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Review
"Neil Hanson's prose has an almost unbearable poignancy.... A beautifully illustrated book that has all the sombre grandeur of Beethoven's funeral march."
-"Sunday Times"
"Of all the books I've read on WWI, this really brought home the experience."
-"Publishing News"
-"Sunday Times"
"Of all the books I've read on WWI, this really brought home the experience."
-"Publishing News"
Book Description
This is the story of three soldiers: one British, one American and one German and how the grave of the unknown soldier and the ritual of Remembrance Day came to be.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Of all the many books I own on the Great War, this one stands out a mile. It revolves around two soldiers and an airman and is based on surviving letters and family memories and brings the men back to life in a way that drags you in and involves you from page one. All three men have no known grave, and it is woven around the birth of the idea, and the choosing, of the Unknown Warrior who lies in Westminster Abbey.
It is an extremely poignant book, and it makes a refreshing change to be given an insight into the "enemy`s" side of the story, although the Germans never repatriated one of their own war dead.
An amazing book and well worth reading.
It is an extremely poignant book, and it makes a refreshing change to be given an insight into the "enemy`s" side of the story, although the Germans never repatriated one of their own war dead.
An amazing book and well worth reading.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
The title is (understandably) a misnomer, as the "unknowns" figure prominently in this excellent coverage of life as combatants in WW1. Covered from all sides - British, American and German - the narrative is based on diaries and letters of four different participants, and includes personal details the kind of which I have read nowhere else. Deeply researched and intimate, it is a wonderful record of life for the ordinary participants on all sides during the war which is highly recommended for anyone interested in this Hellish period of history.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Any book that reveals the true horror of the Great War has to be on every school shelf and this one certainly deserves its place. Unfortunately, I kept getting frustrated with his full quotes from contemporary and modern newspapers and articles, but portraying it in the narrative as fact.There is an excellent notes section at the back that breaks it all down, but they come too thick and fast to keep flicking back. I would also love to know how accurate his german translations are or whether they have been somewhat 'tweaked' for horror or sensation value.
His distaste for all officers and especially George V is a bit too obvious and yet as he readily proves, the vast majority were first over the top! The 'lions led by donkeys' argument is still rageing, but it is still a little unfair to have a go at the RFC officers having no flying experience themselves but sending up younger, basically trained men - exactly who were they supposed to have gained experience against? The Boers?
However, the second half is quite the most moving writing I have read in a long time and brought many a lump to my throat. Remembrance Day will never be the same again!Despite the above, a 'must' read.
His distaste for all officers and especially George V is a bit too obvious and yet as he readily proves, the vast majority were first over the top! The 'lions led by donkeys' argument is still rageing, but it is still a little unfair to have a go at the RFC officers having no flying experience themselves but sending up younger, basically trained men - exactly who were they supposed to have gained experience against? The Boers?
However, the second half is quite the most moving writing I have read in a long time and brought many a lump to my throat. Remembrance Day will never be the same again!Despite the above, a 'must' read.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Passionate, powerful, occasionally flawed
This book is must for anyone interested in World War I. The idea of taking a trio of men who were killed on the western front - one English, one German, one American - and... Read more
Published 1 month ago by DTop
The saddest book you'll ever read
The title I've used for this review probably sums up everything one could say about this meticulously researched book. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Howard
Great Book
I have read this book a couple of times and find it very moving indeed. They could do no less for the memory of those who fell in this war and subsequent conflicts. Read more
Published on 28 Mar 2010 by belfast bob
Excellent Book
A very fine book. WW1 is viewed through the eyes of three combatants, a german soldier a british soldier and an american airman as well as the story of the unknown warrior. Read more
Published on 14 May 2009 by Mr. W. G. Ord
An essential read
You may have read similar stories to those retold in the early chapters of this book, but persevere, because the second half of this work is superb. Read more
Published on 17 Feb 2007 by Great War Buff
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