An Officer and a Gentlewoman [Kindle Edition]

I have never had any inclination to read a book about the army before - the idea of reading about military tactics and the manoeuvres of war holds absolutely no appeal for me at all. However, having seen the author of "An Officer and a Gentlewoman" on the BBC this week, my interest was sufficiently stirred to give this book a try (with some scepticism). My expectations were definitely exceeded! This book is not what I expected at all - it is less a book about the army and more a personal tale of a woman who decided to make a radical life change. Heloise Goodley tells of how she left a corporate job in London to join the armed forces, and recounts her experiences of Officer training at Sandhurst Academy. She thus provides an insight into a historic institution which most of us know nothing about. However, she kindly spares the reader in depth accounts of boring military regulations and complex rifle techniques, and instead focuses on the more interesting oddities and day-to-day petty frustrations of life at Sandhurst. In a lighthearted account she paints a picture of the extreme personalities and extreme (often absurd) rules which governed her world during a year at the Academy. She remains objective enough to ridicule some of the more pointless elements of her training and their applicability to modern day warfare, whilst recognising the immense value of other lessons and challenges she and her contemporaries are forced to endure.

"An Officer and a Gentlewoman" is not a heavy-weight, complex narrative. The stories are lighthearted and told at a quick pace, making it an extremely easy read. In my view, this is a huge positive - the author has taken a potentially dull, dry and unaccessible subject and made it interesting and engaging for civilian readers. Not an easy feat.

At the beginning of this book the British Army states that Sandhurst has changed since Miss Goodley commissioned - and I'm sure that's true. But as I read this riveting account of a female Officer cadet going through the training program as it was in 2007 I felt myself echoing so many of her sentiments.

The nonsense of parades and drill and room inspections....that only make sense when you don't have to do them anymore. The way in which the Army takes a group of people from all walks of life backgrounds and cultures and flings them into the hell of 'freshers' .....the first five weeks of basic training, and forces them to work together - as a tight knit team - or risk all failing.
The way in which every personal, human aspect of their former lives is stripped away and the 'Officer' in them developed...by the best Army traditions in the world....stirring, humbling and inspiring stuff. It made me want to join up....and regret that I am too old. It made me appreciate even more the unbreakable link that my husband has to his past life in the Army...and why my Father, at the age of 86 still has razor sharp creases in shirts and trousers. My Father can polish a pair of shoes to within an inch of their lives. My husband has the tidiest sock drawer I've ever seen. My husband can also read a map...find his way back to anywhere he's been once, organise a variety of events with little fuss and great skill....all because of the Army.

I loved this book - I completely understand how, after the rigours of army training - civvy life seemed undisciplined, frustrating and lacking in so many ways. When Miss Goodley relates a story of being on the end of a pathetic 'pick up' by some boring city type...in one of her pre-army haunts...until she tells him she's in the Army, at which point he recoils. I hooted with laughter. Even the most egotistical sky rocket high bonus earning Banker was knocked back by a strong, independent woman who had found that life wasn't about the size of your bonus or what car you drive.

I take my hat off to her....well done... Wish I'd been there.

Pam.

Being the sort of scruffy, ill-disciplined, disorganised `civvy' not overly taken with punctuality, I have little occasion to read military titles. I must admit that when presented with `An Officer and a Gentlewoman' by my girlfriend, I was more than a little sceptical. How wrong I was!

I loved every page of it. The author brings the story to life with her colourful descriptions of real life events, often giving an unflinching `warts and all' account of what sound like some truly horrendous `manoeuvres'! The reader truly would need to be emotionally dead to fail to feel empathy with this city girl thrust into an alien environment where even the smallest misdemeanour seems to attract the most condign punishment! Whilst for the most part an entertaining read (in part thanks to the author's wicked sense of humour!), I also found sections of the book to be profoundly moving. Goodley deals sensitively with the issues of war, concluding with her poignant description of returning from Afghanistan on the same aircraft as a mortally wounded colleague.

Whilst Sandhurst still feels like a `bridge too far' for someone like myself, I'm sure this book will convince the undecided to throw caution to the wind and give it a go. Even if that does entail being over 50 miles from the nearest `Starbucks' at some point! Anyone with an interest in life and adventure is strongly recommended to give this title a shot!