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Birdsong | 
 enlarge | Author: Sebastian Faulks
Publisher: Vintage
Category: Book
List Price: £7.99
Buy Used: £0.01
You Save: £7.98 (100%)
New (40) Used (170) Collectible (3) from £0.01
Rating:  247 reviews
Sales Rank: 230
Media: Paperback
Edition: New Ed
Pages: 528
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5.1 x 1.4
ISBN: 0099387913
EAN: 9780099387916
ASIN: 0099387913
Publication Date: July 18, 1994
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.co.uk Review
Readers who are entranced by sweeping historical sagas will devour Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks' drama set during the first world war. There's even a little high-toned erotica thrown into the mix to convince the doubtful. The book's hero, a 20-year-old Englishman named Stephen Wraysford, finds his true love on a trip to Amiens in 1910. Unfortunately, she's already married, the wife of a wealthy textile baron. Wrayford convinces her to leave a life of passionless comfort to be at his side, but things do not turn out according to plan. Wraysford is haunted by this doomed affair and carries it with him into the trenches of the war. Birdsong derives most of its power from its descriptions of mud and blood, and Wraysford's attempt to retain a scrap of humanity while surrounded by it. There is a simultaneous description of his present-day granddaughter's quest to read his diaries, which is designed to give some sense of perspective; this device is only somewhat successful. Nevertheless, Birdsong is a rewarding read, an unflinching war story and a touching romance.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 242 more reviews...
 Gave up after 330 pages August 21, 2008
daisyrock (nottingham)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I don't like leaving books unfinished. I'm aware that many novels are slow-starters, and it's almost always worth persevering to the end. BUT, I think it's safe to say that I gave this total dud a fair crack of the whip. If you can give up on a book after 330 pages, it must be pretty dull indeed.
As far as the romance element was concerned, I couldn't care less. None of the characters were very sympathetic or even three dimensional. And for a writer to be able to spend so many pages describing the horrors of the trenches without moving me to a single moment of emotion - well, he must have a true talent for draining the feeling out of anything.
I honestly don't get what all the fuss is about. A truly appalling novel.
 captivating August 20, 2008
Jules (UK)
beautifully written novel - not having read his novels before i didnt know what to expect and not really having much interest in history - im now completely converted its an awesome read - devastating and tragic
JUST BUY THIS BOOK!! August 11, 2008
~ Bookworm ~ (U.K)
Probably one of the best books I have ever read, if not the best........ BUY THIS BOOK, you won't regret it, SO well written, it was hard to leave and I couldn't wait to pick it up again, felt quite sad when I finished reading it, and had to wait quite a few days before starting a new book. Needed time to absorb and reflect, if I could give this book 10 stars I wouldn't hesitate!!!! Friends had recommended this book to me for years, and somehow I never got around to reading it, but SO pleased I did!! Trust me, it is EXCELLENT!
 I do not know! August 10, 2008
C. Griffiths (UK)
As the title states I really have no idea if I truly liked this book. I managed to read it swiftly without leaving it aside for long periods of time but that may just be because I have a boring 1hr journey to and from work on a tube! The World War I parts were worth reading because the author managed to capture a sense of pointlessness over the numbers of human casualties and from the numerous war documentaries I have seen he has captured the harshness of the military police towards "cowards" and the almost blind thoughts of winning by the generals at the top regardless of the price.
However, that is all that is worth reading. I hated the main character Stephen, did not warm to Isabelle and felt indifferent to Elizabeth and her trek through history and current love dilemma. The style of the writing with the heavy descriptions suited the war sections but in the "normal" sections were too overbearing, probably why it was so hard to warm to any of the characters. From the beginning Stephen seemed cold and his supposed "love" for Isabelle just did not seem to fit because it almost seemed like it was just written on the page but the reader does not feel any sense of it in the story. The idea of setting parts in the 70's when a person realizes the history of their family and discovers the harsh facts of the war was interesting but because the characters were so dull and almost cold I really did not care.
Obviously a lot of people loved this book and I would recommend reading it if World War I period is your thing but do not approach with exceedingly high expectations.
It's as if the author is writing from personal experience August 10, 2008
Lance Mitchell (Hampshire, UK, Northern Hemisphere, Planet Earth)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
The way that the characters and the atmosphere are built by Sebastian Faulks is just amazing! The reader is taken in to that atmosphere, and shares the feelings of the main character, Stephen. You cannot fail to be totally captivated.
Anyone who has served for any significant period in the Armed Forces will instantly relate to the use of black humour to cover the awful reality and horror. Faulks also manages to reflect on how every aspect of life continues, perhaps in the background, as the war goes on. There is a strong and emotive love story. There is a very powerful understanding of the futility of war and its effects on everyone involved, regardless of national allegiance. One of the most poignant parts of the book, for me, is the description of the feelings of the sappers as they tunnel deep below the battlefield, knowing that their counterparts are experiencing the same hopes and fears, only feet away through the awful mud and darkness. Death is never more than a split second away.
Having had the privilege of sitting with Somme veterans, listening to their vivid memories of the trenches and the contacts, and those friends who lost their lives, I can say, with great confidence, that Birdsong takes us as close as we could to being there as is possible.
It is a shame that it is not possible to award six stars to any book reviewed on Amazon, for Birdsong would surely deserve such an award. This one definitely makes it into my lifetime favourite five.
I would have no hesitation in recommending Birdsong to absolutely anyone, but most especially to any politician who is thinking about sending young people to their deaths in war.
Footnote: I was surprised that "The Magic Mountain" by Thomas Mann featured in Sebastian Faulks's top one hundred books. It sits right at the opposite end of the gripping to boring spectrum of reading to this magnificent work: Birdsong.
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