Books set during wartime

[Oblomov]

I find that some of the most interesting stories that I have read have been set during wartime, notably World War II. I do not simply mean for the action side of things, but for interactions among the people involved - both military and civilian. It might be because desperate situations often tend to bring out the best...and worst from people.

 

Here is a small list of some of the best wartime stories that I have read so far. If any of you are interested in those times, I would recommend these.

 

1. The Night of the Generals by H H Kirst

2. The Magic Army by Leslie Thomas

3. The Bormann Brief by Clive Eagleton

4. The Wooden Wolf by John Kelly

5. KG 200 by John Gilman

6. Hammerstrike by Walter Winward

[Freewheeling Andy]

I think it's true that War-time makes for great literature - the way people are thrown together is part of it, as is the extreme nature of the environment which forces people to behave at the limits of their natural behaviour. It this, too, which allows writers to push the envelopes of characters' experiences and examine how people react to extreme conditions.

 

I think I'm probably a little biased right now given that I've just finished War and Peace and All Quiet on the Western Front, both fantastic books. And many of my other favourite books, like Catch-22 and so on are also set during war.

[Kell]

I heartily recommend The Secret Purposes by David Baddiel - it's incredibly poignant and extremely well written.

 

Also, for an unusual, slightly alternative history of WWII, try The Separation by Christopher Priest.

[Purple Poppy]

Our very own Sam Grosser has written a lovely book set in WW11. See here for info.

Pp

[Weave]

'The Book Thief' by Markus Zusaf (I hope I spelled that correctly).

 

'48' by James Herbert, it is set after WWII, but it is really good, a very different spin on the outcome of the war.

 

[Icecream]

Lyn Andrews' My Sister's Child is set before, and then during WW1 and deals with real life families.

 

For a look at civilian life during wartime Charles Frazier's Cold Mountain is great.

[Oblomov]

quote=Freewheeling Andy;85941 I think it's true that War-time makes for great literature - the way people are thrown together is part of it, as is the extreme nature of the environment which forces people to behave at the limits of their natural behaviour. It this, too, which allows writers to push the envelopes of characters' experiences and examine how people react to extreme conditions.

You're right. The Magic Army by Leslie Thomas is a brilliant example to illustrate this. It is set in England during the first few months of 1944 when those "overpaid, oversexed and over-here" Americans were really 'here' in the period leading upto the Normandy Invasion. Unmissable.

 

I think I'm probably a little biased right now given that I've just finished War and Peace and All Quiet on the Western Front, both fantastic books. And many of my other favourite books, like Catch-22 and so on are also set during war.

Catch-22 is a great read, but too much of a satire to be compared with other wartime books. The problem with War and Peace, All Quiet on the Western Front and books of that genre is that while they are undoubted classics, they are perhaps a bit too much so. I find it hard to identify myself in an "if I was there" sort of way (something necessary to really appreciate wartime stories, IMO) with such lofty tales, while still being able to appreciate their literary merit.

[Freewheeling Andy]

Catch-22 is a great read, but too much of a satire to be compared with other wartime books. The problem with War and Peace, All Quiet on the Western Front and books of that genre is that while they are undoubted classics, they are perhaps a bit too much so. I find it hard to identify myself in an "if I was there" sort of way (something necessary to really appreciate wartime stories, IMO) with such lofty tales, while still being able to appreciate their literary merit.

 

I think these comments on Catch-22 and War and Peace are fair. But I didn't feel AQOTWF as being too literary or aloof. To me it was very resonant.

[Polka Dot Rock]

I enjoy novels set during wartime that offer a different perspective to the battlefield.

 

The book I'm currently reading, Andrea Levy's Small Island, provides some read food-for-thought about the West Indian volunteers for the British Armed Forces in WWII (particularly when juxtaposed with black American GI's. I was so shocked, perhaps naively).

 

One of my favourite books, Maus: A Survivor's Tale by Art Spiegelman is set predominantly in Nazi-occupied Europe. It's quite different in both subject matter and style, but I think it's a stunning evocation of that specific part of WWII.

 

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon uses the Nazi occupation of Prague as a starting point, before exploring how WWII eventually impacted upon America, especially the Jewish community. Very moving and unusual. Again, it makes you think about the war from a different historical and cultural angle.

 

To return to the Home Front, I thought Sarah Waters' recent novel The Night Watch brilliantly fictionalised the experience of the civilians left in London during the Blitz (especially the new and changing roles for women).

My history friend specialises in studying women's lives during the two world wars, and she loved this novel. Plus she hates reading fiction, normally. So high praise indeed, lol.

 

Next week, I'm hoping to get a copy of Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut as I've wanted to read that for ages now. Fingers crossed!

[Kell]

Hitler's Canary by Sandi Toksvig, although aimed at the younger end of the young adult market, was a revelation to me. Absolutely beautiful and highly unexpected.

[JudyB]

It's on my wishlist so haven't read it - Suite Francaise

[angerball]

How about Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks? It was recommmended to me by a woman I worked with. I didn't particularly enjoy it, but given that it has gotten a lot of good reviews, I'm thinking of revisiting it.

[wrathofkublakhan]

I hope M*A*S*H won't be left out the conversation -- that book changed my life.

[Kenny_Shovel]

You might like 'The Night in Lisbon' by Erich Maria Remarque. I wrote a review here:

 

http://www.bookclubforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=2135

[Oblomov]

I hope M*A*S*H won't be left out the conversation -- that book changed my life.

 

M*A*S*H is undoubtedly a great book, but I do not classify it among genuine 'wartime' stories because to an extent it is the "wrong place and wrong war" and treats the whole thing as a satire. I prefer those set in the UK and Europe during WWII but away from the battlefield to get that 'special' atmosphere of claustrophobic tension that brought out hidden strengths & weaknesses in individuals.

[samgrosser]

I enjoy novels set during wartime that offer a different perspective to the battlefield.

 

The book I'm currently reading, Andrea Levy's Small Island, provides some read food-for-thought about the West Indian volunteers for the British Armed Forces in WWII (particularly when juxtaposed with black American GI's. I was so shocked, perhaps naively).

 

To return to the Home Front, I thought Sarah Waters' recent novel The Night Watch brilliantly fictionalised the experience of the civilians left in London during the Blitz (especially the new and changing roles for women).

 

Next week, I'm hoping to get a copy of Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut as I've wanted to read that for ages now. Fingers crossed!

 

I really liked Small Island and Night Watch too - interesting and different angles from the usual war books.

 

But I absolutely loved Slaughterhouse 5 - I think it should be essential reading for everyone for sooo many reasons.

 

Other World War II books that I'd recommend are:

 

The Soldier's Return by Melvyn Bragg,

The Chamomile Lawn by Mary Wesley

End of the Affair by Graham Greene.

Suite Francais by Irene Nemirovsky

 

I think you're all right about the attraction of books about the war - from a writer's perspective it allows you to put ordinary characters in extraordinary and sometimes extreme situations, which is simply a gift.

 

I think also that culturally, our society was completely and irrevocably altered by WWII so it's kind of imprinted on our collective unconscious as a crucial moment in our development. All the affluence and freedom we enjoy today we owe to that generation, and even if our acknowledgement of that isn't overt, I think the sustained interest in the stories of the people who lived through attests to some continuing level of recognition of the fact.

[wrathofkublakhan]

 

I think you're all right about the attraction of books about the war - from a writer's perspective it allows you to put ordinary characters in extraordinary and sometimes extreme situations, which is simply a gift.

 

I think also that culturally, our society was completely and irrevocably altered by WWII so it's kind of imprinted on our collective unconscious as a crucial moment in our development. All the affluence and freedom we enjoy today we owe to that generation, and even if our acknowledgment of that isn't overt, I think the sustained interest in the stories of the people who lived through attests to some continuing level of recognition of the fact.

 

Gadzooks, samgrosser!

Well written!

[JudyB]

I'm always in awe of people who lived through the war mainly because their experiences are so far removed from our own relatively comfortable existance. Can you imagine living in occupied France, or waking up to hear the air raid sirens, or being evacuated? Maybe we like to read about the war as a way of learning and being able to understand those experiences.

 

I'm fascinated by the stories my older people tell about their own experiences - many met their husbands because of the war, or are living where they are because of it.

[Oblomov]

You might like 'The Night in Lisbon' by Erich Maria Remarque. I wrote a review here:

 

http://www.bookclubforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=2135

 

This really sounds interesting. I wonder if it the basis of a movie (the title of which I cannot recall) in which 3 people - a surgeon, his wife and a wounded fugitive are escaping from the Nazis across Europe. There is just a hint of attraction between the woman and the wounded man during the course of their flight, but the latter develops complications without the right treatment and dies in the end. I know that the film was based on a popular book, but I am not sure if "The Night in Lisbon" was it.

[samgrosser]

I'm always in awe of people who lived through the war mainly because their experiences are so far removed from our own relatively comfortable existance. Can you imagine living in occupied France, or waking up to hear the air raid sirens, or being evacuated? Maybe we like to read about the war as a way of learning and being able to understand those experiences.

 

 

Absolutely.

 

And I just thought of another great book about the period - Fair Stood the Wind for France by H.E. Bates

[Lilywhite]

I enjoy novels set during wartime that offer a different perspective to the battlefield.

 

The book I'm currently reading, Andrea Levy's Small Island, provides some read food-for-thought about the West Indian volunteers for the British Armed Forces in WWII (particularly when juxtaposed with black American GI's. I was so shocked, perhaps naively).

 

To return to the Home Front, I thought Sarah Waters' recent novel The Night Watch brilliantly fictionalised the experience of the civilians left in London during the Blitz (especially the new and changing roles for women).

 

Agreeing with PDR here, two great books, both with differing views of the same period. I have read others, but memory is failing at the moment. I think there may be a Lesley Pearse one in there but I'm not sure...

[wrathofkublakhan]

I'm a-guessing Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden would fit into this thread.

[Polka Dot Rock]

I'm a-guessing Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden would fit into this thread.

 

I guess it would: it's amazing how many books use war as a contextual backdrop!

 

Atonement by Ian McEwan would also qualify as a 'war time' novel. (Ooh, the hospital scenes - blimey!)

 

And not forgetting non-European wars: next week, I'm intending to read Half of a Yellow Sun which is set during the Biafra war in Nigeria.

[Weave]

This is also a YA book but a really good one, I lost count how many times I took this out from our local library growing up, 'When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit' by Judith Kerr.

[JudyB]

Just thought of Empire of the Sun by J G Ballard.