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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Most of us will never be able to imagine what WW1 was like for soldiers, but I think this book must come as close as you can get.
Each patient at this war hospital is struggling in a different way but simultaneously in the same way. Or maybe it's all the same struggle but manifesting in different ways. That's the thing... even though we are invited into these men's perspectives, we can't truly understand them. The internet conflict each man faces is nuanced. I couldn't begin to break down the complexity of their feelings - the desire to stay in England and stay alive, vs the desire to not be a "coward" and to not abandon the other men who are still at the front. These men are performing mental gymnastics that are hard to keep up with.
I'll be thinking about these characters for a long time.
Each patient at this war hospital is struggling in a different way but simultaneously in the same way. Or maybe it's all the same struggle but manifesting in different ways. That's the thing... even though we are invited into these men's perspectives, we can't truly understand them. The internet conflict each man faces is nuanced. I couldn't begin to break down the complexity of their feelings - the desire to stay in England and stay alive, vs the desire to not be a "coward" and to not abandon the other men who are still at the front. These men are performing mental gymnastics that are hard to keep up with.
I'll be thinking about these characters for a long time.
Ahh..I don't know where to begin..Reading this was nothing short of a roller coaster. Many things contributed to my waxing and waning opinion of this work. But in the end I enjoyed it immensely. Like all my 5 star reviews, I feel this would be a profusion of sentiments. And I hope it does justice to this underrated masterpiece.
This book is set in a war hospital in Scotland during the Great War. It follows the lives of soldiers committed to the psych ward under the care of the war psychiatrist William Rivers. Rivers is charged with the task to heal their broken minds and get them back to the front lines asap. Which it turns out is not so easy. One can't prescribe pills for something as intangible as a tormented mind. One surely can't be told to walk it off. Where each man is broken in a unique way, cure can never be guaranteed.
Rivers faces an uphill task as he encounters his charges. Discovering their unique personalities and quirks makes his task even harder. His own resentment to war (for having plucked him away from his research post and experiments) complicates things further. He subconsciously resents the war, yet works to abet it but can't denounce it publicly. The book is divided into 4 parts. The first part is quite slow and unless you know some military jargon of the war times, you might find yourself shelving this away. But hear me out. Stay with the book. Take help from internet to fill in some gaps. This may seem like a chore, but it will expand your perspective. And the prose really hits home when you get the intent.
The book picks up nicely from part two. It adds depth to all the soldiers under Rivers' charge (Sassoon's dissent, Prior's speech loss, Anderson's hemophobia, Willard's paralysis, Burns' elusiveness, Pugh's nervous tick and many more). And although it is Rivers who is charged with bringing about a change in them, they end up changing him as well.
The soldiers (mind you, all in their twenties) constantly chafe under the dichotomy of wanting to serve their country and desperately clinging to their mental well-being. Neither of which can be achieved without sacrificing the other. So intrinsic is this need to serve and be of value to the country that even the thought of the imminent breakdown and consequent discharge drives them to despair.
The book is not only a classic exploration of war traumas sustained by soldiers but also an account of a psychiatrist's rude awakening to war. What does it mean to be mentally fit? How far should a person be pushed in the zeal to fuel the nationalist fire? Is the contemplation of negotiated peace an act of cowardice? "Your country needs you!" Indeed it does and it always will. But at what personal cost? Where does one draw the line? Rivers himself takes a mental toll as he struggles to assuage his scruples in the face of the demands made by war. He has not fought on the front lines, but he certainly sees enough in his ward to know that he is abetting the war, albeit in a passive way. The closer he gets to patching up his patients' minds the harder it becomes to recommend them back to the horrors of the front.
The book goes on to explore political and domestic scenes through the lives of people the soldiers come in contact with. It talks of women working in ammunition factories, women attempting abortions, people profiteering from war, soldiers punished for soliciting (yes, you are required to love your fellow man..just not too much), soldiers reprimanded for associations with pacifists and throws many more nuanced hints at all pervasive gloom. Humor if encountered, is sparse and is wielded as a tool to reveal the grim reality.
Rivers is thrown in sharp contrast against another psychiatrist brute forcing his treatments through electric shocks. He doubts the efficacy of his methods, which although humane by comparison, achieve the same result. The dilemma that ensues in Rivers' mind makes him ponder his involvement in the possible deaths of the soldiers he recommends to front lines.
All in all, this was a fantastic read. I had the backing of all my world war reads to tide me over the nuances. It is totally worth it to know the weight a line carries when the soldiers are less intent on talking more. I highly recommend watching Peter Jackson's phenomenal documentary They Shall Not Grow Old. If possible, watch it before you read this. It sets the perfect mood and setting for what this book explores. There is no better introduction than to hear the veterans talk of the War that exacted a cost too high to even contemplate.
The book does not barrage the reader with war trivia and does not deal literary blows every paragraph. But it sneaks up on you and hits hard when you least expect it to. I consider it one of the best war books I have read. Yes it is fiction, but it rings of cold hard truth like no other. Looking forward to completing the series. :)
This book is set in a war hospital in Scotland during the Great War. It follows the lives of soldiers committed to the psych ward under the care of the war psychiatrist William Rivers. Rivers is charged with the task to heal their broken minds and get them back to the front lines asap. Which it turns out is not so easy. One can't prescribe pills for something as intangible as a tormented mind. One surely can't be told to walk it off. Where each man is broken in a unique way, cure can never be guaranteed.
Rivers faces an uphill task as he encounters his charges. Discovering their unique personalities and quirks makes his task even harder. His own resentment to war (for having plucked him away from his research post and experiments) complicates things further. He subconsciously resents the war, yet works to abet it but can't denounce it publicly. The book is divided into 4 parts. The first part is quite slow and unless you know some military jargon of the war times, you might find yourself shelving this away. But hear me out. Stay with the book. Take help from internet to fill in some gaps. This may seem like a chore, but it will expand your perspective. And the prose really hits home when you get the intent.
For you our battles shine
With triumph half-divine;
And the glory of the dead
Kindles in each proud eye.
But a curse is on my head,
That shall not be unsaid,
And the wounds in my heart are red,
For I have watched them die.
The book picks up nicely from part two. It adds depth to all the soldiers under Rivers' charge (Sassoon's dissent, Prior's speech loss, Anderson's hemophobia, Willard's paralysis, Burns' elusiveness, Pugh's nervous tick and many more). And although it is Rivers who is charged with bringing about a change in them, they end up changing him as well.
'Paralysis is no use to a coward, Mr. Willard. A coward needs his legs.'
The soldiers (mind you, all in their twenties) constantly chafe under the dichotomy of wanting to serve their country and desperately clinging to their mental well-being. Neither of which can be achieved without sacrificing the other. So intrinsic is this need to serve and be of value to the country that even the thought of the imminent breakdown and consequent discharge drives them to despair.
'Not possible. The hoop's there, you jump through it. If you question it, you've failed. If it's taken away from you, you've failed.'
The book is not only a classic exploration of war traumas sustained by soldiers but also an account of a psychiatrist's rude awakening to war. What does it mean to be mentally fit? How far should a person be pushed in the zeal to fuel the nationalist fire? Is the contemplation of negotiated peace an act of cowardice? "Your country needs you!" Indeed it does and it always will. But at what personal cost? Where does one draw the line? Rivers himself takes a mental toll as he struggles to assuage his scruples in the face of the demands made by war. He has not fought on the front lines, but he certainly sees enough in his ward to know that he is abetting the war, albeit in a passive way. The closer he gets to patching up his patients' minds the harder it becomes to recommend them back to the horrors of the front.
A society that devours its own young deserves no automatic or unquestioning allegiance.
The book goes on to explore political and domestic scenes through the lives of people the soldiers come in contact with. It talks of women working in ammunition factories, women attempting abortions, people profiteering from war, soldiers punished for soliciting (yes, you are required to love your fellow man..just not too much), soldiers reprimanded for associations with pacifists and throws many more nuanced hints at all pervasive gloom. Humor if encountered, is sparse and is wielded as a tool to reveal the grim reality.
"ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, Bastard on the Cross, FIRE!" There weren't many miraculous crucifixes in Potter's section of the front.
Rivers is thrown in sharp contrast against another psychiatrist brute forcing his treatments through electric shocks. He doubts the efficacy of his methods, which although humane by comparison, achieve the same result. The dilemma that ensues in Rivers' mind makes him ponder his involvement in the possible deaths of the soldiers he recommends to front lines.
All in all, this was a fantastic read. I had the backing of all my world war reads to tide me over the nuances. It is totally worth it to know the weight a line carries when the soldiers are less intent on talking more. I highly recommend watching Peter Jackson's phenomenal documentary They Shall Not Grow Old. If possible, watch it before you read this. It sets the perfect mood and setting for what this book explores. There is no better introduction than to hear the veterans talk of the War that exacted a cost too high to even contemplate.
The book does not barrage the reader with war trivia and does not deal literary blows every paragraph. But it sneaks up on you and hits hard when you least expect it to. I consider it one of the best war books I have read. Yes it is fiction, but it rings of cold hard truth like no other. Looking forward to completing the series. :)
reflective
medium-paced
i loved this so much, it's given me so much to think about
Really an excellent book about WWI. I enjoyed the inclusion of actual historical figures.