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Three Day Road cover art

Three Day Road

Written by: Joseph Boyden
Narrated by: Ruth Ann Phimister
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Publisher's Summary

Author Joseph Boyden makes his literary debut with this profound and moving Today’s Book Club pick that contemplates the lasting traumas of war.

Cree Indians and best-friends Xavier and Elijah enlist in the Canadian Army in 1915, eager to become heroes. Seasoned hunters, the men become expert snipers, but their horrifying experiences serving in World War I will leave devastating impressions on each man’s life.

©2005 Joseph Boyden (P)2005 Recorded Books, LLC

What the critics say

"Not for the squeamish reader, this is a powerful novel that takes a new angle on a popular subject, 'the war to end all wars'." (Amazon.com review)
“Friendship is riven with resentment and war is stripped of glory in this remarkable, wrenching novel, the work of a gifted storyteller.” ( Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about Three Day Road

Average Customer Ratings
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A must read. Captivating from start to end.

This book is so well written and read aloud. It is a must for anyone who is interested in Canadian history and culture. I loved the characters and the plot development. I was hooked by the story after the first few minutes.

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2 people found this helpful

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thoroughly enjoyable

I found this book thoroughly engaging and moving. A wonderful work of prose that I would recommend to all.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Lovable characters endure WWI, with moments of joy

This is a beautiful story about a young man and his aunt preserving their way of life, becoming spiritual leaders and facing the hardships of their time. Xavier and his best friend Aliza join the Canadian Army in the Great War. As you'd expect, there are horrifying moments, but also moments of victory and joy. The characters are so likable, you'll be engaged the while book.

And the narrators give a gold performance. Both the aunt and Xavier are narrated by talented people. Amazing job.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Gets boring over time

Starts out strong, but towards the end it gets repetitive. Missing 3 chapters.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Wow

I never read a whole novel in my life. But I couldn’t put this book down. I really hope to make a movie someday about this book.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A must read for every Canadian

This story captures the horrors of the great war in a perspective that is not usually told or considered by most. with back stories of two worlds colliding, hunter/trappers first nations and modern industrial civilization. it will take you through a wild journey of life and death and what humans are capable of to survive the unthinkable. they shall not be forgotten.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Powerfully moving story

A fantastic story — not for the faint of heart, but truly wonderful. Some reviewers have commented that this book is not a page-turner, but I felt the opposite. In fact, I earned the "Marathoner" badge on this book. :)

My only quibble is with the narrators. Both narrators were excellent... except that they were so clearly not Canadian. Xavier’s narrator was beautifully talented, but his American accent was entirely incongruous with Xavier's Cree voice. As well, this narrator was simply too posh and educated to represent Xavier, whose innocence, lack of English linguistic eloquence, and even illiteracy were integral to the story. The American pronunciation of words like “lieutenant” was jarring, as was the pronunciation of known-to-every-Canadian place names, especially “Passchendaele”. (It took me a minute to realize that "paskhen-dah-lay" was Passchendaele!) The narrators were wonderful, but I felt that it was a shame to have chosen American voices to read this particular novel.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great read

An amazing, great, thrilling book. Very captivating. Loved the whole book. It’s a must listen

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Hits home

As a Canadian vet, and indigenous man from Ontario, this book had me hooked. absolutely loved the different character readings and how wonderful and real the story was.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Education

it's impactful and a must read for everyone, but oh my is it the opposite of a page turner.

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  • Michael M
  • 2015-11-13

Beautifully Painful

This is my second Joseph Boyden story. the first was 'The Orenda'. Joseph has a powerful gift for drawing his audience deeply into the lives, feelings, triumphs and struggles of his characters. In each story I have been enthralled, educated, saddened and amazed. But above all I have been fully engaged in and thankful for such beautiful and powerful stories.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Kevin
  • 2010-08-19

What a book

Gripping tale of war and friendship. Excellent construction, very well narrated. I really recommend this book, loved it. It will bring you to tears.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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  • Cassi
  • 2011-12-20

Not Bad

The author writes well and the story is interesting. Boyden takes us on a vivid journey into the lives of three Cree Canadians as they collide with the first world war. He writes very well and overall I found the story intriguing, yet at times disturbing.

The author and narrator apparently took painstaking efforts to learn how to properly pronounce the Cree words in the story. They did not however bother to learn how Canadians pronounce the word 'lieutenant' - which is rather jarring every time it comes up.

There is a fair amount of drug use (morphine) in the story and it is described in detail. At times I wanted to tell the author, "Okay I get it, he's addicted to morphine, let's move on."

I was a little disappointed with the ending.

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8 people found this helpful

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  • S
  • 2015-02-21

A true Canadian Writer to be proud of.

The writing and reading make it one of those books you can't leave until it's done. Then the book hangover as you don't want to let go of these characters, these words, for awhile, as they stay close to you.

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  • Katie Roe
  • 2012-04-25

Amazing story. I couldn't stop listening

I cannot imagine not listening to this story. The reader was incredible. I truly felt like I was listening him to tell his story. He sounded like he was a Cree Indian which greatly enhanced the listening experience. The author did a wonderful job of telling a difficult story. I will remember this story for a long time.

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  • Lynda
  • 2011-01-30

Wow - Great Listen, Powerful Story

You must read this book before you read Through Black Spruce. The story is incredible and you will not be disappointed. I loved that there was a male and female reader. Thoroughly enjoyed this book from beginning to end.

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  • Autodidact
  • 2017-10-23

narrator! terrible. one note. unlistenable

did not finish. 3 hours in couldn't take it anymore. the story sounded great. what a carp reader. self important....

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3 people found this helpful

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  • newmoon
  • 2017-01-01

What a great listen.

Heart rending but ultimately hopeful. The characters beautifully realized, setting vivid. Fantastic narration. I will listen again, but first I must rush on to Through Black Spruce.

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  • Deborah
  • 2013-07-16

Joseph Boyden, Please Write Some More

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I recommend this book to all of my friends who like to read literary fiction. It has a good blend of storyline, character and history.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Loved both of the main characters and the shift between the perspectives.

Have you listened to any of Ruth Ann Phimister’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Not sure.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There were many emotional (and funny) moments in this book. The first one that struck me was the aunt's trip to the train station to pick up the friend of her dead nephew when he returned from war. This is a story about healing and the power one person can have to keep another one going.

Any additional comments?

Everyone I know who has read this book has loved it!

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  • BearheartRaven
  • 2017-01-08

A bridge between worlds

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. The Anishinaabe perspective of WWI and the continuation of the world they came from to the world they experienced was a powerful lesson in how our culture and ancestry creates the world we live in.

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