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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
I thought this very novel flawed, but ultimately the parts of the book set during WWI are so compelling that it makes up for my negative feelings about the 1910 and 1970s sections of the book.
I was led to Faulks' French trilogy because of my interest in WWI novels, and so I was obviously disappointed in the first 100 pages of the book, which are set in 1910 and focus on a deeply uninteresting burgeoning love affair between a 20-year old Englishman and a 28-year old unhappily married French woman. It took so long for the novel to go anywhere and I didn't find their love story compelling or believable in the least, to the point that I considered giving up on the book. However, I generally finish the books I start, so I was unhappily determined to slog through the rest of the book, hoping that things would pick up whenever Faulks got around to writing about the war.
Fortunately for me, the second section of the book began right in the thick of WWI, and almost immediately found myself completely drawn into the novel. That part of the book is so harrowing, so well written, so devastating, that it does a lot to make up for the rest of the book. I fully understood how Birdsong ended up on so many lists of recommended books set in WWI - I can't remember the last book I read that drew me in that deeply and showed just how deeply traumatic war is.
Unfortunately, there was one more aspect of the book that brought my opinion of it right back down again - the sections set in the 1970s. I couldn't bring myself to care for the narrator, and I actively hated her romantic choices. I found those sections of the book to detract from the real heart of the novel - Stephen and his fellow WWI soldiers, and I wasn't all that intrigued or surprised by how the narrator of that portion of the book tied back in with rest of it.
I guess you could say in the end that all the romance in this book rather ruined it for me - both the incomprehensible insta-love of the first 100 pages, and the infuriating emotional passivity of the 1970s narrator throughout the latter half of the book. I also honestly hated the way the book ended.I guess you could say in the end that all the romance in this book rather ruined it for me - both the incomprehensible insta-love of the first 100 pages, and the infuriating emotional passivity of the 1970s narrator throughout the latter half of the book. I also honestly hated the way the book ended. [Don't get me wrong - I got deeply emotional when Elizabeth named her newborn son after Jack Firebrace's son. His story was the most deeply affecting of the book, and my heart ached for him and his family every time the book turned to him. However - ending the book on Elizabeth's married boyfriend's utter joy at having a son just felt - fucking bizarre? Like, fine, Faulks doesn't need to moralize to his readers about adultery, but... to end it on Robert's joy is just... what? Why? Why not return to Stephen, or even Firebrace's widow, or anything else to close out the story? My impression of the non-war sections of the book is that Faulks embraces adultery as a morally neutral choice for individuals who otherwise exert incredibly little agency in their emotional lives, which... is kind of bizarre to me, to be honest, especially when the first of his novel is such a profoundly moving look at how WWI affected the men who served.
Final complaint - why was the character of Stuart put in as a romantic foil to the married Robert? Why the hell did Elizabeth stay with a married man who is morally reprehensible and has no time for her, when there's a perfectly charming match for her who actually wants to be with her? What was the point, Faulks??
I was led to Faulks' French trilogy because of my interest in WWI novels, and so I was obviously disappointed in the first 100 pages of the book, which are set in 1910 and focus on a deeply uninteresting burgeoning love affair between a 20-year old Englishman and a 28-year old unhappily married French woman. It took so long for the novel to go anywhere and I didn't find their love story compelling or believable in the least, to the point that I considered giving up on the book. However, I generally finish the books I start, so I was unhappily determined to slog through the rest of the book, hoping that things would pick up whenever Faulks got around to writing about the war.
Fortunately for me, the second section of the book began right in the thick of WWI, and almost immediately found myself completely drawn into the novel. That part of the book is so harrowing, so well written, so devastating, that it does a lot to make up for the rest of the book. I fully understood how Birdsong ended up on so many lists of recommended books set in WWI - I can't remember the last book I read that drew me in that deeply and showed just how deeply traumatic war is.
Unfortunately, there was one more aspect of the book that brought my opinion of it right back down again - the sections set in the 1970s. I couldn't bring myself to care for the narrator, and I actively hated her romantic choices. I found those sections of the book to detract from the real heart of the novel - Stephen and his fellow WWI soldiers, and I wasn't all that intrigued or surprised by how the narrator of that portion of the book tied back in with rest of it.
I guess you could say in the end that all the romance in this book rather ruined it for me - both the incomprehensible insta-love of the first 100 pages, and the infuriating emotional passivity of the 1970s narrator throughout the latter half of the book. I also honestly hated the way the book ended.
Final complaint - why was the character of Stuart put in as a romantic foil to the married Robert? Why the hell did Elizabeth stay with a married man who is morally reprehensible and has no time for her, when there's a perfectly charming match for her who actually wants to be with her? What was the point, Faulks??
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved this so much but there was one letdown. Although the parts about Stephen, the majority of the book, were amazing and wonderful the parts set in the 1970s about his granddaughter felt random, disconnected and as if I was reading a completely different book. Frankly, I didn't care about Elizabeth and her storyline, except when there were extracts of Stephen's diary or when she spoke to people about him. In short, her life didn't interest me in the least. The ending of the book, being about Elizabeth, was quite disappointing.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A very powerful story, although I didn't ever quite understand Isabelle. Faulk's writing is beautiful, evocative, terrifyingly vivid and erotic.
4.5
A Novel of Love and War...
As a war story it was absolutely incredible and moving. The descriptions were haunting although slightly detached, which is exactly how I'd imagine a veteran of this war would describe things.
"All night he sang for his brother, whom he had brought home in his hands.".
As a love story it was terrible. The writing of women was painful to get through. Despite the fact that I struggled to get through these parts, I understand their value. The apparent all importance of the drama of love quickly faded in war but then the realities of war upon its end were also soon forgotten. Thankfully these portions were short and infrequently interspersed.
Overall it was a very enjoyable (in that heartbreaking kind of way) read.
A Novel of Love and War...
As a war story it was absolutely incredible and moving. The descriptions were haunting although slightly detached, which is exactly how I'd imagine a veteran of this war would describe things.
"All night he sang for his brother, whom he had brought home in his hands.".
As a love story it was terrible. The writing of women was painful to get through. Despite the fact that I struggled to get through these parts, I understand their value. The apparent all importance of the drama of love quickly faded in war but then the realities of war upon its end were also soon forgotten. Thankfully these portions were short and infrequently interspersed.
Overall it was a very enjoyable (in that heartbreaking kind of way) read.
I never re-read books but I saw this and remember liking it many years ago so read it again. It is one of the best books I have read. I loved how it jumped between time periods before, during and after the war. It kept my attention and also showed events from different perspectives which I really loved. The writing style is beautiful but straight forward.
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No