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Review
Soldiers who can write are as rare as writers who can strip down a machinegun in 40 seconds, but Patrick Hennessey is one of the few (Sunday Times )
High-tempo, full-on . . . honest and revealing . . . a memoir brimming with vinegar and testosterone (Evening Standard )
The military memoir of the moment (Times )
A very fine book, a powerful dispatch from the front line ... what impresses is the sheer candour and immediacy (Spectator )
An extraordinary memoir . . . Hennessey has a reporter's eye for detail and a soldier's nose for bullshit (Guardian )
Outstanding . . . A classic of its kind (William Boyd, Sunday Herald, Books of the Year )
Harrowing and frequently funny . . . sparkles with wit, wisdom and boyish glee . . . His generation owns the war (Times )
Must rank as the most accomplished work of military witness to emerge from British war-fighting since 1945 (Independent )
Remarkable . . . conveys vividly what it's like to experience combat (Jeremy Paxman, Daily Telegraph, Books of the Year )
An engaging mix of war reporting, stream of consciousness and reflections on the nature of conflict in the twenty-first century (Caroline Moorehead, Spectator, Books of the Year )
All politicians need to read honest accounts of war - at no time more than now - and Patrick Hennessey's The Junior Officers' Reading Club is one of the very best (David Cameron, Observer, Books of the Year )
A vivid account of a rollercoaster tour of duty . . . testosterone-charged, expletive-splattered (Phil Jacobson, Daily Mail )
A compelling read . . . Hennessey's book ought to be read by all officers that have yet to experience combat . . . He has written an important portrait of contemporary warfare and the nature of battle - a portrait that can claim a line of descent from Sassoon's Memoirs of an Infantry Officer (Will Pike, British Army Review )
An honest acknowledgment of the darkness within us, of the unwelcome emotions that combat can bring about ... Smart and funny ... The Junior Officers' Reading Club is a humdinger (Jonathan Yardley Washington Post )
High-tempo, full-on . . . honest and revealing . . . a memoir brimming with vinegar and testosterone (Evening Standard )
The military memoir of the moment (Times )
A very fine book, a powerful dispatch from the front line ... what impresses is the sheer candour and immediacy (Spectator )
An extraordinary memoir . . . Hennessey has a reporter's eye for detail and a soldier's nose for bullshit (Guardian )
Outstanding . . . A classic of its kind (William Boyd, Sunday Herald, Books of the Year )
Harrowing and frequently funny . . . sparkles with wit, wisdom and boyish glee . . . His generation owns the war (Times )
Must rank as the most accomplished work of military witness to emerge from British war-fighting since 1945 (Independent )
Remarkable . . . conveys vividly what it's like to experience combat (Jeremy Paxman, Daily Telegraph, Books of the Year )
An engaging mix of war reporting, stream of consciousness and reflections on the nature of conflict in the twenty-first century (Caroline Moorehead, Spectator, Books of the Year )
All politicians need to read honest accounts of war - at no time more than now - and Patrick Hennessey's The Junior Officers' Reading Club is one of the very best (David Cameron, Observer, Books of the Year )
A vivid account of a rollercoaster tour of duty . . . testosterone-charged, expletive-splattered (Phil Jacobson, Daily Mail )
A compelling read . . . Hennessey's book ought to be read by all officers that have yet to experience combat . . . He has written an important portrait of contemporary warfare and the nature of battle - a portrait that can claim a line of descent from Sassoon's Memoirs of an Infantry Officer (Will Pike, British Army Review )
An honest acknowledgment of the darkness within us, of the unwelcome emotions that combat can bring about ... Smart and funny ... The Junior Officers' Reading Club is a humdinger (Jonathan Yardley Washington Post )
Review
'Hennessey has fashioned what must rank as the most accomplished work of military witness to emerge from British war-fighting since 1945 ... He may have shed a uniform but - surely - he cannot abandon the rare gift revealed in this extraordinary book.'
--This text refers to the
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
51 of 57 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Well-written, amusing and intelligent book. Grips right from the beginning manages to re-capture that sense of adolescent adrenalin rush and adventure that most of us have long forgotten. Touching too in its examination of relationships among the platoon in Iraq and Afghanistan and at home. I enjoyed the re-telling, to horrified girl friend and parents. of the immediate posting to Iraq. A book that is refreshing in its honesty and sheer verve.I think the army lost a great soldier here.
81 of 92 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Firstly I was quite put off by the title. I thought it would be another boring account of politics within the military but I was proved very wrong. If you get the chance to listen to the readings from radio 4's book of the week (download from BBC I player) then you are in for a treat. This is compelling stuff and now having read the whole book I can honestly say it is up there with Dan Mills and Sniper One and Robert Mason's Chickenhawk.
The real ups and downs of a soldiers life in war at peace and when it is downright unfair. All here to digest. Written in plain speak making it easy to follow and digest unlike some more boring accounts by journalists or so called established writers this is written by a soldier for soldiers. If you buy one book this year then make it this one!!!
Make a donation to help the heroes aswell and make a good day great!!!
The real ups and downs of a soldiers life in war at peace and when it is downright unfair. All here to digest. Written in plain speak making it easy to follow and digest unlike some more boring accounts by journalists or so called established writers this is written by a soldier for soldiers. If you buy one book this year then make it this one!!!
Make a donation to help the heroes aswell and make a good day great!!!
38 of 43 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Patrick Hennessey is to be congratulated on capturing the authentic voice of the young officer. He writes in a spare and muscular style and accurately reflects the pains, terrors and satisfactions of both training and high intensity operations. As one who watched from the sidelines some years ago I can only wonder at the resilience and courage of soldiers and officers today.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
An excellent read.
Although it is many years since I attended RMAS and subsequently became a newly commissioned officer, this book brought back many memories. Some happy; some not so! Read more
Published 12 days ago by buzzard
Reading for Junior Officers maybe, but not much in it for us
This insight into an army recruit's thoughts and experiences seems to have testosterone leaping off every page. Read more
Published 19 days ago by M. Dunlop Ferraro
A great read.
A rather sideways look at army training and combat operations from a writer with a refreshingly honest but understated attitude to the life of a junior officer. Read more
Published 2 months ago by N. Anderson
Brilliant Insight
We don't get many honest frank insights into the war we never wanted. It therefore serves as much more than a simple account of a solider's experiences - if you read between the... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Tino
Honest and challenging
I didn't always enjoy reading this book. I found the writing style rambling at times, and the titular Reading Club didn't fair too promenantly. I couldn't put it down though. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Chris
Junior Officers Reading Club
Fantastic, both of Patricks grandfathers would be very proud of this book for two very different reasons. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Dave Biswell
An honest and very personal account
This book follows the author, Patrick Hennessy, on his journey from Oxford through the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Windsor, Iraq, Afghanistan and back to London. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Adam Bartleby
Shame about the glossary
This book powerfully shows the difference between "someone who has been in the Army" and someone who has been a soldier. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Seven of Nine
Modern military memoir
This isn't a historical account of the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, it is one officer's thoughts on his career. Read more
Published 7 months ago by History Geek
A Soldier's Story
Hennessey does a wonderful job of portraying dichotomies of military life; violence v control, speed v patience, action v boredom. Read more
Published 8 months ago by R. Turner
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