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War and Turpentine

Stefan Hertmans,

David McKay (Translator)

Start date: June 1, 2024

Finish date: June 30, 2024

Why we're reading this: For June we are traveling to Belgium. This is technically fiction although inspired by his grandfather's …more
[close] For June we are traveling to Belgium. This is technically fiction although inspired by his grandfather's journals and life during World War 1.

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Jul 13, 2024 Elise rated it really liked it

I chose this book for my Read the World series for Belgium and at first I was struggling with one but I'm glad I stuck it out because it turned into such an amazing read.

This book is divided into 3 parts; before the war, the war, and after the war. These are unofficial titles but the timeline is Urbain, who is Hertmans' grandfather, in three pivotal times in his life. Hertman discovers journals that his grandfather has left behind and so he tells us his story by what he has found in those journa I chose this book for my Read the World series for Belgium and at first I was struggling with one but I'm glad I stuck it out because it turned into such an amazing read.

This book is divided into 3 parts; before the war, the war, and after the war. These are unofficial titles but the timeline is Urbain, who is Hertmans' grandfather, in three pivotal times in his life. Hertman discovers journals that his grandfather has left behind and so he tells us his story by what he has found in those journal. In the story of Urbain is also the reflection of Hertmans and what he thinks about his grandfather and the information he finds as well as a lot about paintings. The title War and Turpentine reflects that this is about WWI as well as how important art was to Urbain, as he and his father were both painters. Although Urbain also used the medium of charcoal drawings.

His father's death, World War I, and the loss of his love Maria Emelia are the three main events in his life and each is the center of events of each section. If you are interested in reading about world war I than this should definitely be on your list. His descriptions of trench warfare as well as the difficulties he and his men faced is both tragic and well written. For me, the middle section was most compelling. Hertmans revisits some of the places his grandfather fought but they are so different now than they were in the early 1900's. His grandfather was Flemish and also talks about the discrimination he went through at the hands of the French speaking officers. I wasn't surprised but it also wasn't something I had heard before.

When I started this book, the talk about paintings, painters, and landscapes didn't stick for me. It was hard for me to retain information. I was also traveling so I might have just been tired but it took a good 40 pages before I really started to get into the story. I also started to lose interest with Hertmans' retrospective of the life his grandfather lived at the end but the parts about working in the iron works, the slaughterhouse, and his time during war I don't think I could ever forget.

This book is not for everyone but on the same hand it does have a little bit of something for everyone. However, if you like artwork and don't mind the tragedies of war or if you are into WWI than I think you should check it out. ...more

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Mar 15, 2017 Danita L marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: award-winners-nominees, fiction, historical-fiction, _-available-at-bpl, booker-nominees, european-literature, war-world-war-1, library-1, 100-translations-must-read, authors-belgium

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