THE BEST

[David Filsell]

You may, I hope, may disagree with my my opinion that very few fictional works about the Great War written after the Second World War match the quality and informed writing by who served between 1918 - 1939,

The most outstanding of the works written about the Great War written and published after 1945 is again in my opinion, by a long way, is Covenant with Death which I have just reread. The Ice Cream War is is also worthwhile as is the first volume of Pat Barkers  first trilogy. The second and third dissapointed me greatly and long after selling them I just bought a copy of the three works to re-evaluate my opinions

i would greatly welcome any nominations of those novels about the Great War published post 1945 that forumista  regard as being worth of high praise.  Hopefully the contributions will make a fine and informative  final list (and health debate).

Regards

David 

[squirrel]

Field Service Robert Edric. 

Edited 20 August , 2021 by squirrel

[Dust Jacket Collector]

A few spring to mind. Susan Hill’s ‘Strange Meeting’ & Jennifer Johnston’s ‘How Many Miles to Babylon’ &, despite many views to the contrary, I quite enjoyed ‘Birdsong’. But I agree none of them can hold a candle to the originals. After all why read a pastiche when you can have the thoughts of someone who was there.

[David Filsell]

Thank  you for the suggestions. I must admit Bird Song did little for me - particularly the smutty bits WWhich  added little to achieving a deep feeling aboutb the of the Great War. But please keep expressing your opinions please.

regards David

 

 

 

 

[Knotty]

How about “The Cartographer of No-Mans Land” by PS Duffy, and (in my opinion) a controversial story “The Absolutist”  by  John Boyne.

John

[David Filsell]

Knotty,

Thank you. It is not a book I know. I will try to find a copy.

regards

david

[Knotty]

Just remembered the John Masters trilogy, “Loss of Eden” although it’s many years ago I read them.

[Michelle Young]

It's years since I read the John Masters trilogy, but if I recall, plenty of smutty stuff in there too. Paedophilia, homosexuality, drug addiction, abortion. 

[David Filsell]

Knottie and Michelle.

Trust you are well. Thank you, I had forgotten all about Master's trilogy. I read it years ago - long before my fascination with the Great War started. I will look it up. I have found an apparently sound copy of No Man's Land. Looking forward to reading it. Thank you both. 

Keep the suggestions coming please.

regards

David

Edited 21 August , 2021 by David Filsell

[seaJane]

There are two children's books with the Great War as a theme which I can bear to re-read. One is Mary Rayner's 'The Echoing Green' and one is James Riordan's 'When the Guns Fall Silent' although I had a couple of small reservations. (He also wrote one called 'War Song' which I can't recommend as it is a thinly-disguised rip-off of real life).

 

 

Edited 21 August , 2021 by seaJane

[MikeyH]

I agree with your choice of 'Covenent with Death'.  An excellent and often overlooked title is 'Three Day Road', by Joseph Boyden.  This is a fictional account of two members of the Cree Nation, who serve as snipers in the Canadian Expeditionary Force.  It is actually set in 1919, with flashbacks to the conflict in France and Belgium.

Inspired by WW1 sniper Francis Pegahmagabow, it is a dark and disturbing read.  

Mike.

Edited 22 August , 2021 by MikeyH

[David Filsell]

Sea-Jane and Mikey H

Thank you both.

Children's  literature is outside my personal remit thus I will reign in my intense dislike of M Murpugo's. boy gets horse, boy looses horse, boy gets horse tail. I read the book, was gifted with tickets for the stage version, enjoyed the puppets and staggered to find that the German Army on the Western Front had black officers!

I will look out Three Day Trail.

Does the relatively limited response indicate a lack of great interest in more modern fiction about the Great War I wonder?

Regards

David

Edited 22 August , 2021 by David Filsell

[kenf48]

3 hours ago, David Filsell said:

 

Does the relatively limited response indicate a lack of great interest in more modern fiction about the Great War I wonder?

Cliched, myth perpetuating and  generic I doubt 'WW1 fiction' as a genre is of interest to any who study the war and are interested in analysis and scholarship.

  My pet hate, are 'newly discovered memoirs' like the execrable 'Somme Mud', edited in the 21st century and are fictions dressed up as fact.

I quite enjoyed Robert Goddard's trilogy on the 1919 Peace Conference, not so much his 'In Pale Battalions' which I read many years ago but he is an author I seek out as I enjoy his 'flashback' thrillers.  TBH if I want light reading I prefer thrillers and crime novels than GW fiction and I didn't read the series as Great War novels.

Now if you want a list of 'the worst' that would be very easy to compile Ben Elton's 'The First Casualty' would be near the top of my list - you can almost check every myth perpetuated in popular culture - on the other hand his 'Time and Time Again' has a more intriguing premise and imo is a much more inventive thriller.

[seaJane]

6 hours ago, David Filsell said:

intense dislike

You aren't the only one. I purposely didn't mention him as I find his writing manipulative. His early work is not so bad, but success has made him formulaic.

The acting diversity in the stage show I didn't mind; good acting transfers the intent of the dramatist to the understanding of the watcher via the character rather than the actor.

[squirrel]

Field Service by Robert Edric that I mentioned earlier is a novel telling the fictional story of the building of the cemeteries at Morlancourt. The main character is the RE Officer in charge of the project, his relationship with his CO, the French railway people, his men and a British nurse who has arrived for the burial of nurses in one of the cemeteries. IMHO well researched and written, even down to the changes in the plan for building one of the cemeteries as one corner flooded regularly. This is mentioned in the CWGC information for the actual cemetery. Worth a read I reckon.

[ilkley remembers]

Detective story, steam trains and the Western Front: Andrew Martins The Somme Stations ticks a lot of boxes. Its also a rather good read.

'A Long Long Way' by Sebastian Barry follows the trials and tribulations of Dublin Fusilier, Willie Dunne

Another Irish writter John Boyne set his book 'The Absolutionist' in the trenches of Flanders

Susan Hills 'Strange Meeting' was an enjoyable read.

I have a soft spot for Morpurgos Private Peaceful which was a bed time story for the kids when they were little

 

[Michelle Young]

I think there's is more dross than good. I will single out as good A Month In The Country by J L Carr not written about the Great War, but about two veterans. Also the novels which deal with the War period from A Chronicle of Ancient Sunlight by Henry Williamson. Covenant with Death remains an absolute favourite, and I like Susan Hills Strange Meeting as well. 

To save you reading them, these are the saccharine novels my late mother favoured, with a Great War connection, viz

Liam's story by Ann Victoria Roberts, The Passing Bells by Philip Rock, The Flowers Of The Field by Sarah Harrison and At The Going Down Of The Sun by Elizabeth Darrell. 

Other modern works I have tried but failed to read are My Dear, I Wanted To Tell You by Louisa Young , The Crimsom Portrait by Jodie Sheilds and  Nineteen Twenty-One by Adam Thorpe.

[MikeyH]

I have a hardback copy of 'The Flowers of the Field' somewhere, also 'The Passing Bells'.

Think they are both BCA editions, have never got around to reading them, someday, maybe .....

I did enjoy 'A Long Long Way by Sebastian Barry, I have read most of his books.

Mike.

Edited 23 August , 2021 by MikeyH

[Knotty]

Going back I need someone to help me out here, there was a book about a Canadian at Vimy? and it was called something like “I’m the one in the middle/centre? And if I remember correctly there was a second book wether it was a sequel or prequel…who knows, but I do recall the author was an ex WW2 RAF pilot.

[Paul bardell]

Knotty

 

I think you mean 'That's Me in the Middle' by Donald Jack.

 

The 1st in the series is 'Three Cheers For Me', followed by the above book, Vol 3 is 'It's Me Again'

 

There are several volumes in the series, the first three are set during the war the rest in the 20's/30's and 40's.

 

I read all three years ago, and remember them for their good flying descriptions.

 

B R

 

[Knotty]

Hi Paul

Thanks for that, had a online search and they were reprinted a few years back and available on that well known site, under the title of The Bandy Papers series. I think I will need a trip to the library to see if they are still available or maybe invest in a Kindle version.

John

[David Filsell]

My first post followed re- reading Covenant with Death. Thank you all for your interest in this topic and for the leads. Some of the nominations are books of which I was unaware. I will try to find time to compile a final list.

Regards David

 

[seaJane]

On 23/08/2021 at 09:57, ilkley remembers said:

soft spot for Morpurgos Private Peaceful

That was the first one that really turned me off him. Really didn't like the reader manipulation.

[MaureenE]

On 26/08/2021 at 00:02, Paul bardell said:

 

I think you mean 'That's Me in the Middle' by Donald Jack.

 

The 1st in the series is 'Three Cheers For Me', followed by the above book, Vol 3 is 'It's Me Again'

 

There are several volumes in the series, the first three are set during the war the rest in the 20's/30's and 40's.

 

I read all three years ago, and remember them for their good flying descriptions.

 

Volume 3 is available online, and possibly Volume 1, in the Archive.org Books to Borrow/Lending Library scheme, where only one person at a time is able to read the book.

It’s Me Again: The Journals of Bartholomew Bandy Volume Three by Donald Jack 1975.

 

Three Cheers for Me: The Journals of Bartholomew Bandy Volume One by Donald Jack. Revised edition 1973, original version 1962

At the time of writing it says Borrow unavailable, but I don't know whether that is the permanent situation, or whether someone else currently has borrowed the book, and it will be available when it is returned.

Maureen

[ilkley remembers]

On 29/08/2021 at 01:25, seaJane said:

That was the first one that really turned me off him. Really didn't like the reader manipulation.

 I’ve heard him speak on a couple of occasions at the Ilkley Literature Festival and  his argument, as far as ‘Peaceful’ is concerned, is that young boys/men were subject to significant overt manipulation encouraging them to enlist in 1914 and this is what he is attempting to highlight.

 

I suppose, for example, pre-war writers like Henty, Beresford and Westerman, amongst many others, presented a sanitized and romantic view of war and helped foster negative and fearful views of Germany. Unsurprisingly, some of these novelists later worked for Charles Masterman at the War Propaganda Bureau.

 

A subject for discussion on a separate thread perhaps.