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The Canary Room: A Novel Paperback – July 28, 2014

by Edwin F. Casebeer (Author), Linda Casebeer (Author)
3.1 3.1 out of 5 stars 15 ratings
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In the spring of 1945, a young boy in the Pacific Northwest will make a life-or-death decision. Every morning, Herman "Hermy" Auerbach awakens to the pre-dawn song of canaries. The porch where he sleeps contains dozens of the songbirds. Outside, in the wider world, the Second World War enters its final, bloody months. Hermy comes to the Williams' house under protest after his parents' divorce, a result of his father leaving home initially to pursue his impossible dream of becoming an intelligence officer. Herman's mother, remarried to a sailor, abandons her son to move across the country and start another family with her new husband. By the time he takes up residency in the canary room, Hermy has already suffered both from abandonment and bullying. Life with the large, messy Williams clan offers Hermy little relief, although he bonds with the other boys in the family. When the boys hatch a wild escape plan, Hermy finds himself facing death, and deciding if his life is worth the struggle to survive after losing everything. A compelling story of one boy's struggle to survive the uncertainties of foster care and the war, The Canary Room brings to life the daily challenges of life on the US home front in vivid, historically accurate detail.
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  1. Print length
    280 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    July 28, 2014
  4. Dimensions
    5.98 x 0.59 x 9.02 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    1494423766
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1494423766
  7. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Edwin Casebeer, a professor emeritus of Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), shared his love of literature and writing with students for over thirty years. Born in 1933, Casebeer grew up during World War II, experiencing family disruptions similar to those fictionalized in The Canary Room. He has published fiction and poetry in small press journals, and is the author of a definitive critical work on Herman Hesse. Linda Casebeer is a lyrical poet whose works appear in small press journals and The Last Eclipsed Moon, a compilation of poetry from Cherry Grove Collections. She began collaborating on novels with her husband since both believe female characters are sometimes best written by women, just as male characters are best written by men.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (July 28, 2014)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 280 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1494423766
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1494423766
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.3 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.98 x 0.59 x 9.02 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.1 3.1 out of 5 stars 15 ratings

Customer reviews

3.1 out of 5 stars
3.1 out of 5
15 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Marie
4.0 out of 5 stars The Canary Room by Edwin Casebeer & Linda Casebeer
Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2015
Verified Purchase
I hated the way the language blasphemed God so often as it wouldn't have been necessary for the time period or education level depiction of the families and will lose the ability to gain twice as many readers. The way the main character was shown to be growing into a talent of 6th sensibility or bipolar-like mind wanderings was well done in very interesting fashion so made the reader want to keep reading despite the vulgar language to find out what would happen next, right up until the end? The sharp contrast of the ending is astute and perfect.
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Amar
3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars
Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2015
Verified Purchase
Interesting
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Believer
3.0 out of 5 stars A Compelling and Captivating Novel
Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2015
"The Canary Room" is a compelling, historically- based novel that begins in 1945 when Herman "Hermy" Auerbach is fostered in the Williams' household after his parent's divorce and abandonment. Although he's consigned to the porch with dozens of canaries Hermy feels more secure in an environment where he's not being bullied or shot at by a demented uncle, and quickly bonds with eight year old Sonny, his brother Max as well as their other young boarder Charlie Como. Set against the backdrop of WWII the story highlights a twelve year old boy's struggle to overcome his misery after being abandoned by his parents, and his misgivings about his foster care.

In the last months of a bloody war with Japan, the mood of those living in Boise is one of anger and bitterness for a death toll that includes sons, relatives and neighbours. In this atmosphere Hermy Auerbach struggles with the loss of his family because of shattered dreams that resulted in divorce and an ugly custody case. Cleverly the authors juxtapose the crushing impact of the war with its death toll, housing and food shortages, and vegetable gardens, against its effect on Hermy and his father. When denied entry to the war effort as an intelligence officer, Jake Auerbach turns to woman and alcohol for solace, destroying his marriage and the family home that his son still craves. Although the story is intense, filled with heartbreak, despair, pain and hopelessness, it's often diluted with Hermy's courage and humorous anecdotes.

The plot is emotionally-charged and gripping as the twelve year old recalls memories of a past where he's not only bullied, shot at, lived in a storage closet at a baseball park, but has lost several pets that were as close as friends. In a unique writing style the authors use italics, normal script and bold italics to denote past experiences and Hermy's thoughts from his present life. This heavily influences the flow of the story, making it hard to follow.

Like the story line the characters are well-developed, realistic and unforgettable with all their flaw and faults. Herman Auerbach who had polio is insecure, lacks self-esteem feels rejected and indulges in alcohol and cigarettes. He equates courage to fighting back, especially when Gladys Williams gossips about his mother, but is grateful for Max and Charlie's intervention with those who bully him. Jake and Hope Auerbach are the negligent parents who selfishly and futilely pursue their own dreams and desire for happiness, leaving their son in the care of virtual strangers. Among a score of other characters is Sonny the spirited eight year old who wisely befriends Hermy; Max his bitter, angry brother who yearns to enlist and Charlie the tough and smart-mouthed young boarder. All these personalities add to the intensity, drama and passion of a riveting story.

"The Canary Room" is a fascinating novel that merges the cruelty of war and its tragic consequences on the life of a young boy who like the canaries on the porch shows not only determination but a stubborn will to survive the most harrowing experiences so he too can fly free
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Sally Balboa
4.0 out of 5 stars The Canary Room
Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2015
I received a free copy of this book from Goodreads in exchange for a review. I'm not sure what I was expecting when I started reading the book but the first thing that told me this was going to be a strange book was when I saw the formatting with italics and bold applied generously. Aside from the formatting of the book, the content was weirdly good but not for everyone.

The Canary Room is set in 1945 near the end of the second world war. Hermy is living with a family that is not his own. Because his father is pursuing dreams that will probably never happen, and his mother met and remarried a young man and wants to start a new family. This is Hermy second home, the last one being borderline torture. Watch Hermy struggle to survive a life with strangers, being bullied, and being abandoned b both parents but there is joy in between.

I'm going to jump on the italics and bold throughout the book, because I was really confused at first and for a while sat and stared at it wondering what was happening, because they are usually there for memories and other things that are needed but don’t fit in with the main story line. I feel like their might have been a better way to go about it, but I'm sure it was decided on this because of how confusing it must have been for Hermy with everything going on.

I was just amazed at how well the authors captured life in this. I felt Hermy's pain, I don't usually hurt with the characters I just sympathized but I felt his pain throughout the novel. There are instances throughout the book that you might recognize in your own life. Which is mainly what made the book so good.

The book is not an adventurous one, besides the ending and near the ending. Actually it starts slow and keeps going slowly. Yes there are little tid-bits that are interesting and worth reading but for the most part it's just life playing out, which is partially why the authors captured life so well. Still it made it hard to be interested in the book a lot of the time.

If you need fast paced adventure and a heroine in a bikini, this book is not for you but if you like something very close to life with beautiful characters this book is for you.
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