Birdsong

click here for more details, find new or used items	Sebastian Faulks Pages: 407 (Paperback) ISBN: 0099289687 Pub: Vintage Pub date: 1999-05 Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 398116

Editorial Review:

Reader Reviews:

Sorry, I didn't enjoy this. (2/2 people found this helpful)

Loads of my friends recommended this book to me and I really did not like it. I found it too depressing and I didn't connect with the characters or their love story. I found the war stories very touching though and the style of writing was good but I just never really got into it. I know I'm in the minority but it just wasn't my thing.

How Much Can the Human Spirit Endure? (1/1 people found this helpful)

I read Birdsong about 14 years ago, when it was first published in paperback; it must have impressed me because it stayed on my bookshelf rather than being passed on. This second reading has reminded me why I kept it - it has to be one of the most haunting novels I've ever read, and it kept me reading well into the small hours of the morning! The early chapters deal with a love affair in which the author so clearly recreates the sense of overwhelming desire and reckless behaviour that accompanies true passion. This, however, is only the start of Stephen Wraysford's story, for we soon move on to his involvement as a young officer in the First World War and this, for me, is what makes the novel such an amazing work. Knowing that the fiction was based on real events, together with the vivid descriptions, makes the story so very moving. It's not just a chronicle of events though, Sebastian Faulks is a master of detail, which makes the readers feel they're actually there, in the mud of Flanders - there were times when I too held my breath and envisaged how the fear must have felt. The penultimate chapter was so moving, it reduced me to tears and this, for me, is unusual! Reading and remembering the words of old men from my childhood, it's hard to believe that little more than 20 years later, man embarked on a Second World War and, after both those events, it seems incredible that man has still not learned his lesson! I would urge everyone to read this novel, and if you've already done so, then read it again!

Thought-provoking and emotionally challenging (2/4 people found this helpful)

This book is the first I have read by Faulks, and I was unsure what to expect.

Faulks explores the philosophy behind war, and allows his characters to openly consider how far you can push a human being before psychological and physical breaking point. The love stories within 'Birdsong' add a third dimension to the plot. The passion shared between two of Faulks' characters in Part I of the novel is depicted exquisitely.

This novel is not for the faint hearted; it conjours up some graphic and intense war images. Some may find the time-jumping sequence of the novel hard to follow. Although emotionally challenging to read, this book has conveyed to me a personal sense of what the men who faught in World War One experienced. It has altered my views on life, death and love. At times I was unsure whether it was war or love which left certain characters more damaged. Even if the only thing you gain from reading this book is an inspiration to remember those who have fought in wars present and past, it is definitely a valuable read.

Amazing book (1/3 people found this helpful)

This is probably one of the best novels I have read.

While the majority of the novel concentrates on the life of Stephen Wraysford in France before and during the First World war, exploring his life, those he loved and his career as a Lieutenant in the British Army, the novel also focuses on the life of Stephen's granddaughter, Elizabeth, and her attempts to find out more about her grandfather's experiences.

Birdsong has an episodic structure which moves between three different periods of time before, during and after the war

I enjoyed every part of the book, so much so that my interested in the First World War increased.

Sebastian faulks has written a book that I believe captures the hard ship and turmoil that many lived through.

A fantastically descriptive read with a less than fantastic ending. (1/2 people found this helpful)

I loved this book throughout - until I reached the last few pages. I am not sure why, but Faulks' mastery at capturing a period of history is let down by his endings. I found the same occurred in Charlotte Grey, and was sad that Birdsong was no different.

Nevertheless, the book provides one of the most harrowing fictional accounts of the Great War that I have ever read. The graphic detail almost brought tears to my eyes. Faulks exposes the senseless waste of life that characterised the First World War in bitter detail, using it as a background for the development of his main character, Stephen Wrayford, who goes through more in his life than anyone deserves. You can't help but continue to read because the sense that the protagonist deserves peace for all he has experienced drives you forward.

I would definitely recommend reading this, however, take the time to linger over the descriptions throughout the book and don't place too much on the ending.

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