David Filsell Posted 27 June , 2017 Share Posted 27 June , 2017 In the hope of stimulating both smoke and perhaps a little fire I ask, having banged my way through a 'modern', Great War novel, apart from John Harris's magisterial Covenant with Death, have any works truly worth reading and likely to be of lasting merit since WW2 . I could list those that I failed to finish. Even the dirty bits fail to convince me that Birdsong is fit for much but the bulging shelves of the charity shops - or perhaps it was the dirty bits that made my mind up. Pat Barker's first novel on the GW came close to success for me, but of lasting value? I found vols 2 and 3 pretty dire. I feel certain that there must be some worthwhile books out there that I have missed. All suggestions of the good, the bad and the indifferent happily considered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seaJane Posted 27 June , 2017 Share Posted 27 June , 2017 (edited) I'm having a think! Several for younger readers come to mind (among these I do not include Michael Morpurgo) but I'm inclined to agree with you about adult fiction (my feelings on Pat Barker are much the same). Susan Hill, Strange meeting (which I haven't read)? Very long list of the good, the bad and the (possibly) awful here: http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/16966.WWI_The_Great_War_Historical_Fiction_ sJ Edited 27 June , 2017 by seaJane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Maria Posted 27 June , 2017 Share Posted 27 June , 2017 Never read it but ' How Young They Died ' By Stuart Cloete ( author of 'A Victorian Son' ) comes to mind . Published in 1969 and written by a man who actually fought in the war it has some good reviews on Amazon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Filsell Posted 27 June , 2017 Author Share Posted 27 June , 2017 Mr BM a stunningly unconroversial reply - I was hoping for anger, contempt even : ). But your suggestion is one I will follow-up. Many thanks. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BFBSM Posted 27 June , 2017 Share Posted 27 June , 2017 "Tell England" by Ernest Raymond I found to be quite good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Sheldon Posted 27 June , 2017 Share Posted 27 June , 2017 John Masters' 'Heart of War' trilogy is worth your consideration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Maria Posted 27 June , 2017 Share Posted 27 June , 2017 7 minutes ago, David Filsell said: Mr BM a stunningly unconroversial reply - I was hoping for anger, contempt even : ). But your suggestion is one I will follow-up. Many thanks. David Yes , sorry about that . I don't really do fiction because I've just got too many blimming memoirs yet to read Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squirrel Posted 27 June , 2017 Share Posted 27 June , 2017 (edited) The Brown Brethren - Patrick MacGill Stand to Arms - G Belton Cobb The Patriot's Progress - Henry Williamson The Secret Battle - A P Herbert The General - C S Forester All of which I am sure you will be familiar with. Edited 27 June , 2017 by squirrel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulgranger Posted 27 June , 2017 Share Posted 27 June , 2017 Williamson's Great War volumes in his 'Chronicles of Ancient Sunlight' roman fleuve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulgranger Posted 27 June , 2017 Share Posted 27 June , 2017 Sorry, too far back. I think from the OP that we are looking at novels written in the last 40 years or so, probably by authors who were either children or unborn in WW2. There are no novels I can think of in that category that fit the bill. Possibly Elleston Trevor's 'Bury Him Among The Kings'? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger H Posted 27 June , 2017 Share Posted 27 June , 2017 Dirty bits? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dust Jacket Collector Posted 27 June , 2017 Share Posted 27 June , 2017 Not read it, but Jennifer Johnston's 'How many miles to Babylon' has often been recommended to me. Personally I only read novels contemporary with the War like Ewart's 'Way of Revelation' or Frankau's 'Peter Jackson'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Broomfield Posted 28 June , 2017 Share Posted 28 June , 2017 14 hours ago, paulgranger said: Sorry, too far back. I think from the OP that we are looking at novels written in the last 40 years or so, probably by authors who were either children or unborn in WW2. There are no novels I can think of in that category that fit the bill. Possibly Elleston Trevor's 'Bury Him Among The Kings'? That was my impression, Mr G. Personally I try to avoid 'modern' novels dealing with historical events, whether Great War or anything else. Actually, I try to avoid 'modern' novels as a whole. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Filsell Posted 28 June , 2017 Author Share Posted 28 June , 2017 Thanks all. I think I should have made it clearer, and offered a better definition. The books I have problems with are post WW2 works by authors who may (think they) know about war but did not actually experience it. That said there are some very poor veterans works of fiction too of course. There are many good suggestions though, most of which I know by reputation and some I have read, Must ask if I really have to define 'dirty bits' in Birdsong - unnecessary eroticism if you prefer! Its a tricky thing to pull off and neither Birdsong or indeed Masters did it well. (A darker shade of Khaki does not work for me. - not, sadly, that I am an expert on eroticism). Virtually all of the books offered up I know of or have read. I have Cloete on order and will chase up How many miles to Babylon. Thanks for these suggestions. Williamson's writing on the war and his continuous self flagellation is in my view way above most of works listed in my 'umble. But it was particularly good to see the now virtually ignored Frankau mentioned. Peter Jackson Cigar Merchant is excellent - he was a friend of RC Sherriff and it seems a somewhat rackety character (and also - a cigar merchant/tobaconist at one time). Further opinions are obviously most welcome. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seaJane Posted 28 June , 2017 Share Posted 28 June , 2017 Having had that think about war fiction and younger readers: Sometimes it seems to me that fiction for younger readers does a better job of telling a story. I find Michael Morpurgo has too much of an axe to grind and is mawkish, but I enjoyed Mary Rayner's The echoing green, which would be a good introduction for very young readers as it doesn't go into the horrors too much, and Stephanie Plowman's two for young adults about the Russian Revolution, which start with the accession of Nicholas II: Three lives for the Czar and My kingdom for a grave. Theresa Breslin's Remembrance is well thought of, although I think the ending is a bit of a cop-out and there is an undigested chunk of Lyn McDonald's Roses of No-Man's-Land (VAD oral history collation) in it. James Riordan's When the guns fell silent isn't bad, but I can't say the same for the companion volume, War song (under-age VADs - basically a re-hash of the Cavell story without Cavell and with more undigested Roses .... ) sJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seaJane Posted 28 June , 2017 Share Posted 28 June , 2017 (edited) Just remembered another, not a children's book: High table by Joanna Cannan. I enjoyed this one (published 1931 so may not fall within the remit). Joanna was the mother of the three Pullein-Thompson sisters of pony-book fame (she also wrote some pony books) and sister of May Wedderburn Cannan, poet, who should have married Bevis Quiller-Couch and who wrote the excellent memoir Grey ghosts and voices. sJ Edited 28 June , 2017 by seaJane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seaJane Posted 28 June , 2017 Share Posted 28 June , 2017 http://www.persephonebooks.co.uk/grey-books-48/wwi/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yperman Posted 28 June , 2017 Share Posted 28 June , 2017 'Goshawk Squadron' I quite liked but it is a bit light weight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Filsell Posted 28 June , 2017 Author Share Posted 28 June , 2017 The Percy Phone books look interesting. I once attended on of their 'do's,' as the only man in the room I was made to feel totally out of place. I recommended a book to them written by a land girl, called A Pullet in the Midden and had a very frosty reply, couldn't make my mind up if it was the book - which is terrific - or the fact that I, a man, had the temerity to attend the meeting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seaJane Posted 28 June , 2017 Share Posted 28 June , 2017 oh dear! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlesmessenger Posted 29 June , 2017 Share Posted 29 June , 2017 Many modern novels about the Great War let themselves down by their failure to understand the social customs of the time. A classic example is authors' insistence of subalterns being addressed as 'Lieutenant' when spoken to, when, of course, it was either as 'Mr Smith' or just 'Smith'. Charles M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Bennitt Posted 30 June , 2017 Share Posted 30 June , 2017 I don't want to seem sexist but a number of female romantic novelists seem to have found recently -- because of the centenary no doubt -- that the War is good background for a tale of lurv, between e.g. a young officer and a nurse, or whatever. The library where I work has a number, but I have never got further than reading the blurb, and sometimes not even that. I have few scruples about judging a book by its cover in such cases. Cheers Martin B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulgranger Posted 30 June , 2017 Share Posted 30 June , 2017 Martin Your post has brought to mind Susan Hill's ' Strange Meeting' which I have read but can't remember. It has lots of 5 star reviews on Amazon, if that means anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Broomfield Posted 30 June , 2017 Share Posted 30 June , 2017 Not being rude, but it could mean that, like a lot of other published authors on Amazon, she has many friends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seaJane Posted 30 June , 2017 Share Posted 30 June , 2017 3 hours ago, paulgranger said: Martin Your post has brought to mind Susan Hill's ' Strange Meeting' which I have read but can't remember. It has lots of 5 star reviews on Amazon, if that means anything. I mentioned that one I think. And, tbh, I don't think Hill is the sort of author to recruit friends to boost her totals, although it may be that her readers are the sort of people who like that sort of book anyway ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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