On my bedside table is a sepia-tinted photograph of my grandfather, aged about 17, in his British army uniform, prior to his stint in France towards the end of the First World War. He was lucky; he returned. Had he not done so I would not be writing this now. I thought about him a lot as I was reading Sebastian Faulks’ novel “Birdsong” in which the author vividly portrays what life was like for those who endured the trauma of service in the trenches. I hesitate to recommend the book to anyone as it is not a comfortable read. It is not for the faint-hearted or anyone of a nervous disposition. It will shock all but the most desensitised of readers. At times I had to put it down as I was overwhelmed with tears, so powerful was the narrative. And yet I felt compelled to continue until I emerged at the end with a sense that I had at least grown a little in understanding as a result of reading it. I am glad that I was steered to read it by its inclusion in the recent “Big Read” program in which, incidentally, it was championed by William Hague.
The novel is structured in seven parts: the lengthier ones (approx 100 pages each) are set in France at different dates both before and during the Great War; these are interspersed with
shorter episodes of more recent related events in England which provide the reader with some respite from the intensity of the wartime scenes. I found the first part which is set in France in 1910 a little tiresome as I did not take to the characters, could not get excited about such plot as there was, and thought it was too sexually explicit (for my taste) in places. I also found the author’s style a bit off-putting at times.
All that was destined to change as I plunged into part 2 - the first of the wartime passages. At first it seemed as if I was just starting to read a different book – the characters encountered were new, the whole writing more captivating, and only after a while did the connection with the first section become clear. And that surely is one of the points that is made very well in the book: that “normal life” and “trench life” were worlds apart for those caught up in either/both. Even as a reader, it felt strange being fast-forwarded to 1978 for the brief respite of part 3. In an odd way I looked forward to returning to the trenches in part 4, and again in part 6 after another short respite in modern day surroundings. Somehow the author had cleverly managed to mirror what the characters themselves felt as they had brief respites from the intensities of their front line experiences. The preoccupations of the characters in the 1970’s seemed so very shallow compared with those in the war.
The war-time characters also developed very convincingly over time in the novel, as those that survived became increasingly adept at coping and continuing to survive in the most horrendous life-threatening circumstances. Unless you cheat and look ahead, you can’t be sure which characters will survive at any time and after a while I did get attached to a number of them. The most moving part for me was when they each wrote a letter home on the day before they expected to make a major move forward, an offensive from which they knew only a proportion were likely to return. I could imagine my grandfather writing such a letter home and what it might say, and I, like the characters, could not predict which ones would survive.
The technical details in the book were quite fascinating in themselves and, I have to assume as I am no expert, were well-researched. I had never before thought about the practical difficulties of creating the trenches in the first place and of mining and building deeper tunnels, tasks that would be hard enough to achieve in peacetime without the added constant threat of enemy activity. The risk of being trapped in tunnels underneath enemy territory was very real for miners on both sides of the conflict.
How hard it must have been for any returning servicemen to adjust to “normal life” after the conflict ended! Some who failed to do so would be institutionalised for the rest of their lives; others would somehow manage to put it all behind them. These two extremes are both illustrated by characters in the book. Many like my grandfather chose “never to talk of those times”, at least not to my generation. Throughout the book there are glimpses of changes that were occurring in the rest of France. The various fates of the characters left behind in the first part of the book are discernable. The pre-war “normality” portrayed in those first 100 pages, however, could never be expected to return. A sombre visit to the area at a later date emphasises this. The modern-day episodes within the novel are contrived to illustrate many of the stark changes that have occurred in society as a whole during the twentieth century: changes in attitudes, in lifestyle expectations, and in the political climate. The ending felt a little contrived but helped to raise the spirit and point to the future.
Several weeks have passed since I read this book and yet it hasn’t faded from my memory. It has left me with a feeling of thankfulness about many things in life that it is all too easy to take for granted: a roof over my head, food and warmth, the companionship of loved ones, freedom to travel – to name but a few. For this reason alone, I recommend reading “Birdsong”. If you read it carefully then you will also appreciate why it is called "Birdsong".
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Once more an op that is very much up to your normal very high standard. Your personal emotional feelings about this book really come through but counterbalanced with your equally normal down-to -earth even-mindedness, is what really makes your op very compelling reading. I now feel obliged to read this book. Your writing is too, too persuasive and thought-provoking.
fairenoughclough 22.12.2004 15:32
A work of real beauty, well reviewed.
My favourite book.
Mike
magdadh 20.09.2004 16:54
O, I run out of E's already.... Then VH will have to do.
Readers who are entranced by sweeping historical sagas will devour Birdsong, Sebastian ... more
Faulks' drama set during the first world war. There's even a little high-toned erotica thrown into the mix to convince the doubtful. The book's hero, a 20-year-old E...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Readers who are entranced by sweeping historical sagas will devourBirdsong, Sebastian ... more
Faulks' drama set during the first world war. There's even a little high-toned erotica thrown into the mix to convince the doubtful. The book's hero, a 20-year-old En...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Readers who are entranced by sweeping historical sagas will devourBirdsong, Sebastian ... more
Faulks' drama set during the first world war. There's even a little high-toned erotica thrown into the mix to convince the doubtful. The book's hero, a 20-year-old En...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Readers who are entranced by sweeping historical sagas will devour Birdsong, Sebastian ... more
Faulks' drama set during the first world war. There's even a little high-toned erotica thrown into the mix to convince the doubtful. The book's hero, a 20-year-old E...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Mar 5th, 2004
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very helpful by (80%):
helpful by (3%):
