Grapes of Wrath

by Boyd Cable

A fictional account of the Somme battle.

144 pages, Paperback

Published February 17, 2015

About the author

Ernest Andrew Ewart (1878-1943) was an Australian author who wrote under the pseudonym Boyd Cable.

Reviews

[Cliff M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boyd Cable does a great job in relating the horror, humour and heartbreak of life (and death) at the front line of the First World War. Cable fought in WWI, including the battle of the Somme on which this book is based. His authenticity comes through strongly, eg in the way he uses the various accents of his fellow soldiers on the front line. Anyone who has served in the military will know this tendency.

Rather amusingly, this book has had a resurgence of interest since people started accusing Cable (real name Ernest Ewart, and who died in 1943) of planning to rip them off by copying the title from John Steinbeck (whose own Grapes of Wrath was published 22 years after Ewart’s work!). That is why you will see quite a few one star reviews for what is a rather excellent (and genuine) work. Perhaps the real winner from the confusion is slavery abolitionist Julia Ward Howe who penned the lines “Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord / He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored” in her 1862 The Battle Hymn of the Republic. Thanks to Amazon, many more people now know wrote the hymn!

[Abhishek Gour · Rating 3 out of 5]

A vicarious view of the vagaries of war and the nonsensical, forced and obfuscating experiences of a soldier on the field. I respect the army and the men who lay down their lives to protect a cause or a border, but I can't comprehend how a man throws himself in front of a thousand roaring guns, fully knowing that his chances of survival are next to nothing. How can emotions overpower common sense to such an extreme that a man forgets about all the good things in life, all of the infinite possibilities and just jumps in the pit in the name of duty. And after all, how many of us even spare a thought to think about him and the sacrifice that he has bestowed on us. Hell, how many of us even know what it means to be on the field, survive in inhumane conditions, with the constant fear of an enemy attack, the constant shivering in the cold makeshift tents,the hunger juxtaposed with chronic stomach aches, the sleepless nights in shockingly unhygienic conditions. Just makes one wonder if it's really worth it?

[Cathy Couch · Rating 3 out of 5]

I ordered this book by mistake. Obviously, meant the Steinbeck version. But I read this anyway. It illustrates the horrors of WW1, with a depiction of the battle of Sonne. The title comes from the Battle Hymn of the Republic. Well-written.

[Derrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though this is another book instead of John's, this is definitely a good story by Boyd Cable.

[Samantha · Rating 1 out of 5]

So it seems pretty clear that the author wants to trick people into reading his book by naming it after a classic but removing "the." That's fishy enough as it is. The problem is that this book is just kind of... bad? The characters speak in phonetically-written dialect ("noospaper" is apparently how uneducated people say "newspaper") and basically things explode and people get shot.

[Alan Winter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who knew the Grapes of Wrath existed before Steinbeck's classic. This story of a WWI British Infintry unit's experiences in the trenches gives us an idea of what it was like. I will be using this in my WWI unit lesson plan.

[Caseyfast · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing few days of life and death in the trenches of WWI. A gruesome portrait of the horrors and stupidity of war.

[Kateryna Kryvoviaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not a fan of military stories, but this book is definately worth reading. The author tells us a story of three friend going through the horrors of war together with a drop of optimism. I admit that their good humor makes circumstances more bearable. You can feel the dread and fear while travelling with them.

I couldn't find much about this book nor its author, but I can feel how passionate he describes the battles and fights.

I really recommend this book for being short, interesting and tragical.

[Lynda Abernathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I also found myself struggling to get through this novel at certain parts. The detail in which he describes the scenes of war is a double-edged sword, as it is compelling and integral to the story but also goes on too long in some places, to the point where you glaze over because of the minutia. It takes a while to discern the different characters (truth be told, I never totally did). Still a good read, overall.