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9 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Second novel, and perhaps Goddard's weakest, 21 Aug 2005
Robert Goddard's second novel - his first was "Past Caring" - and it suffers a little from second novel syndrome. As a piece of writing, it is better worked and better crafted than the first, but as a narrative, it is a weaker story. Goddard's first novel had moved effortlessly, back and forth across half a century and more, exploring the impact of history and the way time and times shape our persona and our relationships. "In Pale Battalions" continues in this vein.The story is recounted by an older woman, taking her daughter to visit the First World War British cemeteries in France and Belgium. She is looking for her father's name, one amongst thousands. As they travel from the scene, mother recounts the tale to daughter, a tale of soldiers recovering from, or failing to recover from, wounds, a tale of loss of face, loss of heritage, loss of name, a tale of a murder - or perhaps a double murder - left unsolved for half a century and more. It's a neatly set up story, it's a story which has its moments, but it's possibly the weakest of Robert Goddard's novels. Goddard is an exceptionally fine mystery / thriller writer who has established a reputation for weaving his tales across the centuries and creating a solid sense of history and period. But "In Pale Battalions" is just a little too cosy in places. It opens out, like Russian dolls, the mother telling her story, which includes a story told to her by another, which incorporates a confession from another, who had heard from, and so on. The pace slows a little too much in places, and it is, at times, difficult to retain your sympathy for some of the protagonists. It plays with themes of duty, loyalty, love, and friendship without being really convincing. The history, too, seems to be kept at arm's length - it's never quite as convincing or as intriguing or as atmospheric as in other of Goddard's novels. A good read, and quite a satisfying one, but a book which is not as strong as other works by Goddard, perhaps because it becomes a tad sentimental in places where it needed to demonstrate greater historical authenticity rather than fictional sentiment. Read it, but then go on to read Goddard's other books - he is a very fine writer.
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by Robert Goddard
by Robert Goddard
by Robert Goddard
by Robert Goddard
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