- Unknown Binding: 96 pages
- Publisher: Sacramento City Unified School District (1992)
- Language English
- ASIN: B0006DLS98
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
"The Broken Cedar" is a tough story, dealing with tough realities. It tells a grim tale, but along the way captures many memorable moments and events in the lives of its characters, and in the end, it leaves us intrigued and haunted by them. It's a ghost story - the tale of an elusive phantom, pursued by a passionate son in search of justice for a vanished father; it's a story of remorse - of a man whose life has been marred by a long-gone decision that still haunts him, even as he faces his own demise; it's a war story - the most savage kind, that individuals and families keep carefully under the carpet in any country torn by war, the most difficult kind to tell. In the telling of "The Broken Cedar", Martin Malone achieves a steady, engaging pace that draws us into Khalil's world, so that we see his everyday life and meet the people that matter most to him, from a neighbour's disturbed child that he has taken under his fatherly wing, to the impassioned young Irish soldier who shows up to challenge his integrity. The prose is successfully evocative of a life alien to most Europeans, and of a land that they often find perplexing. There are no political diatribes, but we are made aware of the conflict that has shaped Khalil by a masterful sublety that keeps the reader completely engrossed to the last page. Malone's former work as a peacekeeper shows only in the experience he clearly draws on to bring the book to life, but never imposes on the tale, nor his vivid characterisations. He brings us a page-turner that is intelligent and compassionate, that will entertain us as a good read should, but also leave us reflecting on the infinite capacity of the devastation of war.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Author Martin Malone was, until his recent retirement, a career soldier in Ireland's Defence Forces. In the last fifty years, Ireland's 10,000-strong army has taken part in many peacekeeping missions, from the Congo to Cyprus to Kosovo, Somalia and Iraq. Forty-six Irish peacekeepers have paid the ultimate price in southern Lebanon alone, serving the mission to bring resolution to conflicts they had no part creating.
"The Broken Cedar" is a novel that explores the tragedies and terrors that arise from this situation. The central character is a Lebanese Muslim named Khalil, haunted by the brutal lynching of an Irish peacekeeper. Years later, as terminal cancer is closing its grip on Khalil's body, the son- following in his father's honorable peacekeeping footsteps- comes knocking on Khalil's humble shop door, seeking answers. "Why?" [Khalil replies] "To drive through a village in morning for its dead- [escorting an American soldier,] the main ally of their sworn enemy! Ah, Sergeant, come now."
But war and politics are only part of the story. Khalil- and this novel is a character piece, above all- is not what Rush Limbaugh would lead one to expect. In 306 pages, Malone explores the point of view of a Muslim who is not a bloodthirsty extremist. Here comes the brutal human truth, from an author who spent five tours of duty among these people.
Lest anyone think that this is a "The Empty Cistern" of a book, allow me to abandon obscure Michener references long enough to reassure: Malone has written a mystery, one whose secrets are not revealed until the very last page. Sex. Death. Hash. Shotguns and rockets, domestic disputes, cash in hand and cheap electronics. Khalil twists, helping the Irish son locate his father's remains, without unearthing a past that is still uneasy in its grave. There's plenty to enjoy as well as much to consider. The book satisfies both the need to understand and the need to be entertained.
In 2004, "The Broken Cedar" was nominated for the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, a worldwide prize that carries 100,000 in booty. Fair play to Malone, one of only three Irish authors to be tapped! The winner will be announced in June 2005. Me, I've got my fingers crossed for this excellent novel.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
1 review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Sex, Belief, Domestic Disputes, Shotguns, Rockets & Insights
17 Feb 2005
Format:Paperback
Author Martin Malone was, until his recent retirement, a career soldier in Ireland's Defence Forces. In the last fifty years, Ireland's 10,000-strong army has taken part in many peacekeeping missions, from the Congo to Cyprus to Kosovo, Somalia and Iraq. Forty-six Irish peacekeepers have paid the ultimate price in southern Lebanon alone, serving the mission to bring resolution to conflicts they had no part creating.
"The Broken Cedar" is a novel that explores the tragedies and terrors that arise from this situation. The central character is a Lebanese Muslim named Khalil, haunted by the brutal lynching of an Irish peacekeeper. Years later, as terminal cancer is closing its grip on Khalil's body, the son- following in his father's honorable peacekeeping footsteps- comes knocking on Khalil's humble shop door, seeking answers. "Why?" [Khalil replies] "To drive through a village in morning for its dead- [escorting an American soldier,] the main ally of their sworn enemy! Ah, Sergeant, come now."
But war and politics are only part of the story. Khalil- and this novel is a character piece, above all- is not what Rush Limbaugh would lead one to expect. In 306 pages, Malone explores the point of view of a Muslim who is not a bloodthirsty extremist. Here comes the brutal human truth, from an author who spent five tours of duty among these people.
Lest anyone think that this is a "The Empty Cistern" of a book, allow me to abandon obscure Michener references long enough to reassure: Malone has written a mystery, one whose secrets are not revealed until the very last page. Sex. Death. Hash. Shotguns and rockets, domestic disputes, cash in hand and cheap electronics. Khalil twists, helping the Irish son locate his father's remains, without unearthing a past that is still uneasy in its grave. There's plenty to enjoy as well as much to consider. The book satisfies both the need to understand and the need to be entertained.
In 2004, "The Broken Cedar" was nominated for the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, a worldwide prize that carries €100,000 in booty. Fair play to Malone, one of only three Irish authors to be tapped! The winner will be announced in June 2005. Me, I've got my fingers crossed.
"The Broken Cedar" is a novel that explores the tragedies and terrors that arise from this situation. The central character is a Lebanese Muslim named Khalil, haunted by the brutal lynching of an Irish peacekeeper. Years later, as terminal cancer is closing its grip on Khalil's body, the son- following in his father's honorable peacekeeping footsteps- comes knocking on Khalil's humble shop door, seeking answers. "Why?" [Khalil replies] "To drive through a village in morning for its dead- [escorting an American soldier,] the main ally of their sworn enemy! Ah, Sergeant, come now."
But war and politics are only part of the story. Khalil- and this novel is a character piece, above all- is not what Rush Limbaugh would lead one to expect. In 306 pages, Malone explores the point of view of a Muslim who is not a bloodthirsty extremist. Here comes the brutal human truth, from an author who spent five tours of duty among these people.
Lest anyone think that this is a "The Empty Cistern" of a book, allow me to abandon obscure Michener references long enough to reassure: Malone has written a mystery, one whose secrets are not revealed until the very last page. Sex. Death. Hash. Shotguns and rockets, domestic disputes, cash in hand and cheap electronics. Khalil twists, helping the Irish son locate his father's remains, without unearthing a past that is still uneasy in its grave. There's plenty to enjoy as well as much to consider. The book satisfies both the need to understand and the need to be entertained.
In 2004, "The Broken Cedar" was nominated for the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, a worldwide prize that carries €100,000 in booty. Fair play to Malone, one of only three Irish authors to be tapped! The winner will be announced in June 2005. Me, I've got my fingers crossed.
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