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thebonski98's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
lpin's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
smalltownbookmom's review against another edition
4.0
Great book to read leading up to November 11th. Really enjoyed learning about a much-forgotten part of WWI history - the role that homing pigeons played, especially this particular one who saved a whole regiment. The author does a great job emphasizing how traumatic this war was on those involved (soldiers AND animals). Very enjoyable and informative read on a little-known aspect of WWI history.
kategci's review against another edition
5.0
Thank you to Penguin Random House and Netgalley for the opportunity to read Kathleen Rooney's new novel, Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey. Told in alternating chapters by two World War I heroes, this historical novel completely beguiled me. Cher Ami was a female homing pigeon, misnamed for a male who flew important messages between the American troops in France. In October of 1918, she helped save the Lost Battalion which was completely surrounded by German troops and in grave danger of being thoroughly wiped out. Major Charles Whittlesey was a New York attorney from a white shoe law firm who voluntarily entered the army as a Captain and was commander of the77th Division of the first Battalion, which became the Lost Battalion. Whittlesey excelled at managing his troops and while the Battalion lost a large number of men, many of his troops were able to walk out of the "Pocket" were they were pinned down. Kathleen Rooney writes beautifully descriptive sentences and while this book is at times charming, it is a story of war and she does not shy away from difficult details. I came into this story knowing nothing of the characters or their situations ( I had heard of the Lost Battalion but knew none of the details) and reading Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey reminded me how well written historical fiction both entertains and teaches.
dalex's review
dark
informative
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
3.0
lindseysparks's review against another edition
5.0
I picked this up not reading anything about what it was about, because I loved Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk so much. I was not expecting a WWI novel half narrated by a gay major and half by a pigeon used in the war. I hate reading any kind of animal violence so I would never have normally picked this up. It was a hard read and I had to put it down and pick up something else or take a break for a while multiple times. But, I am glad I read it. Both stories are horribly sad, made much worse by being based on real life, but there is beauty in the way Rooney tells their stories. I loved Cher Ami and I am glad Rooney tells us what happens to her upfront. It helped me focus on the story and not what might happen. Her writing is gorgeous and her background as a poet obvious. I liked the way Cher Ami's and the Major's chapters would begin the same way, giving us two perspectives of the same thing much of the time.
alundeberg's review
5.0
Random fact: several years ago a friend and I decided to embark on a year-long quest to read about WWI. In all of my reading about the war I had never heard of the story of the heroic homing pigeon who saved the Lost Battalion, an American regiment who got trapped in the Meuse-Argonne forest in France. Author Kathleen Rooney brings this little-known and remarkable true story to life in "Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey". Narrated by Cher Ami from her exhibit in the Smithsonian one-hundred years after the war and by Major Whittlesey on the last day of his life, the two reflect on the events that led them both to days of terror on the French battlefield where their biggest enemy was not the Germans but friendly fire. This novel is a reflection on what it means to serve, the sacrifices of war, and being a hero. But it is not the chest-beating nationalism backed by Sousa marches and chants of "USA! USA!". Rooney looks past the headlines and newsreels to examine how the war impacted the everyday men and animals who served in it and how their experiences do not reflect what is splashed across the front page.
Deeply imaginative, Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey's experiences mirror each other's. Cher Ami is a female pigeon who was misidentified as a cock and spent her life being called a "he". Charles Whittlesey is a sensitive, educated, and erudite closeted gay man who becomes a beloved leader among his troops. Both become national heroes for their actions in the Lost Battalion. Both find that being a hero back home is in some cases more challenging than fighting the war; the military has already put its spin on the events, hiding the reality of what really happened on the field. Whittlesey cannot speak to anyone openly and honestly about what happened because no one wants to hear that story and they are more interested in him as hero, not as guilt-ridden man dealing with tremendous loss. No one wants to hear about friendly-fire or how those running the war did so in comfort far from the front lines as they heedlessly sent millions of men to the charnel fields to meet their death. Cher Ami, from her perch at the Smithsonian over the years, recounts how the lessons of WWI and the Lost Battalion have fallen from collective memory, first overshadowed by WWII, and then the long swath of time since then.
This is a beautifully written book that honors our unsung heroes and examines the reality of war and postwar life. Highly recommend.
Deeply imaginative, Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey's experiences mirror each other's. Cher Ami is a female pigeon who was misidentified as a cock and spent her life being called a "he". Charles Whittlesey is a sensitive, educated, and erudite closeted gay man who becomes a beloved leader among his troops. Both become national heroes for their actions in the Lost Battalion. Both find that being a hero back home is in some cases more challenging than fighting the war; the military has already put its spin on the events, hiding the reality of what really happened on the field. Whittlesey cannot speak to anyone openly and honestly about what happened because no one wants to hear that story and they are more interested in him as hero, not as guilt-ridden man dealing with tremendous loss. No one wants to hear about friendly-fire or how those running the war did so in comfort far from the front lines as they heedlessly sent millions of men to the charnel fields to meet their death. Cher Ami, from her perch at the Smithsonian over the years, recounts how the lessons of WWI and the Lost Battalion have fallen from collective memory, first overshadowed by WWII, and then the long swath of time since then.
This is a beautifully written book that honors our unsung heroes and examines the reality of war and postwar life. Highly recommend.
dllh's review
4.0
This one felt really choppy and was a little hard to settle into initially, but either the writing smoothed out or I got used to it, and I really enjoyed it. It did some of the things I most value in books -- making me laugh, teaching me about things (homing pigeons used in World War I) I didn't know about, and showing some real human feeling. I picked the book up while browsing the shelves of my local bookshop for random finds. I run across plenty of duds when I do this, but I also find some gems, and this is one of the latter.
msmithr's review
3.0
3.75 I love that this is based actual people/pigeons. The insight to war really got me thinking. The writing and language was smart, witty and very well done. I didn't really get hooked until about 50-60% in which was disappointing. Once the war started it was easier to read.