Second chapter: yogabird's book

[mybabysinthegarden]

ellonay

[cyanarasamba]

Thanks yogabird for giving me the opportunity to read this book again, typically I don't remember any of it from before! I'm about 2/3 of the way through and really enjoying it, although not sure if enjoying it is the right word as it is extremely harrowing in places. I'm impressed that I've read so much 1st world war literature (studied the poets to death at school and uni) and yet this book makes things so fresh and immediate. Not really reflected on the other aspects of the book at the moment, but looking forward to seeing what happens at the end.

[yogabird]

i'm so glad, l nearly picked something else and dithered for ages! I may give it another whirl when it gets back round to me, 'cos i too, remember very little about it

[MegBusset]

Just got the book today! I have read it before but that was about 7 years ago so I can't remember too much about it, I'm sure I must have enjoyed it though 'cause I went through a phase of reading all his books. Will get started tonight!

[MegBusset]

Just finished the book (had my parents staying so it took a little longer than expected!). I'd read it before, quite a few years ago, but couldn't remember that much of it.

I think it was at its best with the descriptions of life in the trenches the sections featuring his granddaughter didn't really add anything. In fact quite a bit of the love story I found a bit soapy I remember now that his 'middlebrow' writing style started to annoy me after reading a few of his books. It reads like someone who has been 'taught' creative writing (as he was, at UEA I believe) -- a motif here, a descriptive scene there, don't forget to make some heavy-handed comparisons between the soldiers stuck in the trenches and the granddaughter stuck in the Central line.

Anyway, all that makes me sound like I enjoyed it less than I did. I thought the WW1 stuff worked very well and the end scene in the trenches was very poignant.