A memorable book - shedding new light on a familiar period.
|
The First World War is a period that has been heavily covered in literature in recent years, particularly trench warfare. This book sheds new light on some of the less familiar theatres of that war. The structure is familiar in that it takes extracts from diaries (and a transcript from an oral record) and interweaves them, telling the story of the course of the war, as some of the "Forgotten Voices" series do.
Some of the diaries end abruptly with the death of the writer, which ironically, is possibly what helped to preserve them, as the written thoughts of those who died were very precious to relatives left behind.
Some of the accounts are beautifully written - particularly impressive are young Yves Congar who survived to become a Cardinal in the Catholic Church, and German teenager Piete Kuehr, who became an author as an adult.
The book contains the first account I have read from the Turks at Gallipoli, and offers a fascinating comparison of two diaries kept by opposing sides in East Africa.There is a glimpse of events that may have helped shape future history with the writings of Rudolf Hess, who became a founding father of the Nazi Party.
Most moving of all for me were the jottings of Canadian soldier Winthrop "Winnie" McClare, who enrolled underage, having built up his physical strength from working on his family's farm as a young teenager. His curtailed education meant that his writing style remained unpolished, underlining his extreme youth.
For those interested in the military and social history of the period, this is an enjoyable and very readable book, extremely well researched. Where possible, details of the diarists are supplied, which helps to round off their stories, and brings them alive to us.
|
|
a war in words
|
|
this is about civilians in ww1 on both sides there are some soldiers diarys but it mainly is about childern in ww1
|
|
Stunning ...
|
|
This book represented a totally new viewpoint for me and my interest in World War I. Told from many different perspectives - military and civilian, belligerent and peace-loving - as well as from all sides involved in the war, this book not only helps clarify through real testimony the events that led to the first ever truly global conflict, but it also allows you, for that brief moment, to enter the lives and loves, hopes and fears of those living the whole experience. A truly wonderful, memorable account. It had me wincing at gruesome detail, as well as laughing out loud at certain comic ironies detailed by some of the witnesses - proves how determined the human spirit can be! Most importantly of all, it allowed me to see what our then enemies were thinking and feeling ... and to be honest, they were no different to us - they just wanted to go home. This book has been a truly uplifting experience.
|
|
|
A War In Words - Superb
|
|
I am studying English literature of the first world war at college. This introduced me only to a biased English perspective.This book helped me to view the war from many different personal viewpoints.It is easy to read, with various figures appearing at different times giving their opinions. Unusual aspects of the war which I had never considered are also mentioned.Definitely worth a read!
|
|
|
Fantastic
|
This book is beautifully structured, with a pairing of two people in parallel positions on each side (for example opposing officers, children, women at home) being the basis of each section. As well as the enchanting and gripping real-life accounts, the authors also include contextual information which helps the book to flow really well and eliminates minor gaps in the stories. The hard work is really to their credit, and the time they've spent into collecting and organising the research really shows - especially with the attention to detail, for example including the written versions of interviews conducted with illiterate African soldiers.
This book is extremely useful for A level students studying WW1 in English Lit.
A perfect book to dip in and out of, or to read straight through as I did, stopping only to note key quotations and muse over the full implications of the heart-wrenching true-life stories, many of which would remain hidden forever without this masterpiece.
|
|
|
United States | 
United Kingdom | 
Canada