BIRDSONG
An absorbing novel for those who either know about or wish to appreciate the atrocious conditions under which the rank and file soldiers of the First World War fought. Not for the squemish, or those claustophobic. Sebastian Faulks conveys the physical and psychological struggles of trench and tunnel warfare graphically, possibly too graphically for some.
Powerful
Its a bonus to pick up a book that initially seems to offer nothing particularly new or novel (pun), but ends up being one of those stories that lingers memorably long after you put it down. One of those books that you make a point of recommending to friends.
I couldn't imagine that someone who hadn't "been there", could write with such insight on an experience as intensely personal as face to face warfare, but maybe it's an advantage for an observant, experienced author to grasp from his research nuances that others might experience, but dont have the objectivity, expression or awareness to capture. Maybe they are too close to call it ? Whatever. I have read most of the classics that came out of the two World Wars, Birdsong captured the moment and explored the mental impact as good as anything I have read.
Powerful was the word I kept thinking of to describe it best. A powerful account of the tension, the suffering and the bizarre way the mind adapts to cope and survive in a surreal Hell. The impact of the closing page was wrenching, symbolically touching on the unspoken thoughts,deeds and suffering of so many.
I kept thinking how would I perform in their shoes. Whew, I must read it again !.
What's all the hype about?
As a lover of historical fiction, particularly with a war-based background and with several "The greatest book I've ever read" and "Have re-read several times" comments from Amazon's learned reviewers, I couldn't wait to read this book. However, reviews are nothing but opinion and I ended up being disappointed........
Why? Well, I guess I just found Faulk's writing to be quite labourious and his characters bland and uninspiring to me as the reader.
The initial part set before the war was a bit cliched and predictable - "young handsome Englishman wins over repressed older French woman, but relationship is ultimately doomed" - very Mills and Boon type of stuff. Then we cut to the war with the mud and blood, senseless loss of lives, poor leadership, etc etc etc. Seen it all before I'm afraid - "tell me something new" I kept thinking as I ploughed on. The "contemporary" parts with the grand-daughter didn't really grab me either.
All in all, an average read.
Immediacy of War
In Amiens, 1910, Stephen Wraysford encounters Madame Azaire and Gregoire for the first time. Stephen is twenty. He knows about textiles and finance. Azaire is forty. Azaire has a factory in town and has another not far away. Cloth is produced in Manchester for two thirds of the price it is manufactured in Amiens. Stephen is in Amiens to visit the factories.
Isabelle Azaire married to be free of her parent's house in Rouen. After a series of emotional confrontations, Stephen and Isabelle Azaire go away to a spa town in the south of France. After a time, Isabelle leaves Stephen.
The story shifts to 1916. Lieutenant Wraysford is to decide the fate of a tuneller who fell asleep while on duty. Wraysford and his company commander decline to punish the man. Conditions in World War I are so bad that Stephen feels it is an exploration on how far men can be degraded. The fighting is so intense that Stephen feels the new reality is being condemned to live.
Part Three moves to 1978, England. A grandchild, Elizabeth, has the notebooks of Stephen Wraysford. They are in code. Part Four returns the reader to the war, 1917, France, and Part Five is England, 1978 and 1979. Part Six is September 1918. Part Seven is England, 1979.
The means of telling the story is intricate. The reader is made to care about the characters. The braided chronology is adroit. This is historical fiction at its best.
It's as if the author is writing from personal experience
The way that the characters and the atmosphere are built by Sebastian Faulks is just amazing! The reader is taken in to that atmosphere, and shares the feelings of the main character, Stephen. You cannot fail to be totally captivated.
Anyone who has served for any significant period in the Armed Forces will instantly relate to the use of black humour to cover the awful reality and horror. Faulks also manages to reflect on how every aspect of life continues, perhaps in the background, as the war goes on. There is a strong and emotive love story. There is a very powerful understanding of the futility of war and its effects on everyone involved, regardless of national allegiance. One of the most poignant parts of the book, for me, is the description of the feelings of the sappers as they tunnel deep below the battlefield, knowing that their counterparts are experiencing the same hopes and fears, only feet away through the awful mud and darkness. Death is never more than a split second away.
Having had the privilege of sitting with Somme veterans, listening to their vivid memories of the trenches and the contacts, and those friends who lost their lives, I can say, with great confidence, that Birdsong takes us as close as we could to being there as is possible.
It is a shame that it is not possible to award six stars to any book reviewed on Amazon, for Birdsong would surely deserve such an award. This one definitely makes it into my lifetime favourite five.
I would have no hesitation in recommending Birdsong to absolutely anyone, but most especially to any politician who is thinking about sending young people to their deaths in war.
Footnote: I was surprised that "The Magic Mountain" by Thomas Mann featured in Sebastian Faulks's top one hundred books. It sits right at the opposite end of the gripping to boring spectrum of reading to this magnificent work: Birdsong.
