Customer Reviews
Wonderfully evocative - By: John Holland, 04 Jul 2008 
Sebastian Faulks' best book by far, moves from the pre-war period through the first world war to connect with contemporary times, through a woman searching for her family history. The description of trench scenes & warfare evokes my frustration with the pointlessness of the slaughter, in stark comparison with the humour in the descriptions of pre-war France. This is a wonderfully vivid book, one of the few that made me want to laugh out loud or cry as I turned the pages.
History understood - By: Mrs. F. S. L. Stanley, 30 Jun 2008 Having recently returned from a tour of the Somme researching an ancestor, I re-read Birdsong & was absorbed by Sebastian Faulks' insight into the anguish of war. His portrayal of soldiers in the trenches, the reactions of their relatives back at home, the curiosity of Elizabeth searching for information about her grandfather exactly matched my experiences. Faulks' research gave us insights which although discomforting, were accurate - uniforms, horrendous conditions & attitudes.
I would say to anyone go to the battlefields, come home & read this. You will have learnt more & gained an understanding from a master writer.
Amazing - By: J. Ewing, 30 Jun 2008 One of the reviews adorning the cover of this book says- "a book with the power to reveal the unimagined, so that one's life is set in a changed context". This is what this book has done for me- my outlook has changed as a result of this book, & my understanding of what people gave in the Great War has been enhanced in a way no other novel or historical tome could have achieved. This is fiction but it feels so real you can almost feel the mud in the French trenches- a reallly amazing read.
Moving and powerful - By: Mr. D. A. F. Weaver, 17 Jun 2008 
This book blends the force of military fiction with the passion of romance. Two sub-plots merge hand-in-hand to create a fascinating characterisation of a group of protagonists fighting & coping with grave trauma in the First World War. Faulks develops a number of interesting & powerful themes in the novel, the most prominent of which is the continued use & consideration of "flesh & blood", which is interpreted by the writer under a number of guises. Faulks is subtle in his use of language, playing upon the reader's emotions & presumptions to create an unexpected conclusion that will leave the reader in tears.
Recommended.
Good enjoyable read, but could have been so much better - By: War Hog, 20 May 2008 I bought this book before a recent holiday & was hoping that it would be gripping & entertaining. I did enjoy it a lot & to be honest couldn't put it down, but that was more because I wanted to reach the end than because I wanted to savour every word.
DISAPPOINTMENTS:
I was looking forward to a gritty step by step account of how life was during the first world war, & although this book did recount a lot about the state of mind of the character, it doesn't quite have enough to keep war history enthusiasts gripped. For example, in the 'over the top' scenes, so much detail is skipped. One minute they've gone over the top & the next they're in the middle of no-man's land with not enough detail of how they got from a to b.
The other big disappointment was the VERY LONG peacetime love affair at the beginning which could have been recounted more briefly. Also I was disappointed with the way the story skipped around from era to era with, for example, the romance story from the most recent era seeming a little perfunctory at times.
All in alll I did very much enjoy this book but alll I would say is if you are looking for a decent war story think about looking somewhere else.
