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naimfrewat's review against another edition
4.0
Really ended up liking it. The talk about foxhunting and all of the specificities of that sport were daunting in the beginning but they got me reading about foxhunting and the book easily gets the reader in without dwelling too much in the jargon.
I was surprised to ses a lot carefulness is placed in the accessories and fashions pertaining to foxhunting, the writer noticing his fellow sportsmen first by their apparel.
There are beautiful passages on the English countryside and the reader surfs pleasantly throughout though each turn of the page harbors the dark anticipation of what is about to happen.
And so the war comes in late in the book; though the description of it is not gorey or repulsive, I'm glad it didn't receive much pages in this volume (there are 3 more).
The little thar made it, told from the point of view of a logistics officer rather than from that of a man in combat, is enough to prod us into sanctifying diplomacy, talks and dialogue above all else.
I was surprised to ses a lot carefulness is placed in the accessories and fashions pertaining to foxhunting, the writer noticing his fellow sportsmen first by their apparel.
There are beautiful passages on the English countryside and the reader surfs pleasantly throughout though each turn of the page harbors the dark anticipation of what is about to happen.
And so the war comes in late in the book; though the description of it is not gorey or repulsive, I'm glad it didn't receive much pages in this volume (there are 3 more).
The little thar made it, told from the point of view of a logistics officer rather than from that of a man in combat, is enough to prod us into sanctifying diplomacy, talks and dialogue above all else.
ipb1's review against another edition
4.0
Three quarters of this consists of blow-by-blow accounts of fox-hunts and cricket matches. Well, I guess it is what it says on the tin. Still, it is undoubtedly entertaining in its recollection of a way of life on the cusp of extinction. So, mostly a sort of pre-Wodehousian 'tally-ho' ripping yarn, until the last quarter segues abruptly and startlingly into the trenches of WW1 and the territory of Sassoon's own The Last Meeting, Counter-Attack et al.
monere's review
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
caracaracara's review
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
talina's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I loved this book. The first 2/3 were a charming and fascinating description of country life that was heartbreakingly contrasted by the loss of that life in the trenches in the last 1/3. It was incredibly bittersweet.
jvan's review
4.0
Sassoon's memoirs strike me as better and more authentic than his thinly fictionalized novels, which is how it should be. This was entertaining, yes, but not as good as his The Last Century, which covers much of the same ground in non-fiction form.
atticus88's review against another edition
2.0
I'm going to write a review for this book because it is for Paul's WW1 course and it is helpful to gather my thoughts together. I'm glad I got it out of the way first. It is not actually about the war, it is about fox-hunting and cricket. I've got a very limited interest in sport and it felt like a trudge. Did I really want to know how many cricket matches he had won? Or his riding shoes? There was a whole section purely dedicated to riding shoes. There was a section to Sherston's aunt making a cup of tea on the train.
The most memorable thing was in 'The Flower Show Match' where a man cruelly cheated in the homegrown veg competition. Outrageous! It should be banned just for that.
When he does go to war, there are some beautiful, sad moments but I had to trudge through most of the book to get to those moments. Sassoon is a beautiful writer but this just felt like a drag. His next book is apparently much better so I hold out hope for that.
The most memorable thing was in 'The Flower Show Match' where a man cruelly cheated in the homegrown veg competition. Outrageous! It should be banned just for that.
When he does go to war, there are some beautiful, sad moments but I had to trudge through most of the book to get to those moments. Sassoon is a beautiful writer but this just felt like a drag. His next book is apparently much better so I hold out hope for that.
frazzle's review against another edition
4.0
Charming and evocative portrait of England and englishness in times of peace and war.