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'Unsentimental, truthful and wonderful' Beryl Bainbridge, Independent Books of the Year
When Sam Richardson returns in 1946 from the 'Forgotten War' in Burma to Wigton in Cumbria, he finds the town little changed. But the war has changed him, broadening his horizons as well as leaving him with traumatic memories. In addition, his six-year-old son now barely remembers him, and his wife has gained a sense of independence from her wartime jobs. As all three strive to adjust, the bonds of loyalty and love are stretched to breaking point in this taut, and profoundly moving novel.
'An outstandingly good novel...utterly credible, utterly compelling, and very enjoyable' Allan Massie, Scotsman
'Deeply felt, beautifully realised' John Sutherland, Sunday Times
'The first Great War came alive in Faulks's Birdsong; the second Great War, and in particular the Burma campaign, comes very much alive in Melvyn Bragg's The Soldier's Return - wholly absorbing' John Bayley, Evening Standard
'Sympathetic, touching, infinitely believable...This is a highly accomplished novel' D.J. Taylor, Literary Review
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Review:
The end of World War Two has to be one of Britain's most dewy-eyed, rose-tinted memories. Yearned for years in advance--Dame Vera Lynn built an entire career on such yearning--it spelled the end of the anguishing waiting, the terrible deprivations overseas and Johnny asleep in his own little bed again. It takes a good novel to make new all the hackneyed emotion of the moment, and a great one to reveal, without sensationalising, the doubts behind the smiles. In that case, this may be a great novel.
Review:
By the time corporal Sam Richardson returns from Burma to his Cumbrian hometown of Wigton, the bunting's long gone, and Sam, like everybody else, wants to get back to normal. But his plans to return to family life with Ellen and six- year-old son Joe don't run smooth. The war has taken away his old job, while Ellen holds down two; Joe's been raised with other men as father-figures; and Sam struggles to repress what he's witnessed out east. In The Soldier's Return Bragg explores the most unsettling of experiences: returning to a normality that's no longer normal. In Sam, with his undemonstrative reserve and irrational suspicions, he creates a man who cannot heal the mental scars of active service. While Bragg affectingly evokes Cumbria in the 40s, with a sure-footed sense of that time and place's idiom, this is no exercise in nostalgia, but a book whose concerns--how to deal with the happy ending of war--are only too resonant today. --Alan Stewart
Unsentimental, truthful and wonderful (Beryl Bainbridge, Sunday Times Books of the Year)
Outstandingly good . . . utterly credible, utterly compelling, and very enjoyable (Allan Massie, Scotsman)
Sympathetic, touching, infinitely believable . . . a highly accomplished novel (D.J. Taylor, Literary Review)
The first Great War came alive in Faulks's Birdsong; the second Great War, and in particular the Burma campaign, comes very much alive in Melvyn Bragg's THE SOLDIER'S RETURN . . . wholly absorbing (John Bayley, Evening Standard)
Deeply felt, beautifully realised (John Bayley, Evening Standard)
Outstandingly good . . . utterly credible, utterly compelling, and very enjoyable (Allan Massie, Scotsman)
Sympathetic, touching, infinitely believable . . . a highly accomplished novel (D.J. Taylor, Literary Review)
The first Great War came alive in Faulks's Birdsong; the second Great War, and in particular the Burma campaign, comes very much alive in Melvyn Bragg's THE SOLDIER'S RETURN . . . wholly absorbing (John Bayley, Evening Standard)
Deeply felt, beautifully realised (John Bayley, Evening Standard)
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherSceptre
- Publication date2000
- ISBN 10 0340751010
- ISBN 13 9780340751015
- BindingPaperback
- Edition number2
- Number of pages384
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Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. Unsentimental, truthful and wonderful Beryl Bainbridge, Independent Books of the Year When Sam Richardson returns in 1946 from the Forgotten War in Burma to Wigton in Cumbria, he finds the town little changed. But the war has changed him, broadening his horizons as well as leaving him with traumatic memories. In addition, his six-year-old son now barely remembers him, and his wife has gained a sense of independence from her wartime jobs. As all three strive to adjust, the bonds of loyalty and love are stretched to breaking point in this taut, and profoundly moving novel. An outstandingly good novel.utterly credible, utterly compelling, and very enjoyable Allan Massie, Scotsman Deeply felt, beautifully realised John Sutherland, Sunday Times The first Great War came alive in Faulks s Birdsong; the second Great War, and in particular the Burma campaign, comes very much alive in Melvyn Bragg s The Soldier s Return wholly absorbing John Bayley, Evening Standard Sympathetic, touching, infinitely believable.This is a highly accomplished novel D.J. Taylor, Literary Review The first novel in 'one of the most distinguished literary series of recent times' (Sunday Telegraph) Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780340751015
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