Birdsong in Around the World in 80 Books

Jan 22, 2012 Judy rated it liked it · review of another edition

I found this novel rather patchy, but very readable. To my mind, the best part is the opening section, a slow-building tale of a young Englishman, Stephen, working at a textile factory in France before the First World War, who falls in love with the slightly older wife of his boss. I found all the characters in this part convincing and was pulled in by the love story, though I found the sex scenes somewhat overwritten and also there are a few patches of purplish prose, especially descriptions of ...more

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May 11, 2011 Juliane rated it liked it

Shelves: genre-drama-tragic, 2014-books-i-read, books-standalone

This books was disappointing. I expected something similar to "Atonement" but it wasn't at all. Until the end I could not connect to the main character Stephen or even feel any sympathy. Of course, the story shows a clear picture of the World War I and probably because of this is became a "modern classic". But honestly, without suffering with the protagonist you cannot feel the story. It is depressing. Melancholic. Cheerless. But the tragedy was missing. I didn't like Isabelle, the love interest ...more

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Jan 04, 2020 Diane rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: locale-europe, historical-fiction, era-ww1, pop-sugar-challenge-2020

" I have tried to resist the slide into this unreal world, but I lack the strength. I am tired. I am tired in my soul.
Many times I have lain down and I have longed for death . I feel unworthy. I feel guilty because I have survived. Death will not come and I cam cast adrift in a perpetual present.
I do not know what I have done to live in this existence. I do not know what any of us did to tilt the world into this unnatural orbit. We came here only for a few months.
No child or future generations ...more

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