike other titles that survive purely on the strength of the story alone, Keenan's masterly use of the English language turns this book into an epic. Everyone should read this book.
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
I found this book both compelling and intriuging and found it hard to put down. The experience suffered by Brian and the other captives was horrific and to put that down on paper was truly amazing. Keenan dragged the reader through the awful times that he was going through and shared his inner most fears and feelings with the reader. This book was about strength and courage to survive unimaginable circumstances put upon him by Islamic Jihad the captors that took him in 1985. I have to say that I enjoyed this book in a strange kind of way and I was gripped by what was going to happen next. It was over 6 months ago that I read An Evil Cradling but it will stick in my mind for a long time.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
as a bedtime reader i felt every night i was getting into that cell with brian.it sounds corny but i felt every emotion along with him. i had to put the book down when he described the suffocating way he was transported from cell to cell. The book is truly a magnificent piece of work. I've read books from his contemparies such as john mccarthy and terry waite but this REALLY is outstanding.I've never read a book that touched me so much, i even broke down and cried when he described how john mcarthy cleaned and cared for him when he suffered a horrific two week case of gastrentitis,showing him respect under the most undignified circumstances. At the end of the book i really felt the power of the human spirit. How no matter where we are physically and no matter how people may try to control us, we have a choice in our minds. we can choose joy. It has had such a profound effect on me that i would now say i use it as a a motivational book to remind me of how strong we are if we push ourselves.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Must read
Book that can change your outlook on life, how he manages to keep one engaged with the small world he was subjected to is quite incredible.
Published 10 days ago by mrs b spearman
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic Read
Read this for high school English, a good book for once. You get taken right into Keenan's head as he recounts the horrors he faced when he was taken captive, then held prisoner in... Read more
Published 22 days ago by shonagh mudie
5.0 out of 5 stars
The truth
This is one of the hardest hitting books ever written in modern times from a man plunged into a situation I was trained to resist,,,,,,,,he wasn`t ! Read more
Published 28 days ago by Dave
5.0 out of 5 stars
Testament to the human spirit
I suppose Brian Keenan's story is disappearing into history now, 25 years down the line, but this book is so good that it will outlast the conflict and ideologies that spawned it. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Stephen Hudson
5.0 out of 5 stars
astounding
This book stays with you long after reading it and it is one I will most likely read again. Here is an illustration of human endurance taken to its extreme limits. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Ladyg
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Unforgettable Account
I first read this book shortly after it was published; it is an unforgettable account of brutality and the loss of freedom but also an uplifting account of hope, resilience and... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Wendy Unsworth
5.0 out of 5 stars
SOMETHING YOU JUST CAN'T IMAGINE
Another book club choice, and one which I wasn't particularly looking forward to reading, but the book turned out to be very good at conveying the horror of being kidnapped and... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Dickie Diver
4.0 out of 5 stars
A gripping narrative
The cover of this book and it's apparent subject matter left me looking at this book for weeks before I actually picked it up and started reading it! Read more
Published 22 months ago by Ms. A. Baker
5.0 out of 5 stars
A remarkable book
This is a great book, very well written with an amazing insight into a world you can only imagine. Highly recommended
Published on 2 Feb 2011 by Quick reviews!
3.0 out of 5 stars
An Evil Cradling
I only bought this book because it was proposed by a member of the book club I belonged to. War and terrorism stories, especially non-fiction, are not my favourite reading. Read more
Published on 20 Oct 2010 by Ms Practical
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