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sonia_reppe 's review for:
The Coldest Night
by Robert Olmstead
This is the third book by Olmstead I've read; I still like his memoir the best.
As the book jacket says, it is "a novel of love & war." Incidentally, my favorite novel of love and war is E.M.Remarch's "A Time To Love And A Time To Die."
Olmstead's writing is smooth and artful. The story is about young Henry, at seventeen he has a love affair and is despised by the girl's family. After the girl's brother almost kills him, he follows in the footsteps of his male relatives by enlisting in the Marines, and he is sent to fight in the Korean war. Yeah, war is gross, but a good writer can take a moment and make it about more than just that moment. So, don't shy away from this book just because of the war scenes.
I knew the writing would be beautifully descriptive because Olmstead is a master, and I like his stark style. He knows when to put in details and he knows when to leave them out. One minor complaint: Olmstead seems to be against using contractions under any circumstance which makes the dialogue a little stiff at times.
As the book jacket says, it is "a novel of love & war." Incidentally, my favorite novel of love and war is E.M.Remarch's "A Time To Love And A Time To Die."
Olmstead's writing is smooth and artful. The story is about young Henry, at seventeen he has a love affair and is despised by the girl's family. After the girl's brother almost kills him, he follows in the footsteps of his male relatives by enlisting in the Marines, and he is sent to fight in the Korean war. Yeah, war is gross, but a good writer can take a moment and make it about more than just that moment. So, don't shy away from this book just because of the war scenes.
I knew the writing would be beautifully descriptive because Olmstead is a master, and I like his stark style. He knows when to put in details and he knows when to leave them out. One minor complaint: Olmstead seems to be against using contractions under any circumstance which makes the dialogue a little stiff at times.