false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175944726m/575968.jpg 575968 7 Melvyn Bragg's <I>A Son of War</I> begins where <I>A Soldier's Return</I> ended. The previous novel--a moving account of the struggles, social and psychological, faced by a Burma veteran returning to Cumbrian hometown life with his wife and six-year-old son--picked up the WH Smith 1999 Literary Award. But whereas <I>A Soldier's Return</I> was largely Sam's story, Bragg here gives equal weight to Ellen, with her wide-eyed adoration for a long-lost brother and her high hopes of life on the new edge-of-town estate, cruelly foiled by Sam's dreams of owning a pub. But central is the "son of war", the endearing Joe, torn between being "Sam's lad" and "Ellen's boy", the fledgling boxer or the budding pianist. <p> Bragg evokes well the petty yet momentous discoveries of a young boy, equally fixated on Disney's <I>Snow White</I> and girls doing handstands. While this is very much the personal story of one family, with heavy hints of autobiography, it's also the picture of Britain emerging from the war, throwing off Glenn Miller and Bing Crosby--a new Britain of rationing, the Big Freeze and strikes, talk of nuclear war, socialism, Joe Louis versus Jersey Joe Walcott. Once again, Bragg has succeeded in conjuring an epoch of unprecedented change, and capturing both its joys and its miseries: a worthy successor to <I>The Soldier's Return</I> -- <I>Alan Stewart</I> 2865281 2001 A Son of War: A Novel total:13|5:1|4:6|3:5|2:1| 13 46 18 1 4 0 false false Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2003 Tue Jun 03 08:56:43 -0700 2008 Tue Jun 03 08:57:18 -0700 2008 ]]> 4 0 false false Wed Oct 07 18:48:50 -0700 2009 Sun Sep 13 18:30:43 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 07 18:48:50 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Tue Aug 18 13:49:24 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 18 13:49:24 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Fri Jun 05 14:40:14 -0700 2009 Fri Jun 05 14:40:14 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Wed May 20 04:36:52 -0700 2009 Wed May 20 04:36:52 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Sun May 17 05:19:15 -0700 2009 Sun May 17 05:19:15 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sun Apr 05 15:05:10 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 05 15:05:10 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Sun Mar 29 00:19:38 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 29 00:19:38 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Wed Mar 25 00:50:42 -0700 2009 Wed Mar 25 00:50:42 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Wed Mar 11 12:10:53 -0700 2009 Wed Mar 11 12:10:53 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Wed Mar 11 04:10:19 -0700 2009 Wed Mar 11 04:10:19 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Thu Feb 26 21:52:37 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 26 21:52:37 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Thu Jan 22 08:56:02 -0800 2009 Thu Jan 22 08:56:02 -0800 2009 3 0 false false Sat Dec 27 16:57:26 -0800 2008 Sat Dec 27 16:57:26 -0800 2008 0 0 false false Sun Apr 20 18:38:06 -0700 2008 Sun Apr 20 18:38:17 -0700 2008 0 0 true true Sun Feb 17 04:02:19 -0800 2008 Sun Feb 17 04:02:28 -0800 2008 5 0 false false Fri Oct 19 21:02:00 -0700 2007 Fri Oct 19 21:02:00 -0700 2007 2 0 false false Mon Oct 01 15:14:06 -0700 2007 Mon Oct 01 15:14:06 -0700 2007 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=575968