Reviews

Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks

esmem's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War

sslovesbooks_1's review against another edition

5.0

This is such a hard-breaking read which follows Stephen from his time in France before the First World War. He’s a character that grows on you slowly. He makes choices which have repercussions and he finds himself without what he wanted.

We then move into the trenches of France and are introduced to some special characters. The trench life is horrendous and so well described and it pulls at all your heart strings. The relentless nature of warfare brings with it dangers and horrors for the men fighting.

As we move through the book the beautiful writing and captivating characters can reduce you to tears. The last part of the book was so emotional and left me without words.

I adored this one and loved reading it along with a small group of buddy readers which added so much more to the reading experience. Thanks to all of them. I’ve ordered Charlotte Gray from this author to read at a later date.

If you haven’t read this, I would recommend it, it’s a beautiful read but heartbreaking

catherinemia's review against another edition

5.0

 Beautiful and heartbreaking book. Studied it for my A Levels and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Very graphic and awful in placea but that is the reality of the content. 

danielden's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-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

4.0

amzvb's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

4.0

ettuladyblue's review against another edition

3.0

Ah, the prose was spectacular and made up for the latter third of the plot which lost my interest. Wonderful moments and devastating ones throughout.

neuroqueer_af's review against another edition

2.0

Have you ever heard an old person talk about their past? Imagine if someone took a string of those anecdotes and made them into a book. Unless the elder in question was objectively interesting, those stories are probably better off as a part of an informal, oral tradition than shoved into a tome and yoked to heavy-handed symbolism, because that's basically what Birdsong is.

baker75's review against another edition

5.0

It's about twenty years since I last read this but Birdsong has lost none of its power.
What resonated with me this time was Stephen Wrayford's struggle to hold onto a coherent sense of the world in the face of such annihilating horror. Alongside Pat Barker's Regeneration trilogy, this is one of the finest novels set in the First World War.

shadylane_00's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

logophile_life's review

emotional 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

3.5