Fruska Posted June 22, 2010 Share Posted June 22, 2010 Hi, I'm setting out on a journey as a fiction writer and the period I want to write about is World War One and its aftermath, up until the outbreak of the Second World War. I'm building a list of books to read for reseach, and to get a feel of the period. It was the 'Golden Age of crime writing' so I've read Christie, Sayers etc. I'm interested in fiction and non-fiction. A search on amazon for "World War One" only came up with books about about World War Two, which was annoying! Any suggestions would be very welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissy Posted June 22, 2010 Share Posted June 22, 2010 Hi Fruska, there is a short thread here that names a few WW1 books. On my bookshelf I have Max Arthur's 'Forgotten Voices Of The Great War'. I am yet to read it but it looks very good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vladd Posted June 22, 2010 Share Posted June 22, 2010 Have you tried Winter by Len Deighton. This book follows a German family from 1900 through to 1945. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Echo Posted June 22, 2010 Share Posted June 22, 2010 All Quiet on the Western Front is definitely a must-read. I also found Tolkien and the Great War by John Garth to be very informative. You could also try Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence, which takes place in the 1920s and features a principal character who has been seriously injured in the war. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fruska Posted June 23, 2010 Author Share Posted June 23, 2010 I did have a list of a few books when I posted on here and I thought I would mainly be told about the books I already had on my list. I was wrong! You've given me some great ideas. Would never have thought of Lady Chatterley!! I'll be looking up all your suggestions. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaliepud Posted June 23, 2010 Share Posted June 23, 2010 Sebastian Faulkes - Birdsong? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted June 23, 2010 Share Posted June 23, 2010 They may have been mentioned in the linked thread, but... The Regeneration Trilogy by Pat Barker Strange Meeting by Susan Hill A Sacrifice of Innocents: A Novel of the Great War by Alan James Barker (I haven't read this, but I want to) A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway (ditto) Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo (if you don't mind a children's book) An excellent, excellent poetry collection (with background reading and lots of facts) is Out of the Dark - I can't recommend this highly enough! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hey_books Posted July 15, 2010 Share Posted July 15, 2010 poems by sassoon and owen like anthem for doomed youth or dulce et decorum and i recently read regeneration- pat barker a long long way- sebastian barry i had to do some researches while reading the books because i knew little about the great war, especially about the situation in ireland. i also watched the regeneration film which helped me to understand the shell shock state of those soldiers ( just as the electro shock therapy) and the film about michael collins gives you a good background about what happened in ireland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coffin Nail Posted July 15, 2010 Share Posted July 15, 2010 First Casualty-Ben Elton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fruska Posted July 16, 2010 Author Share Posted July 16, 2010 Thanks for these ideas, my buying list is growing all the time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smilerbabeuk Posted August 4, 2010 Share Posted August 4, 2010 try searching for great war instead of world war one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixie Posted August 4, 2010 Share Posted August 4, 2010 Some good suggestions were already given. Another good one is A Soldier of the Great War by Mark Helprin, which I have read. It is one of my favorite books of all time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucybird Posted August 4, 2010 Share Posted August 4, 2010 I second Regeneration and Birdsong. You could also try Remembrance by Teresa Breslin (it's written for teenagers but is one of the most informative fiction books I've read about WW1). I'm sure I know more and will come back if I think of anything. Wiki has a page on Literature about WW1 you may want to have a look at. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fruska Posted August 11, 2010 Author Share Posted August 11, 2010 Thanks for the suggestions! Really appreciate the help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SueK Posted August 11, 2010 Share Posted August 11, 2010 Hi I can't access the link that Chrissy added above but you could give these a try: World War One 1. No Graves as Yet: 1914 2. Shoulder the Sky: 1915 3. Angels in the Gloom: 1916 4. At Some Disputed Barricade: 1917 5. We Shall Not Sleep: 1918 by Anne Perry they are exceptionally good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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