How does it compare to audio works by the same author?
Not applicable
Advantages:
Beautifully written, imaginative angle, great plot twists
Disadvantages:
WW1 is becoming a crowded genre
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Mrs Philippephiloppe has been trying to get me to be more cultured in my reading. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not a Sun reader who only reads trashy novels on holiday - I actually have quite a wide taste in books, and in particular mid to late 20th century stuff. But I have always poohpoohed (is that a word it looks so odd written down) the Booker prize short list as being pompous self congratulatory stuff where you wouldnt find a plot if you held out a tasty morsel for it and called for it to come.
So I have taken up the challenge!! Over the next few weeks I will read the entire Booker Prize shortlist for this year (yes I know its been won already - Im just a slow reader) and submit my reviews on each book. Oh and to add to the excitement, I shall surreptitiously hide the title of a previous booker prize winner somewher in the review - can you spot it?? And I will write my reviews as an ordinary reader - not a literary genius, so I hope that will suit.:-)
Anyway - the first book I read was this, A Long Long Way, by Sebastian Barry.
It's not a long book - less than 300 pages - and is quite easy to read. The writing isnt flowery - in fact it is very matter of fact and to the point, not at all what I would expect of a Booker Prize shortlist. It probably took me about a week to read it, in shortish bursts on the train to and from work, so it is a book that is accessible to anyone.
OK so to the plot. Well Barry has taken a fairly well worn theme - the battle fields of WW1 Belgium and France - but given them an interesting twist to make it both interesting and educational to the reader. The hero - William Dunne (pronounced Doone - I heard the author say it on the telly) is Irish, a catholic from Dublin and he volunteers to wear the uniform of the King of England just at the time when things are getting a little uncomfortable back home on the home rule for Ireland front.
Now I know you wouldnt want me to give too uch away about how the plot unfolds, so I wont. Just suffice to say that it involves:
- the father who misunderstands his motives - Gretta, the girl he left behind (will she wait for him or not) - friends made and lost on the battlefields - certain impromprieties that come back to haunt him - a priest who for me is the real hero of the book - any number of nice little subplots and twists - an ending that I for one didnt expect (although Mrs Philoppe swears she did!!)
ok - if thats not got you interested, and I imagine that if you arent, youre probably a bloke - then there are some very vivid, and bloody descriptions of life in the trenches. What more could you want chaps?
What do I particularly like about it? Well I found the sub plot of the beginnings of the 'Irish Problem' fascinating. I am reaily well clued up on WW! but I hadnt fully understood some of the twists of loyalty that it demanded of the Irish Regiments. Barry brings these out excelently.
The characters are developed with a wonderful softness and sensitivity - even those who, like mayflies, are introduced only to be shot, shelled or gassed paragraphs later are fashioned to feel like old friends. I particularly love the priest, Father Buckley, who, with massive cataclysmic events happening all around him demonstrates that his is the God of small things as well as large.
On the down side, I think that some fo the battle scenes feel a little false and I wonder just how much real research Barry did in developing them. His description of a gas attack for example, whilst probably accurate in its content, feels somehow a little wooden and unthreatening. Pat Barker for me does battle scenes with a lot more realism (try the Regeneration trilogy).
I also think that he slips up on language on occasions. I simply cannot believe that a WW1 squaddie would describe himself as 'gobsmacked'!
But for those couple of, frankly, minor grumbles, this is actually a fantastic book. It does feel intially like Birdsong but where that book seems to dwell on cardboard sex scenes and indiscriminate slaughter (a normal saturday night in these parts!) Barry has created a book of great sensitivity and thoughtfulness which will stay with the reader long after the 292nd page is turned.
So - who should read this book? Well I think it would appeal to most people really, in particular those with a sense for history and an interest either in WW1 or Ireland. Young and old, men and women should find something in this book to reach them - unless of course they are squeamish, as some of the descriptions are very vivid and bloody. If you read and enjoyed Birdsong, then you will almost certainly enjoy this.
And my verdict? Well it was a good one to start my Booker quest with as it dealt in some ways with something I was familiar with, but at the same time developing my knowledge. The plot and characters are good and believeable, but I didnt think the language was what I would have expected of a Booker prize novel.
I'd recommend it as a read, but if I were a judge I dont hink I owuld have it on the winners pile.
Try it yourself and see.
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Pretty compelling but not addictive
How does it compare to similar audio books?
Very good
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