chaliepud Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 This seems to be a subject of interest to many and I myself have read many books centred around the two wars. I'm not sure why they interest me so much, maybe it's because my grandparents lived through it and my parents were born into it. I was just wondering if reading about the wars is a British thing or if our international friends are as interested? Obviously lots of countries were involved so do people from Germany, Japan the US etc read about them too and if so from which viewpoint? Most of the books I read are from a British or US standpoint but I have read a few that are from a German point of view. Also, I would love some more recommendations of good books in this genre if anyone has any to share? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolf woolf Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 (edited) I read If This Is a Man, by Primo Levi (italian). It isn't about World War II per se, but his description of when he was imprisoned at the Auschwitz concentration camp. The conditions were horrible, and even without the gas chambers a lot of people died by the combination of subnutrition, forced labour and poor hygiene, among others. It's interesting how, in the midst of massive opression and probable death, the prisoners still made some sort of society inside the camp, reaching so far as trading with locals living outside. There were also social positions inside the camp the prisoners aspired to, in order to get a better chance of survival or to get a better quality of living. Levi also tells about horrible events he witnessed and how the people inside lost hope and broke into despair. I don't remember much about it, I read it a while ago. I'm reading Parade's End, by Ford Madox Ford (british), albeit slowly. It's a period piece about England's society before the war and after, with a part of the story occuring on the western front. It has complex characters, amazing descriptions and a subtle balanced story. So far I haven't yet reached the World War I parts, but the book has been outstanding so far. I also have here to read All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque (german), a World War I veteran. "The book describes the German soldiers' extreme physical and mental stress during the war, and the detachment from civilian life felt by many of these soldiers upon returning home from the front." Edited July 10, 2015 by Sousa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 I only read WWII non fiction Not much help! One of the reasons I am holding off on All the Light We Cannot See and The Dynamite Room. Which I think you are enjoying and did enjoy? You might be interested in Chris Bohjalian's Skeletons at the Feast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 Regeneration by Pat Barker is a great read, if I remember right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muggle not Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 (edited) I only read WWII non fiction Not much help! One of the reasons I am holding off on All the Light We Cannot See and The Dynamite Room. Which I think you are enjoying and did enjoy? You might be interested in Chris Bohjalian's Skeletons at the Feast. I will attempt to correct your post. If I recall "Unbroken" was one of your favorite books and it is a true story about WWII. For the record, I also really enjoyed the book. chaliepud, I don't recall - did you read Nightingale or is it on your TBR list. Edited July 10, 2015 by muggle not Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 I'm pretty sure I remember some previous threads on World War novels (may just have been the first, but I'm not sure). I tried a quick search earlier, but War is to short and World didn't return anything meaningful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaliepud Posted July 10, 2015 Author Share Posted July 10, 2015 I'm pretty sure I remember some previous threads on World War novels (may just have been the first, but I'm not sure). I tried a quick search earlier, but War is to short and World didn't return anything meaningful! I did have a look Raven as I was sure I'd seen something too but couldn't find anything. Thanks for the replies, I'll have a proper read tomorrow when I'm on the laptop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 I will attempt to correct your post. If I recall "Unbroken" was one of your favorite books and it is a true story about WWII. For the record, I also really enjoyed the book. chaliepud, I don't recall - did you read Nightingale or is it on your TBR list. I thought I said only non fiction I was just talking about Unbroken today... might be due for a re read (I think it would be #4!) But I am going to try some fiction, All the Light We Cannot See perhaps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 I'm pretty sure I remember some previous threads on World War novels (may just have been the first, but I'm not sure). I tried a quick search earlier, but War is to short and World didn't return anything meaningful! We have: World War I and II non-fiction Books set during wartime Looking for suggestions on first World War books But we don't have a topic discussing both WWI and WWII fiction, that I could find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 This seems to be a subject of interest to many and I myself have read many books centred around the two wars. I'm not sure why they interest me so much, maybe it's because my grandparents lived through it and my parents were born into it. I was just wondering if reading about the wars is a British thing or if our international friends are as interested? Obviously lots of countries were involved so do people from Germany, Japan the US etc read about them too and if so from which viewpoint? Most of the books I read are from a British or US standpoint but I have read a few that are from a German point of view. Also, I would love some more recommendations of good books in this genre if anyone has any to share? It's funny, as I often say I don't read war books, and then I look back and realise I've read loads! I don't know why there is still such an interest, although I guess like you, my father was born just before it, my mum just after it, and my grandfather served in the infantry in it, and when I was growing up, it still seemed like a reasonably recent historical event - I've grown up with books, films and television series set during WWII especially so it seems like the fictionalisation of it has always been with me. If you fancy a different view, you could try Irène Némirovsky's Suite Française and All Our Worldly Goods for stories about ordinary French people during the German invasion and occupation of the second world war, and William - An Englishman by Cicely Hamilton which starts of in pre-WW1 London, but moves to Belgium at the outbreak of the war - a really powerful book, in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaliepud Posted July 11, 2015 Author Share Posted July 11, 2015 I read If This Is a Man, by Primo Levi (italian). It isn't about World War II per se, but his description of when he was imprisoned at the Auschwitz concentration camp. The conditions were horrible, and even without the gas chambers a lot of people died by the combination of subnutrition, forced labour and poor hygiene, among others. It's interesting how, in the midst of massive opression and probable death, the prisoners still made some sort of society inside the camp, reaching so far as trading with locals living outside. There were also social positions inside the camp the prisoners aspired to, in order to get a better chance of survival or to get a better quality of living. Levi also tells about horrible events he witnessed and how the people inside lost hope and broke into despair. I don't remember much about it, I read it a while ago. I'm reading Parade's End, by Ford Madox Ford (british), albeit slowly. It's a period piece about England's society before the war and after, with a part of the story occuring on the western front. It has complex characters, amazing descriptions and a subtle balanced story. So far I haven't yet reached the World War I parts, but the book has been outstanding so far. I also have here to read All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque (german), a World War I veteran. "The book describes the German soldiers' extreme physical and mental stress during the war, and the detachment from civilian life felt by many of these soldiers upon returning home from the front." Thanks Sousa, I have wishlisted the first and popped Parade's End in my Amazon basket, I may buy later today! I have read All Quiet on the Western Front, I wasn't as enamoured with it as some but it was very good and very real. I only read WWII non fiction Not much help! One of the reasons I am holding off on All the Light We Cannot See and The Dynamite Room. Which I think you are enjoying and did enjoy? You might be interested in Chris Bohjalian's Skeletons at the Feast. You should meet my brother, he owns and has read 100's of WWII non fiction, all inspired from when he inherited our Grandfather's war medals, he is now a keen amateur photographer too and spends a lot of time at Duxford and other museums and air shows. I did enjoy The Dynamite Room though it wasn't very believable, despite being based on true events. I'm slowly getting into All The Light We Cannot See but it's one of those books that needs to be read in longer sessions I feel and I haevn't had many of those lately! Regeneration by Pat Barker is a great read, if I remember right. I tried that years ago and couldn't get into it.. I shall try again! I will attempt to correct your post. If I recall "Unbroken" was one of your favorite books and it is a true story about WWII. For the record, I also really enjoyed the book. chaliepud, I don't recall - did you read Nightingale or is it on your TBR list. Yes, I finished it last month, a great book from one of my favourite authors, it got a 5/5 from me! We have: World War I and II non-fiction Books set during wartime Looking for suggestions on first World War books But we don't have a topic discussing both WWI and WWII fiction, that I could find. Thanks Gaia, I will have a proper look into those later, I had a peek on my phone and I can see there are plenty of suggestions there! :) It's funny, as I often say I don't read war books, and then I look back and realise I've read loads! I don't know why there is still such an interest, although I guess like you, my father was born just before it, my mum just after it, and my grandfather served in the infantry in it, and when I was growing up, it still seemed like a reasonably recent historical event - I've grown up with books, films and television series set during WWII especially so it seems like the fictionalisation of it has always been with me. If you fancy a different view, you could try Irène Némirovsky's Suite Française and All Our Worldly Goods for stories about ordinary French people during the German invasion and occupation of the second world war, and William - An Englishman by Cicely Hamilton which starts of in pre-WW1 London, but moves to Belgium at the outbreak of the war - a really powerful book, in my opinion. I agree, there is also an excitement of sorts, not the type you would associate with a party or a celebration but one of fear and trepidation, and I am always in awe of how poeple just got on with things and how so many risked so much to resist in some small or large way. I have put all your suggestions in my Amazon basket, bit naughty really as I have bought lots of books lately, albeit many of them with an Amazon gift card, but still, I may try and resist a little longer... I may not! Thanks Claire. I will try and make time to share some of my own suggestions too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muggle not Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 Anna Begins recommended "Unbroken" to me and I thought it was a great read. It is a great book and I think you would really enjoy it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolf woolf Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 I have read All Quiet on the Western Front, I wasn't as enamoured with it as some but it was very good and very real. I'm saving it for when I next travel. If you fancy a different view, you could try Irène Némirovsky's Suite Française I want to read that one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaliepud Posted July 11, 2015 Author Share Posted July 11, 2015 Anna Begins recommended "Unbroken" to me and I thought it was a great read. It is a great book and I think you would really enjoy it. Is it fiction or non-fiction? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 Is it fiction or non-fiction? Biography. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaliepud Posted July 11, 2015 Author Share Posted July 11, 2015 Biography.Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muggle not Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 Biography. It is also one of the better books on WWII. I learned so much from the book and especially the Japanese phase of the war. Most books are about the Germans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 I learned so much from the book and especially the Japanese phase of the war. Most books are about the Germans. This is a good point. ^ What he said Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted July 12, 2015 Share Posted July 12, 2015 Regeneration by Pat Barker is a great read, if I remember right. Have you read the rest of the trilogy? Rounded it out beautifully. Just wonderful writing and story. For another fictional take, A Town Like Alice has an excellent section on something similar to the Bataan March during WWII. Suite Francaise as well as Némirovsky's other books. I've read a few others. Two authors I can recommend (for non-fiction) are Ian Kershaw and Richard J. Evans. I've only perused their books, but what I've read is excellent, and they are both highly regarded as historians. I went through a stage when I was a teenager, reading all the WWII/German Theatre books I could get ahold of. Non-fiction for the most part. There is a shelf or two in the other room, but off the top of my head there was The Arms of Krupp by William Manchester, Adolf Hitler by John Toland to begin with. We have more modern renditions on the shelf, some read, some unread as of yet. It's a fascinating topic. But sometimes I just feel as though I have had enough of reading about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted July 12, 2015 Share Posted July 12, 2015 Have you read the rest of the trilogy? Rounded it out beautifully. Just wonderful writing and story. I haven't, but I've heard great things about them. I only read Regeneration because it was on my English A-level syllabus, and I ended up being the only person in the entire class who actually enjoyed it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaliepud Posted July 12, 2015 Author Share Posted July 12, 2015 (edited) Went into Waterstones to buy Looking for Alaska by John Green for my daughter and came out with that and also Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky and Parade's End by Ford Madox Ford. Both look great! Edited July 13, 2015 by chaliepud Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 I haven't, but I've heard great things about them. I only read Regeneration because it was on my English A-level syllabus, and I ended up being the only person in the entire class who actually enjoyed it. Wow! I've had that happen too, I had great conversations with one of my Dutch teachers, about Dutch literature, whereas most people in the class didn't enjoy reading at all (unfortunately he passed away soon after I graduated . But I do treasure those memories.). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaliepud Posted July 13, 2015 Author Share Posted July 13, 2015 Wow! I've had that happen too, I had great conversations with one of my Dutch teachers, about Dutch literature, whereas most people in the class didn't enjoy reading at all (unfortunately he passed away soon after I graduated . But I do treasure those memories.). Oh that is sad, he can't have been very old if he was still teaching too. I will put Regeneration back onto my wish list, maybe I didn't get into it as it was so soon after reading Birdsong, which had totally blown me away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaliepud Posted July 13, 2015 Author Share Posted July 13, 2015 These were the best of my WWI/WWII reads, all 5* books in my lowly opinion. WWI Birdson - Sebastian Faulks Half of the Human Race - Anthony Quinn Johnny Got His Gun - Dalton Trumbo The MoonField - Judith Allnatt The Girl You Left Behind - Jojo Moyes All Quiet on the Western Front - Erich Maria Remarque WWII The Nightingale - Kristin Hannah The Book Thief - Markus Zusak The Blue Door - Lise Kristensen Night - Elie Wiesel I'm looking forward to adding some of the suggestions above to this list! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 Oh that is sad, he can't have been very old if he was still teaching too. He wasn't . I second the recommendation for The Book Thief, I loved that book! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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