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Howard's Reviews > Three Day Road
Three Day Road
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Howard's review
bookshelves: canada, coming-of-age, family, favorites, fiction, war, world-war-l, reviewed
Jan 20, 2015
bookshelves: canada, coming-of-age, family, favorites, fiction, war, world-war-l, reviewed
The gold standard for novels about combat in World War I has always been All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque, first published in 1929. I first read it many years ago and have since re-read it a couple of times.
There are a number of fabulous goodreads reviews of this classic novel, reviews by Ted, Kemper, Larry Bassett, and Diane Barnes. If you haven't read the book, you should read these reviews and then you may want to.
But I also wish to express my gratitude to several goodreads friends, who, through their outstanding reviews, led me to two WWI novels of which I was not aware.
Fear: A Novel of World War I by Gabriel Chevalier was originally published in 1930. It was the fascinating reviews of Mike and Sue that led me to a book that I was not aware of, but should have been. It deserves to have the kind of recognition and praise that is accorded All Quiet on the Western Front. It is that good.
And so is Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden, published in 2005. Thanks to the great (I'm running out of superlatives) reviews of this book by Michael and Tony. I might not have found it otherwise.
The interesting thing for me about the three books is that the authors are writing from three perspectives in that the first is German, the second is French, and the third is Canadian. And yet, the stories they tell about young men from three different nations fighting in the trenches in France are almost interchangeable.
The leadership, civilian and military, might have differed in the three countries, but the soldiers who did the fighting were much more alike than they differed.
There is a moral there.
There are a number of fabulous goodreads reviews of this classic novel, reviews by Ted, Kemper, Larry Bassett, and Diane Barnes. If you haven't read the book, you should read these reviews and then you may want to.
But I also wish to express my gratitude to several goodreads friends, who, through their outstanding reviews, led me to two WWI novels of which I was not aware.
Fear: A Novel of World War I by Gabriel Chevalier was originally published in 1930. It was the fascinating reviews of Mike and Sue that led me to a book that I was not aware of, but should have been. It deserves to have the kind of recognition and praise that is accorded All Quiet on the Western Front. It is that good.
And so is Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden, published in 2005. Thanks to the great (I'm running out of superlatives) reviews of this book by Michael and Tony. I might not have found it otherwise.
The interesting thing for me about the three books is that the authors are writing from three perspectives in that the first is German, the second is French, and the third is Canadian. And yet, the stories they tell about young men from three different nations fighting in the trenches in France are almost interchangeable.
The leadership, civilian and military, might have differed in the three countries, but the soldiers who did the fighting were much more alike than they differed.
There is a moral there.
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Reading Progress
January 20, 2015
–
Started Reading
January 20, 2015
– Shelved
January 23, 2015
– Shelved as:
canada
January 23, 2015
– Shelved as:
coming-of-age
January 23, 2015
– Shelved as:
family
January 23, 2015
– Shelved as:
favorites
January 23, 2015
– Shelved as:
fiction
January 23, 2015
– Shelved as:
war
January 23, 2015
– Shelved as:
world-war-l
January 23, 2015
–
Finished Reading
January 24, 2015
– Shelved as:
reviewed
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Teresa
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Jan 24, 2015 08:58PM
I haven't read any of the books you reference yet, though the Remarque is on my mental 'read very soon' list, thanks to Ted's review. Now, thanks to your review, Howard, I'm wondering if Sebastian Barry's A Long Long Way, an Irish perspective, might fit into your 'interchangeable' category ...
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Love this review and this has pulled me into the list of people who now want to read this one too !
Teresa - I added A Long Long Way to my list too! I love the Irish !
Teresa wrote: "I haven't read any of the books you reference yet, though the Remarque is on my mental 'read very soon' list, thanks to Ted's review. Now, thanks to your review, Howard, I'm wondering if Sebastian ..."Thanks Teresa. And thanks a lot; you just caused me to add another book to my impossible TBR stack. I read the summary of the book and I think you have it right. Why not add the Irish viewpoint to that of the German, French, and Canadian.
This is just another example of a goodread's friend leading me to a good book that I didn't know about.
I also recently read "The Mud War" by Lou Cameron, which was about the Americans fighting in the trenches of France. But it doesn't come close to the standards set by the other three. I found it to be too much of a caper novel. It was a book that was on my shelf for years and years and I finally got around to reading it last year. It has long been out of print and I doubt that a copy could be located.
Dawn wrote: "Love this review and this has pulled me into the list of people who now want to read this one too !"Thanks for reading and your comments, Dawn. I too added "A Long Long Way."
Howard wrote: "And thanks a lot; you just caused me to add another book to my impossible TBR stack."You're very welcome, Howard! I mean, what are friends for if not for that.
Glad to hear it, Dawn. I hope you and Howard like it. And if y'all do, Barry's The Whereabouts of Eneas McNulty would be another to make that TBR stack totter some more.
Teresa wrote: "Howard wrote: "And thanks a lot; you just caused me to add another book to my impossible TBR stack."You're very welcome, Howard! I mean, what are friends for if not for that.
Glad to hear it, Da..."
W-e-l-l, thanks a lot, again -------
You're passing out a lot of nice grades, professor. Quite a war machine to impose a common hell to soldiers of different nations. So given some "interchangeability" in the stories due to the constraints of the trench standoff, do you recognize enough variety and divergence in the tales to gain something from reading them all? I am finding plenty of variety due to the origins and experience of the individuals portrayed. A rural Indian drawn into the war is definitely a different angle. For me to learn about his tasks of recovery had a special impact. Another recent book, "Birdsong" portrays a different slant in the form of a man whose personality seems to immunize him from much adverse impact. I'll keep reading about various wars as they bring out the best and worst in people and because I need to take broad account of being of the species responsible.
Michael wrote: "You're passing out a lot of nice grades, professor. Quite a war machine to impose a common hell to soldiers of different nations. So given some "interchangeability" in the stories due to the cons..."Thanks Michael. You always force me to clarify my thinking.
As you indicate, the "interchangeability" is primarily a result of the trench warfare and the similarity of strategy and tactics engaged in by the combatant nations. Therefore, the stories of the soldiers from the three nations must be similar, but I didn't mean to indicate that to read one of the books was to read all three. As I said, the individuals were more alike than they differed, but they did differ. The individuals, plots, and prose differ enough to hold the reader's interest. Otherwise, I would not have been able to give each book 5 stars and a "favorite" rating.
I highly recommend all three.
BTW, "Birdsong" has been on my list for a long time. I know you rated it highly. I might as well get the English perspective (after I read Teresa's recommendation of 'A Long Long Way' gives me the Irish perspective).
Howard wrote: "Thanks Michael. You always force me to clarify my thinking. ..."I need to clarify things myself to understand why I am drawn to stories of war in general and look to your wisdom from teaching history. Just last year my reading took me into six different wars. So it's not so much how reading a few good books about WW1 to feel I have "done" that war. In that vein, reading Homer could satisfy the urge to understand what war does to the soul. As with the subject of the triumphs and tragedies of love, books that involve war to me represent just an extreme context for our universal efforts to live with meaning and purpose.
Nicely put, Michael. One reason that you (and I) might be drawn to stories of war is that all good war novels are anti-war novels.
Nice review, Howard. Knowing your reading tastes a little better now, I think you would like The Orenda as much as this one, if not even more.
Thanks Doug. I have meant to read more Boyden, but have never gotten around to it. Thanks for the reminder.
Another great WW I book that I would recommend is Vera Britain's Testament of Youth.
Christine wrote: "Another great WW I book that I would recommend is Vera Britain's Testament of Youth."Thanks Christine. I will check it out.
Reading your review, Delderfield's To Serve Them All My Days came to mind
Betsy wrote: "Great insight!"Thanks, Betsy. And thanks for reading and commenting.
If you've room for one more WWI novel, Howard, consider Roger Vercel's Captain Conan. A bit obscure, but very powerful.
I do, Tony, and thanks.
One of the best books I've ever read. Great review!
Glad to see you enjoyed this book as well! It's definitely on my Favorites shelf! I still look forward to reading Boyden's follow-up books, THROUGH BLACK SPRUCE and THE ORENDA.
Debbie wrote: "Glad to see you enjoyed this book as well! It's definitely on my Favorites shelf! I still look forward to reading Boyden's follow-up books, THROUGH BLACK SPRUCE and THE ORENDA."Those two have been on my TBR list ever since I read this one, which is also on my favorites list.
Libby wrote: "I hope to read this one, Howard."I can't wait to read your review, Libby.
