Private Peaceful: A Play for an Ensemble

by Simon Reade

Private Peaceful relives the life of Private Tommo Peaceful, a young First World War soldier awaiting the firing squad at dawn. During the night, he looks back at his short but joyful past growing up in rural his exciting first days at school; the accident in the forest that killed his father; his adventures with Molly, the love of his life; and the battles and injustices of war that brought him to the front line.

Genres: War

202 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 26, 2015

Reviews

[Issy Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much like the novel, Private Peaceful is a touching and emotional read. Aside from this adaption there is a play version for one actor which could also be very effective. I would recommend this play for KS2 years especially when learning about the after-effects of WW1. Private Peaceful is also a brilliant play for exploring symbolism and the meaning behind some of the more subtle themes. Naturally, the story is arguably quite dark and not entirely suitable for younger readers, however the themes wouldn't stretch beyond the understanding of year 3-4 in my opinion. If I were using this play to start a series of English lessons, I would like to have my class cast themselves as different parts and really get into the drama aspect. As a class, it would be useful to analyse a particular scene and discuss the greater themes, e.g. war and loss, and take the time to unpack details of the narrative.

[Holly Winter · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a really gripping book which had my attention start to finish.
Each character has a specific characteristic about them which makes them all so unique to the book.
Tommo and Charlie’s brotherly bond is so moving and especially at the end of the book their bond is stronger than ever which gives a warm sense to the book (even though this part of the book is sad). I like the fact that the song Oranges and Lemons is explored through the book as I can relate my personal primary experiences to the song, singing it in the playground just like big Joe sings it to himself all the time.
The introduction of Molly in the book causes conflict and struggle between the brothers, however it doesn’t get in the way of their relationship as demonstrated later on.
I could only use this book with older children in primary school (year 5 and 6) as you get children may not understand what the book is about and some of the themes explored may not be acceptable to explore with the younger children.

[Caitlin Riordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I have read the main story of Private Peaceful before, it was quite interesting to see it in a play format as this could be explored in a literacy lesson about the different formats that a story can be put in. I always enjoy this story a lot as it makes the reader feel like they are there with the main characters, Tommo, Charlie and Big Joe. The back of this book also has some interesting lesson ideas such as diary entries and drama lessons which are very adaptable to different year groups.

[David Cluett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Private Peaceful is a fantastic piece of writing about a concept told a thousand times over. The war story is one that has been played to death but in this story, something bigger is captured. The story manages to capture some of its most emotional moments in the times before the boys go off to war. The first half of the story revolves around Tommo wanting to be everything his brother is and have everything he has, including Molly. This story arc introduces one of the most key fundamental concepts in engaging writing and that is that it does not have to explicitly point out essential plot points. This story is a fantastic example of showing not telling, having confidence in its audience to identify the deeper picture. You can really resonate with the feeling of isolation that Tommo experiences yet you are conflicted on whether you can blame Charlie for simply wanting to live his own life away from his brother and when Charlie and Molly marry that is when you can really see Tommo's character change. Before the war even begins Tommo is going into it carrying the loss and guilt of his father's death, the experience of losing Big Joe, seeing the girl he loves be taken by his own brother and being forced to work for a cruel and unforgiving man in the Colonel.

Once the second half of the story begins, it is almost as if you are experiencing an entirely different tale. An easy mistake to have made would have been to drop the prior events because they have gone off to war, but there are constant reminders of the boys life back home happening without them. It excellently captures the conflict Tommo is feeling as at one point he despised his brother for taking his love but out in the war, he's all he has and by the end of the story its almost like a dreadful flashback to the beginning of the story where Tommo's father dies as a result of trying to save him. Unlike a simple story pattern, Private Peaceful exemplifies a realistic portrayal of life by not having a beginning, a conflict, a resolution and an end. There are terrible tragedies and joyful moments and the balance met between them results in an accurate portrayal of how life is not just a progression from beginning to end. The events that take place shape the characters and provide an outlook on who individual readers/viewers finding who to root for difficult and how every person isn't just good or evil, they are complicated.

The book can be argued to be Cliché at times but ultimately you can barely notice these moments as they are shrouded by fantastic character development and intriguing plot points. Private Peaceful demonstrates the complexity of human emotion and how even a war may not even be someone's darkest time.

[Laura Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this isn't my favourite piece by Morpurgo, I think that it is highly valuable for children to be able to explore and understand the personal effects of war in an accessible novel for their age. This book can allow for a great deal of book talk and exploration of literary devices for children to discuss and try to implement in their own creative writing pieces. The book can be related to various elements of the curriculum, particularly History and Arts which can help support developing children's understanding of the book, themes within, and how it can be interpreted. This book would provide a rich and valuable scheme of work in school.

[Merri Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this adaptation of Micheal Morpurgo's Private Peaceful. The book introduces many deep themes and these can be explored more through the use of drama. I think this adaptation gives younger children more access to the book and the messages it provides. I will definitely try to incorporate this into my teaching practice as I enjoy drama myself and believe children can become fully immersed with characters and their feelings.

[Cecily Tordoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great adaptation of a powerfully emotional story. As I have already read Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo, this was a very interesting read on how this can be interpreted and adapted into a play and into lessons. The information on how Private Peaceful can be incorporated into the classroom and the background information on the story behind it was very useful. I would highly recommend 'Private Peaceful' in Key Stage Two, to explore some of the key themes, such as love, war and loss.

[Eliza J · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did enjoy this version of Micheal Morpurgo's Private Peaceful. I enjoy this book for use in the classroom as the use of language and the level of storytelling is definitely great for English teaching. If I was to explore this book in the classroom I would be looking into drama and getting the children involved in acting out the story itself, having them think carefully about the ideas and themes introduced in the book and the best way in which to portray this when acting.

[Ben Hagan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although Michael Morpurgo isn’t one of my favourite authors, it was great to see how Private Peaceful can be adapted into a format that gets children fully immersed and involved in the play by taking a role. It was also great to see a range of questions that can get children thinking more about the characters in the book. The book also gives a range of lesson ideas to which can be used in lessons, making it a play that can be used in multiple areas of the curriculum.

[Alana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Private Peaceful is a must read! I really enjoyed the story because it gave me an insight into the war and made me emphasis with the characters. On the other hand what I didn't like about the play was when reading Private Peaceful as a play is reading the other characters because it is more natural to have different people to read the different characters.

[Jane Scholey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning adaptation of this excellent, heart wrenching story.

[Gabby · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I really enjoyed about 'Private Peaceful' was the relationship I built with the book and it felt as if I was reading the diary entry of someone I loved. The book was extremely easy to follow due to the time allocated to each chapter, allowing a real insight into the day of Tommo and how his life significantly changes.