Great War Historical Fiction

[David Ridgus]

Folks

I know much historical fiction gets a decidedly mixed review, but over the years it has given me much pleasure and I would be interested to know which books fellow Forum folk would recommend.

I was prompted to do this having been recommended 'The Dead of Mametz' by Jonathan Hicks. I have started reading it and am finding it riveting.

My personal favourite is set just after the war, 'A Month in the Country' by J L Carr. It is ostensibly about the way two survivors cope with their experiences, but it is about so much more. Barely more than a novella it says more in 100 pages than lesser works manage in 500.

David

PS Before posting this I did search the forum but could find no similar thread. If I have missed one please let me know and I will close this down

[seaforths]

List of 123 books here:

http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/16966.WWI_Historical_Fiction

My favourite(s) - John Masters trilogy 'Now God be Thanked', ' Heart of War' and 'In the Green of Spring'.

[Tartan_Terrier]

My favourite is probably 'Covenant with Death' by John Harris.

http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=180297

[seaJane]

I liked the first book of Pat Barker's GW trilogy, although I can't have liked it that much as I have forgotten the title. But vols. 2 & 3 of the trilogy were a disappointment to say the least.

A title for young adults, Remembrance by Theresa Breslin, is not bad.

[kenf48]

I'm usually very wary of WW1 fiction, (although noting Fussell's assertion that memoirs are in effect 'first novels') but recently read and much enjoyed Jo Baker's 'The Picture Book' although not a novel about the war in that her first male character is killed in the first forty pages as this Guardian review says 'A Gallipoli battle scene is as viscerally depicted as any big budget movie' http://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/aug/26/picture-book-jo-baker-review.

The review gives a full outline of the story but congratulations to the author for choosing a stoker on HMS Goliath as her casualty thus avoiding many of the cliches of the Western Front. ( And yes, sad forumite I am I couldn't resist a peek at the casualty list!)

It's a family saga spanning the twentieth century, but the impact of the events of 1915 echo throughout the novel and through the century (and it even has cycle racing at Herne Hill between the wars!). The Picture Book of the title are the postcards sent before his death. One of those surprising pleasures picked up from the library shelf. Amazon has a 'look inside' which demonstrates the elegance of her writing.

Ken

[David Ridgus]

I liked the first book of Pat Barker's GW trilogy, although I can't have liked it that much as I have forgotten the title. But vols. 2 & 3 of the trilogy were a disappointment to say the least.

A title for young adults, Remembrance by Theresa Breslin, is not bad.

It was called 'The Eye in the Door' . The third volume "The Ghost Road' was the one that won the Booker but the second one 'Regeneration' is the one most people remember because it was the one with Owen, Sassoon, Graves and Rivers. Despite that I'm with you and was frankly dumbfounded when the third one picked up the award. I almost wondered if it was like one of those oscars they give old actors because they feel guilty about not having given them one for superior work earlier in their career!

David

[David Ridgus]

Hmm! I'm beginning to doubt the wisdom of this thread. That's already about five new books added to my wants list!!

So many thanks to Ken, Seaforths, SeaJane and Tartan Trotter for posting this evening. Amazon here I come

David

[Paddy 60th]

My all time favourites are five of the books in Henry Williamson's ' Chronicle of Ancient Sunlight'. These are the ones that cover the Great War period and are -

A Fox Under my Cloak

How Dear is Life

The Golden Virgin

Love and the Loveless

A Test to Destruction

Although these are fiction they are based on Williamson's own experiences and in my opinion really capture that time. His battle scenes are exceptionally vivid.

[seaforths]

I liked the first book of Pat Barker's GW trilogy, although I can't have liked it that much as I have forgotten the title. But vols. 2 & 3 of the trilogy were a disappointment to say the least.

A title for young adults, Remembrance by Theresa Breslin, is not bad.

I enjoyed Remembrance too. My daughter and I read it together when she had just started secondary school - my how time flies and then she had to read the Ghost Road as part of her A level studies (I didn't read that one) and I couldn't understand why they would choose the last book in a trilogy for a study syllabus. I know she didn't particularly enjoy it although she loved the rest of the syllabus particularly the WW1 poetry.

Another one for older children is 'Lord of the Nutcracker Men' .

I read Susan Hill's ' A Strange Meeting' in the summer and quite enjoyed that one. The only thing was that my daughter had bought it for me knowing I read quite a lot of Susan Hill books. However, it was only her ghost stories I read. When she got me this book I spent over 50 percent of the book wonderiing when it was going to take a ghostly turn - it didn't! I hadn't realised it was purely a WW1 novel when I started it!

[RobL]

No one read the No Man's World trilogy about the Pennine Fusiliers? Brilliant, 1916 Tommy vs aliens, and a Mk I tank going head to head with an enormous beetle

[kenf48]

No one read the No Man's World trilogy about the Pennine Fusiliers? Brilliant, 1916 Tommy vs aliens, and a Mk I tank going head to head with an enormous beetle

Sadly not, but if we're talking 'guilty pleasures' I like the graphic novels/comic books 'Charley's War' Pat Mills and Joe Colquohon http://titanbooks.com/brands/charleys-war/

Never win a Booker Prize but perhaps that's no bad thing as I can't recall ever finishing a winning Booker novel!

Ken

[seaJane]

Another one for older children is 'Lord of the Nutcracker Men' .

Now that's not one I've heard of before, must look for it. A favourite of mine, written for younger children (out of print alas), is Mary Rayner's The Echoing Green - set in England, a "time-slip" story with an episode from 1914 having repercussions in the twentieth century.

[David Filsell]

The list of books is interesting as a start point but the uniformly high ratings very misleading- although we all have our views on a book there is some pretty awful stuff listed amongst the worthwhile books.The only novel I have never seen enjoy anything but praise from serious GWF enthusiasts is Covenant with Death.

[seaforths]

Now that's not one I've heard of before, must look for it. A favourite of mine, written for younger children (out of print alas), is Mary Rayner's The Echoing Green - set in England, a "time-slip" story with an episode from 1914 having repercussions in the twentieth century.

I've just checked that one out and it is a shame it is out of print. Perhaps they might resurrect it for the centenary remembrance. I hope so as there is so little literature available on the subject for younger children and that might have an appeal to girls.

The Lord of the Nutcracker men is quite unsettling in parts which is why I would say it is for older children. The figures the father makes and sends back from the front become more and more grotesque reflecting his darkness with the war and what he sees. He doesn't, in his anguish, consider the effect it will have on his son at home.

The list of books is interesting as a start point but the uniformly high ratings very misleading- although we all have our views on a book there is some pretty awful stuff listed amongst the worthwhile books.The only novel I have never seen enjoy anything but praise from serious GWF enthusiasts is Covenant with Death.

Literary and artistic tastes are really quite personal and I would like to think I would not slate another person's choice even if I slated the book and didn't like it myself. If someone has listed it then that is probably because they established a link with it, enjoyed it and saw it as worthwhile whereas I haven't made the same personal links with the said piece. Each to their own...an accumulation of high/low ratings I suspect reflect a body of like-minded people towards the same piece of work. Certainly where books are concerned I will, more often than not, ignore ratings and look more toward well formulated reviews as I like to think I can make my own mind up. While I will put forward an opinion on a book as to why I like it/don't like it I think that the opinions reflect more on me as a person than the book.

[Dust Jacket Collector]

One of the problems with making judgments about War Fiction is in distinguishing between that written by people with no direct experience of the War with much of that produced shortly after the War where many soldiers chose to disguise their memoirs as fiction. In the latter category are such undoubted classics as Manning's 'Her Privates We' & Ronald Gurner's 'Pass Guard at Ypres'. A particular favourite of mine is Wilfrid Ewart's 'Way of Revelation' but that may be partially because I have a proof copy signed by Ewart!

[hazelclark]

My list is getting to be ridikulus!!

[Mark Hone]

I thought that the plot of 'Strange Meeting' was very derivative. The military aspects were poorly researched and destroyed any suspension of my disbelief.

[David Ridgus]

Literary and artistic tastes are really quite personal and I would like to think I would not slate another person's choice even if I slated the book and didn't like it myself. If someone has listed it then that is probably because they established a link with it, enjoyed it and saw it as worthwhile whereas I haven't made the same personal links with the said piece. Each to their own...an accumulation of high/low ratings I suspect reflect a body of like-minded people towards the same piece of work. Certainly where books are concerned I will, more often than not, ignore ratings and look more toward well formulated reviews as I like to think I can make my own mind up. While I will put forward an opinion on a book as to why I like it/don't like it I think that the opinions reflect more on me as a person than the book.

Hear, hear

[David Ridgus]

I thought that the plot of 'Strange Meeting' was very derivative. The military aspects were poorly researched and destroyed any suspension of my disbelief.

Mark

My view is that the power of this book depends on when you read it. When I got round to it I was already deep into the war and so found some things jarring, as you did. My daughter on the other hand read it just when her interest in the war was burgeoning. It had a profound effect on her and even now (post A Level History, and degree in War Studies specialising in the Great War) she remembers it for the emotional punch it gave.

I think perhaps that was one of the things I was interested to explore when I started this thread - do we as Great War enthusiasts allow our fiction choices a degree of latitude that we would never give to a non-fiction book in terms of factual accuracy because we are, by definition almost, looking for something different?

Perhaps we need Max Hastings to write an historical novel and see if it gets the same serious kicking from the Forum as 'Catastrophe' has!

David

[seaforths]

Mark

My view is that the power of this book depends on when you read it. When I got round to it I was already deep into the war and so found some things jarring, as you did. My daughter on the other hand read it just when her interest in the war was burgeoning. It had a profound effect on her and even now (post A Level History, and degree in War Studies specialising in the Great War) she remembers it for the emotional punch it gave.

A similar thing happened with my daughter. She read a book called 'My Dear I Wanted to Tell You'. It was during her A Level studies although it wasn't part of the syllabus, She had had an interest in WW1 since the back end of primary school reading Private Peaceful, War Horse then moving on to Remembrance and King of the Nutcracker men. She read My Dear... of her own volition. All of the books she read had a profound effect on her and this one in particular, possibly because she was now much older. She said it was like 'Remembrance' for grown ups. Now I recall enjoying 'Rembrance' but try as I might, I cannot get into 'My Dear...' I don't know why. I've tried a couple of times and got about a third of the way through it but I can't seem to establish a relationship with the characters or a raport with the writing style either.

I do recall when we read Private Peaceful together discussing it and asking her what she thinks happened at the end (because it is an open ending) and she said well he goes off to the Somme and then goes home at the end of the war and looks after his brother's wife like he promised he would. My response was something along the lines of Good heavens! You think he survived the Somme? Do you know what the casualty rates were? However, finding out did not change her view so it possibly reflects her youthful optimism and my aged pessimism!

[David Ridgus]

[quote name="ridgus" post="2010077" timestamp="1388742968"

I do recall when we read Private Peaceful together discussing it and asking her what she thinks happened at the end (because it is an open ending) and she said well he goes off to the Somme and then goes home at the end of the war and looks after his brother's wife like he promised he would. My response was something along the lines of Good heavens! You think he survived the Somme? Do you know what the casualty rates were? However, finding out did not change her view so it possibly reflects her youthful optimism and my aged pessimism!

I know what you mean. I read Peaceful with a year 8 group last year and when we finished it one of the girls said 'oh isn't that lovely. He gets to go home and marry Molly.' And instead of saying 'Yes that is good' the old curmudgeon in me said, 'Well as long as he survives the Somme, Passchendaele and the Spring Offensive he does' How sad am I?!

David

[seaforths]

Ah well they do say that everyone brings something to the table and I suspect our pessimism comes from what we have brought to the table.

Also, I sometimes read with the text with historical fiction and just accept it as a story. At other times, I suspect if I am not enjoying the book, I find myself reading against the text. With 'Strange Meeting' I suspect I was quite enjoying the story and a little preoccupied with wondering when the ghostly occurrences would begin!

Another book we both enjoyed (it does have a ghost) is 'The Winter Ghost' by Kate Mosse (not the model) but it is more to do with the chap's post war torment.

[David Ridgus]

A book I have recently seen but not yet bought is "The Bootlace Boys" by Eric Collinson. Has anyone read it?

David

[Dolphin]

I strongly recommend the four books written by John Biggins about Otto Prohaska, an officer in the Austro-Hungarian Navy:

A Sailor of Austria;

The Emperor's Coloured Coat;

The Two-Headed Eagle; and

Tomorrow the World.

In the first book the hero commands a submarine in the Mediterranean, the second deals with the siege of Tsingtao and events in Arabia, while he is seconded to the KuK Army Air Service as an observer in the third. The fourth book is a prequel to the others, and covers a pre-War voyage around the world. In all of them the writing is first class, with some gentle humour here and there, and the plots more or less believable, with real life personalities, including Franz Ferdinand, Conrad von Hotzendorf and U-boat ace Georg von Trapp (of Sound of Music fame) appearing in the pages.

Gareth

[Honora]

Anybody else out there read Elizabeth Speller's At Break of Day? - 'It tells the story of four different men, leading very different lives, who find themselves brought together at daybreak on 1st July 1916'.

I'm also reading Harry Drinkwater's diary.

And I'm impressed by both