A review by opheliapo
Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo

4.0

Private Peaceful was exactly what I had expected it would be, from all the people who had recommended it to me. It was simply written, which is a merit, not a flaw, for I believe that the addition of any complex or poetic narrative would have detracted from the credibility of the character voices. It was clearly well researched, each character having the morality and sense of people at that time, in peace and war. The plot was so sound that every time Morpurgo let slip a hint about the futures of Charlie and Tommo I said 'oh no' to myself, knowing that I would be in tears by the time those events came to pass. But most notably, the story of Private Peaceful was enduringly honest, demonstrating the forfeiture, the brutality and, most importantly, the naivety of war.