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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
A rather interesting historical novel set in World War 1, which explores the psychological impacts of the war on soldiers and their process of healing. I initially found this book to be a bit disjointed because of the shifts between multiple narratives throughout the novel, but they were nonetheless all quite compelling. Though the writing wasn't phenomenal, I may consider reading the rest of the trilogy.
After 80 pages I admitted defeat, I did not find this book to my taste. It was very introspective in a way that I did not find engaging so I put it down.
This book is hard to describe, because the knee-jerk reaction is to say it's about Siegfried Sasson receiving treatment at Craiglockhart Hospital during WW1, which is ostensibly true, but it gives the wrong impression about who the book is really about. More than Sasson or Robert Graves or Wildfred Owen, all of whom make appearances, this book is really about Rivers and the methods he uses to treat them.
It's hard even to describe it as a war novel, because unlike 'Birdsong', for example, none of the characters are at the Front. At one point in the novel do any of the characters even hear the guns of France, and even then it's Rivers and at a distance across the Channel. But the Western Front is ever-present in the minds of the soldiers Rivers is treating, and that's what this novel is really about: the effect of war on the mind and the sometimes futile, sometimes valiant ways the men try and confront and overcome their experiences.
It's a tremendously moving novel, all the more so as Rivers comes to care for and about the men receiving treatment, and feels an immense conflict between his duty as army psychiatrist to get the men fit and back to duty and his own knowledge of the horrors that await them there.
It's hard even to describe it as a war novel, because unlike 'Birdsong', for example, none of the characters are at the Front. At one point in the novel do any of the characters even hear the guns of France, and even then it's Rivers and at a distance across the Channel. But the Western Front is ever-present in the minds of the soldiers Rivers is treating, and that's what this novel is really about: the effect of war on the mind and the sometimes futile, sometimes valiant ways the men try and confront and overcome their experiences.
It's a tremendously moving novel, all the more so as Rivers comes to care for and about the men receiving treatment, and feels an immense conflict between his duty as army psychiatrist to get the men fit and back to duty and his own knowledge of the horrors that await them there.
dark
emotional
informative
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
An excellent look into the psychiatry of World War One. You see the impact it had on the individual and relive the horrible experiences on and off the front line not only for the patients but for the others, like Sarah and Rivers. It offers a different perspective that is just as hard hitting. The novel demonstrates that the effects of the war extended past the war itself. It wasn't just the front line, but far more far-reaching. There is determination, resignation, friendship and relationships. An unexpectedly brilliant read, particularly the relationship between Rivers and Prior and Rivers and Sassoon.
Probably the best book on the Great War I have ever read. In Regeneration, Barker focusses on the impact of war on it's participants. The novel never directly enters the trenches, and it doesn't have to. The state of these broken men speaks for itself.
I liked this book quite a bit. For the most part it was simple (in a good, easy-to-follow way) and interesting. I became attached and cared for many of the characters and was truly into their individual stories. It was also cool that I happened to be reading this book while in Edinburgh!
I couldn't get through this book. It held no interest for me.
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced