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read_by_hev's review
3.0
For the majority of the novel, the reader follows Henry and Eddie, as well as a cast of other background characters as they attempt to survive the horrors of the First World War. Ms Roden demonstrates an uncanny ability to be able to craft a realistic portrayal of the experiences of the men who were on the front at the time. Henry and Eddie do have real human reactions to the events around them and this makes the book an emotional read throughout. Certain scenes are so wonderfully crafted I could practically smell the trenches and really demonstrate Ms Roden’s writing ability. However, my main issue with this book is that these scenes are few and far between, interrupted by huge sections where the book took on a more text book approach rather than a novel. It meant that I found it difficult to concentrate throughout. It was not helped by the timeline which jumped around a lot and missed sections of time out, meaning that events had happened that we were just told about rather than shown. Although this style of writing and presentation is not something I enjoy, that does not mean I don’t recommend it. As stated, Ms Roden is able to craft some wonderful scenes, and her characters jump off the page and really come alive during those times. If the book had been consistent in this manner I would probably have enjoyed it more.
Another issue I had was the fact that during the times when the book was slightly tedious, I had no emotional investment in our main characters. I was not invested in the relationship that was developing between Nora and Henry(we are shown one meeting and suddenly he is writing to her from the trenches). This suddenness felt contrived and I wasn’t a fan. Also, in terms of Eddie, I had very little emotional investment in him and, since we know from the start that he at least goes missing, I really didn’t bond with him. I missed the emotional impact of his death which was a shame considering this was the main relationship throughout the book. I felt more towards Alex and his final scene, as we had a few pages telling his story and I think he was a more relatable character.
I had times where I really enjoyed this book, but for the majority of it I found it difficult to read and engage with the characters meaning a lot of the emotional impact was lost. Many thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy of this novel for a fair and unbiased review.
Another issue I had was the fact that during the times when the book was slightly tedious, I had no emotional investment in our main characters. I was not invested in the relationship that was developing between Nora and Henry(we are shown one meeting and suddenly he is writing to her from the trenches). This suddenness felt contrived and I wasn’t a fan. Also, in terms of Eddie, I had very little emotional investment in him and, since we know from the start that he at least goes missing, I really didn’t bond with him. I missed the emotional impact of his death which was a shame considering this was the main relationship throughout the book. I felt more towards Alex and his final scene, as we had a few pages telling his story and I think he was a more relatable character.
I had times where I really enjoyed this book, but for the majority of it I found it difficult to read and engage with the characters meaning a lot of the emotional impact was lost. Many thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy of this novel for a fair and unbiased review.
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