“Bob Kroll’s powerful story of loss and redemption balances heroic feats with sober, gritty realism. From the bustling port of Halifax and backwoods lumber camps of New Brunswick to the crowded quarters of Toronto’s ward and remote mines of British Columbia, Kroll’s indelible characters forge their lives across an unforgiving social world. The resulting portrait of nineteenth-century Canada is sweeping in its geographic scope and meticulous in its fidelity to historical detail.” — J.W. Johnson, Ph.D. Candidate, Department of English, University of Toronto
“Delaney’s quest and the fate of his children offer tragedy and hope in this spiritual bildungsroman.” — Booklist
“All I wish for is a good story well-told and The Punishing Journey of Arthur Delaney by Bob Kroll delivered that magnificently.” — Books and Beans blog
“Kroll’s spare prose and eye for accuracy in a sweeping story set in the 19th century resulted in a rich, haunting story. It’s not pleasant, nor is it an easy read, but it is one that I’ve thought about repeatedly in the days since I’ve finished reading it.” — The Miramichi Reader