Four Days in June
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'A powerful novel of men at war. A triumph.' Bernard Cornwell
'A debut novel to treasure…brilliantly evoking the horrors and excitements of war' Publishing News
‘A treat for every history buff, and a vivid picture of men at war.’ Scotland on Sunday
‘Thoroughly researched.’ Financial Times
‘Knife edge realism mingles with strategy, glory and tragedy in Gale’s artistic narrative.’
Oxford Times
Publishing News
'A debut novel to treasure…brilliantly evoking the horrors and excitements of war'
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
35 of 35 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is by no means a bad book. The imaginative accounts of what the battle was like to experience for the soliders in the midst do contrast well with the lofty overview that Wellington, Napoleon, Blucher and others required.
I suggest the characters aren't wooden - rather that they accurately portray the "keep a lid on your emotions" attitude of the time. This battle did take place nearly 200 years ago. And these were tough men who'd seen a lot of horrific combat and were hardened to it.
There are several moments, usually involving civilians and the youngest of those serving in the armies (drummer boys and so on) where you DO get a sense of the helpless terror of battle. The fact that few of the characters display this only makes it more poignant when you stumble across it through the cannon-smoke, as it were.
I'm interested in Waterloo as a hugely pivotal and close-run battle the impact of which, even today, can be seen on the shape of Europe. But I'm also interested in it as a horrendous, protracted event involving the deaths of, thousands of brave men and boys. (And while we're at it, let's not forget thousands of horses, too.)
However I do have one criticism. Mr Gale has a stylistic tic of using truncated little sentences when he describes the actions of his characters. Examples of which are:
"He sensed disquiet. Smiled."
"He saw Rollin, remounted after losing his horse. Called him over. Quickly dictated a single line to d'Erlon."
"He snapped the telescope shut. Turned to the staff."
Ordinarily I'd call such a criticism nitpicking but this construction crops up so often, almost on every page, that I found it disrupted the flow of this otherwise very enjoyable book. It's still one I'm glad I read, though.
I suggest the characters aren't wooden - rather that they accurately portray the "keep a lid on your emotions" attitude of the time. This battle did take place nearly 200 years ago. And these were tough men who'd seen a lot of horrific combat and were hardened to it.
There are several moments, usually involving civilians and the youngest of those serving in the armies (drummer boys and so on) where you DO get a sense of the helpless terror of battle. The fact that few of the characters display this only makes it more poignant when you stumble across it through the cannon-smoke, as it were.
I'm interested in Waterloo as a hugely pivotal and close-run battle the impact of which, even today, can be seen on the shape of Europe. But I'm also interested in it as a horrendous, protracted event involving the deaths of, thousands of brave men and boys. (And while we're at it, let's not forget thousands of horses, too.)
However I do have one criticism. Mr Gale has a stylistic tic of using truncated little sentences when he describes the actions of his characters. Examples of which are:
"He sensed disquiet. Smiled."
"He saw Rollin, remounted after losing his horse. Called him over. Quickly dictated a single line to d'Erlon."
"He snapped the telescope shut. Turned to the staff."
Ordinarily I'd call such a criticism nitpicking but this construction crops up so often, almost on every page, that I found it disrupted the flow of this otherwise very enjoyable book. It's still one I'm glad I read, though.
51 of 52 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
First let me say that I am not a Waterloo buff or even a military history buff, I actually picked up this book because it had such an attractive dustwrapper. So although other reviewers may be able to tell you that Iain Gale has made errors of historical fact, I know nothing about that, everything I now know about the battle of Waterloo has come from this book.
And it is a magnificent book. Even though the outcome, of course, is never in doubt this reads like a literary thriller. The author writes from the perspective of a number of officers from both sides and the story cuts back and forth between them and the battles they are engaged in as the armies struggle to group behind Wellington and Bonaparte and then finally, on the fourth day, the incredible battle at Waterloo.
Iain Gale is quite simply a genius. This battle and the events leading up to it were very complex and the telling of the full story would, I think, normally be beyond most people to absorb. And in truth there were numerous times when I was aware that I was skating over some of the names and places, simply unable to take it all in. But that never mattered because the sheer excitement of the narrative and my concern for the individuals always made that loss of some detail completely insignificant.
In the end I was exhausted. I had read it in three days, I had been enthralled over all of that time, I had realised how words like "honour" and "duty" have largely disappeared from our society, been appalled at the madness of war and felt that I had come to know a number of very brave men.
Don't let any reader be deterred by thinking this is a "war" story. It is story of unforgettable adventure. Fabulous !!
And it is a magnificent book. Even though the outcome, of course, is never in doubt this reads like a literary thriller. The author writes from the perspective of a number of officers from both sides and the story cuts back and forth between them and the battles they are engaged in as the armies struggle to group behind Wellington and Bonaparte and then finally, on the fourth day, the incredible battle at Waterloo.
Iain Gale is quite simply a genius. This battle and the events leading up to it were very complex and the telling of the full story would, I think, normally be beyond most people to absorb. And in truth there were numerous times when I was aware that I was skating over some of the names and places, simply unable to take it all in. But that never mattered because the sheer excitement of the narrative and my concern for the individuals always made that loss of some detail completely insignificant.
In the end I was exhausted. I had read it in three days, I had been enthralled over all of that time, I had realised how words like "honour" and "duty" have largely disappeared from our society, been appalled at the madness of war and felt that I had come to know a number of very brave men.
Don't let any reader be deterred by thinking this is a "war" story. It is story of unforgettable adventure. Fabulous !!
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
'Four days in June' tells of the battle(s) taking place between June 15th 1815 and June 18th 1815 (the day of the actual battle of Waterloo), as experienced by a number people on both sides:
- General von Ziethen (1st Corps of the Prussian army under Blücher)
- Sir William Howe de Lancey (Wellington's Quartermaster General)
- Marshal Ney of the French army
- Lieutenant-Colonel James MacDonnel (Guards)
- the Emperor Napoleon himself
Telling 'how it was' without actually having been there is off course always a matter of interpretation but Gale claims to have based himself on a huge number of written accounts of participants and eye-witnesses, and anyway, as he states himself in his afterword: 'This book is a novel'. And judging it as a novel, it's really quite good.
The fact that all characters are officers is surely no coincidence. Even to them the battle at times must have seemed a hopelessly confused mess of random acts, but one can suppose they did have a better overview than the privates, which makes their testimonials credible and allows Gale to describe the movements and manoeuvres of both armies. And he does so in an engaging style, with vivid descriptions of both small-scale battle scenes and the view 'from behind the lines' on a broader scale.
There's also five maps in the book, and these are a disappointment (in a way it's even a bit weird to have a novel come with no less than 5 maps but I suppose it makes sense here). Since they are in the book you obviously try to locate what you're reading about, only to find that many of the place names or positions of military units are simply not there. So you can either try to ignore the maps in the book, or constantly have another book by your side that does have detailed maps. Neither makes for easy reading which is why I've given 3 stars instead of 4.
- General von Ziethen (1st Corps of the Prussian army under Blücher)
- Sir William Howe de Lancey (Wellington's Quartermaster General)
- Marshal Ney of the French army
- Lieutenant-Colonel James MacDonnel (Guards)
- the Emperor Napoleon himself
Telling 'how it was' without actually having been there is off course always a matter of interpretation but Gale claims to have based himself on a huge number of written accounts of participants and eye-witnesses, and anyway, as he states himself in his afterword: 'This book is a novel'. And judging it as a novel, it's really quite good.
The fact that all characters are officers is surely no coincidence. Even to them the battle at times must have seemed a hopelessly confused mess of random acts, but one can suppose they did have a better overview than the privates, which makes their testimonials credible and allows Gale to describe the movements and manoeuvres of both armies. And he does so in an engaging style, with vivid descriptions of both small-scale battle scenes and the view 'from behind the lines' on a broader scale.
There's also five maps in the book, and these are a disappointment (in a way it's even a bit weird to have a novel come with no less than 5 maps but I suppose it makes sense here). Since they are in the book you obviously try to locate what you're reading about, only to find that many of the place names or positions of military units are simply not there. So you can either try to ignore the maps in the book, or constantly have another book by your side that does have detailed maps. Neither makes for easy reading which is why I've given 3 stars instead of 4.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A DIFFERENT ACCOUNT OF THE WATERLOO CAMPAIGN!
There have been many thousands of books written about the battle of Waterloo, one of the most popular and discussed conflicts in military history, so fresh approaches are few and... Read more
Published 11 days ago by Napoleon
I Have No Misgivings About Giving This Book 5 Stars I Liked It And...
I don't remember who recommended this author and novel, but I am glad they did as I really enjoyed it, one of my favourite eras in the historical fiction drama is the peninsular... Read more
Published 14 days ago by John H Glen
Historical action entertainment
I found this story an interesting and entertaining way to find out about the Battle of Waterloo. I found it very entralling and resented having to stop reading it to do other tasks... Read more
Published 1 month ago by R. P. Carter
First Class Historical Fiction
I really enjoyed "Four Days in June", it provides the most accessible and readable history of the Battle of Waterloo that I have read. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Mr. Ross Maynard
Excellent read
this book arrived quickly. Excellent read, good author. Would not miss any of this Authors books, well worth the money !
Published 2 months ago by Mrs. Rosemary D. Simmonds
4 days in June
Couldn't get enough of this book. Unlike some of the other reviewers on here i really liked his writing style and couldn't put the book down. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Bigglesworth
A good read
I enjoy Bernard Cornwells' books and partly because of the Sharp books have read quite a bit about Waterloo. Read more
Published 17 months ago by John McK
gritty novel
i am not much of a reviewer but i thought i should say something about this very good, gritty novel. Read more
Published on 28 Mar 2010 by Sandy Wilkie
Not the same Calibre as the Jack Steele series
Iain Gale is a very good writer, his books well researched and exciting to read however I found "4 Days in June" quite disappointing. Read more
Published on 8 Feb 2010 by Mr. Wol Wallace
Great Historical Novel
This is a good read as a novel and an interesting book for historians. I liked the device of devoting each chapter to a different character and portraying events from their point... Read more
Published on 10 July 2009 by D.Buttery
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