How Many Miles to Babylon?: Amazon.co.uk: Jennifer Johnston: Books

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BECAUSE I am an officer and a gentleman they have given me my notebooks, pen, ink and paper. Read the first page

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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling tale of two little boys who go out to war, 24 Feb 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: How Many Miles to Babylon? (Paperback)

This novel, written by Jennifer Johnston tells the tale of two young men from Ireland, one a Catholic peasant, and the other, the son of a Protestant landowner. The book goes on to tell how,they forged a life long friendship, and followed each other to the ends of the earth, all set against the stark sectarian background of pre independent Ireland. The plot develops around Alexander, the protestant, and how his relationship with his mother drove him to leave for the war and Jerry his Catholic friend, who dreams of an independent Ireland. The book, paints a clear vivid and truly disgusting picture of the hardship and suffering endured by all men who went to fight in World War 1, whether they were rich or poor, hero or villain. This novel is a truly compelling account of both Irish life, and life in the war, at the early part of the 20th century. This book contrasts strained family relationships with iron clad friendships, the comfort of the "Big House" with the squalor of the trenches. In short this book is a vivid, startling and precise reflection on life during World War 1

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars How many miles to Babylon? J.Johnston A glimpse of world war 1 young Irish manhood beset by class and country,, 9 Sep 2006

By	poilin ni breatnach "mcgrath" (dublin, Ireland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How Many Miles to Babylon (Paperback)

This short novel holds a few surprises well worth waiting for. Written by the Dublin born Ms Johnston, now living across the border in Derry, it examines the Irish political landscape,
through a personal not a political lens as it follows the fortunes of Alex from the Big House and Jerry, an Irish peasant.
Written by Alex as a first person narrative it gives the reader a distinct feeling of getting up close and personal. You feel like you're eavesdropping.
Truth to tell nothing much happens for a while. A sense of ennui begins to set in for the reader mirroring the lifestyle of the two young protagonists. At times you wonder if it is just another tableau of the Anglo- Irish class and their peasant peers. World War 1 is the backdrop.
A surprising element for me was finding Patrick Pearse , leader of the Irish 1916 revolution, coming to life in its pages. Pearse is so often nothing more than a relic of some very distant past.
The book takes off when the two young men enlist and set off to serve at the Front.
Johnston never resorts to hyperbole, yet she manages to convey a very real sense of the horror and degradation of the trenches of World War 1.Both young men are so credible. Neither of them especially motivated by lofty political ideas but rather like most people stumbling along through life's events trying to make some sense of it all.
But no cosseted life in the Big House nor the discipline of Army life could adequately prepare the two young protagonists for the dilemma they face towards the end.This was a veritable crisis of conscience where nothing less than a personal response would do.
The descriptions of nature and the changing of the seasons capture the quintessence of the damp Irish climate like no other I've come across.The Big House is beatifully captured both in its splendour and its often dark, dismal interiors.
This is not the usual tale of larger than life war heroes but a down-to - earth portrayal of the harsh reality of war. A glimpse of young First World War manhood together with telling glimpses of class division. Once you get started you can't stop till you finish it. Well worth reading.

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A heart-wrenching First World War story, 7 Feb 2008

By	S. Barnes (UK) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: How Many Miles to Babylon? (Paperback)

With the huge popularity of other more recent World War One literature, such as "Birdsong", "Regeneration" etc., Jennifer Johnston's wonderful story has been largely forgotten about - but not rightly so.

In 'How Many Miles to Babylon' the author really gets to the heart of life for young men in the trenches of Northern France and she writes a truly mesmerising and horrifying story, with great skill and few words, which leaves you quite stunned at the end.

The story centres around Alec, a boy whom we meet at a young age, growing up with Anglo-Irish parents on a country estate in Southern Ireland. Alec leads a sheltered and lonely life as a boy, and neither parent provides him with companionship, so he is delighted to find a friend in a boy from the village, Jerry. The boys keep their friendship secret as both are acutely aware of class divisions and know that neither should be seen with the other. When their friendship is discovered a few years later both boys are desolate but some bonds cannot be broken, and the boys enlist and go off to war together. Jerry is off to learn to fight so he can put his skills to use for the Irish Nationalist Cause, and Alec (who vaguely believes in Home Rule) finds himself goaded into war by his mother. Kinship survives despite further class divide in the army, but some obstacles are insurmountable and the two young men find themselves facing a greater horror than the War itself.

Although there are other convincing novels that deal with trench warfare in the First World War, this one really stands out for me. You won't be disappointed.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Magnificent - a book to read and re-read
I first read this book at school for GCSE English - and now, 15 years later, I still regularly read it. Read more

Published 7 months ago by Lesley

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I just LOVE this book to pieces. I,too, like some of the other reviewers had to read it as part of my english course in the Leaving cert but it was oceans away from the normal... Read more

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Published on 22 Jan 2002

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How Many Miles to Babylon? (Paperback)

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