tlaloq 's review for:

Birdsong: A Novel of Love and War by Sebastian Faulks

2.0

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The depiction of life and death on the front and in the tunnels is very compelling. The story around those scenes, however is less so. And, the modern bits seem totally superfluous. I would also recommend reading the introduction as an afterword. It seems a little simplistic, self-serving, and self-indulgent, and there is nothing in it that adds to one's appreciation of the novel.

I would recommend reading other works dealing with the same subject before reading this one: Goodbye to All That by Robert Graves, the Parade's End tetralogy by Ford Maddox Ford, and the Regeneration trilogy by Pat Barker.

Recommended in context.