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rue_baldry 's review for:
Road Back
by Erich Maria Remarque
It is unfortunate for this book that it is bound to be compared to All Quiet on the Western Front, which is one of the greatest novels ever written. Remarque’s imagery is still beautiful here, but the translation isn’t quite as beautiful; the characters and situation are well drawn and interesting, but the plotting isn’t as tight; the situation is moving but it has no way of being as urgent because it is set when the war ends.
This is the story of the battalion in the last days of the war, on the way home, and in the months that followed. I have become used to hearing about soldiers struggling to adjust to civilian life after the world wars, but until I read this I had not realised that I have only really heard about that story among British and American troops. How much worse it was to be struggling with peace having lost. There was no way to comfort yourself that any of the hardships had been worth it.
Most of the characters are young middle-class men, all German, all ex-soldiers, and there was a large cast, many with similar names (Albert, Arthur, Adolph) so it was tricky to keep track of who was who (which spoiled the emotional resonance of at least one important moment). There are a lot of memorable characters too though (bellicose Willy, noble Ludwig, spivvy Lederhose and lost, poet-philosopher Ernst, the narrator).
The point of view gets muddled at times, but the episodes described are worth reading. Remarque’s descriptions are delightful. There are some wonderful passages - from descriptions of nature and sorrow to polemic anti-war speeches. It’s a great book, it’s just not All Quiet on the Western Front.
This is the story of the battalion in the last days of the war, on the way home, and in the months that followed. I have become used to hearing about soldiers struggling to adjust to civilian life after the world wars, but until I read this I had not realised that I have only really heard about that story among British and American troops. How much worse it was to be struggling with peace having lost. There was no way to comfort yourself that any of the hardships had been worth it.
Most of the characters are young middle-class men, all German, all ex-soldiers, and there was a large cast, many with similar names (Albert, Arthur, Adolph) so it was tricky to keep track of who was who (which spoiled the emotional resonance of at least one important moment). There are a lot of memorable characters too though (bellicose Willy, noble Ludwig, spivvy Lederhose and lost, poet-philosopher Ernst, the narrator).
The point of view gets muddled at times, but the episodes described are worth reading. Remarque’s descriptions are delightful. There are some wonderful passages - from descriptions of nature and sorrow to polemic anti-war speeches. It’s a great book, it’s just not All Quiet on the Western Front.