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Vessel of Sadness (Paperback)

by William Woodruff (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
RRP: £8.99
Price: £5.99 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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Frequently Bought Together

Vessel of Sadness + Beyond Nab End: The Sequel to "The Road to Nab End" + Shadows of Glory
Price For All Three: £16.97

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Product details

  • Paperback: 240 pages
  • Publisher: Abacus; New edition edition (4 Nov 2004)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0349118116
  • ISBN-13: 978-0349118116
  • Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.6 x 1.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 21,799 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #71 in  Books > Fiction > Genre > War

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Product Description

Review

'A remarkable book indeed, bringing us close to the huge face of war' J. B. Priestley; 'One of the most sensitive and moving books of the war, both authentic and poetic' A. L. Rowse, TLS; 'I've never read a better book about war; a book so humane, so wretched, so raw it had me choked half the time while I was reading it ... Woodruff is a poet' TIME OUT; 'A masterpiece ... In some respects it is a better book than All Quiet on the Western Front' IRISH TIMES


Product Description

Italy, 1944 - this is the setting of one of the most convincing and quietly magnificent stories about man and war that has ever been written. Here, (distilled from the experiences and observations of one who fought with them in the British infantry unit) is the mood of those who fought and died at Anzio. Their task - to seize the Alban Hills and then Rome forty miles away. Instead, for more than four months, they sank into the mud of the Anzio plain and fought for their lives. Nothing has appeared since Erich Maria Remarque's ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT that can compare with this book's ability to penetrate the minds of men at war. There are no heroes, no heroines, no victories. This is a faceless, nameless, fragmented war. Even national differences - Britain, Italian, German, American - merge and are forgotten in this larger story of humanity. This story, in fact, does not need to be Anzio; it could be any battlefield where man has faced death.
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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Vessel of Sadness
60% buy the item featured on this page:
Vessel of Sadness 5.0 out of 5 stars (2)
£5.99
Beyond Nab End: The Sequel to "The Road to Nab End"
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Beyond Nab End: The Sequel to "The Road to Nab End" 4.6 out of 5 stars (10)
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The Road to Nab End : An Extraordinary Northern Childhood
12% buy
The Road to Nab End : An Extraordinary Northern Childhood 4.8 out of 5 stars (36)
£6.97
Nab End and Beyond (Abacus)
6% buy
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Customer Reviews

2 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
5.0 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Moving read of a forgotten campaign, 3 Jan 2005
By B. Eaton "twiglet27" - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
This is a very different read from Woodruff's excellent Nab End books. It's very bleak and directionless, which for those of us used to 'Saving Private Ryan' or the superb 'Band of Brothers', can be a bit disconcerting. But in that mode it manages to convey the chaos and senseless death of war brilliantly.

The book is a fictionalised account of the Anzio campaign, in which the author fought, but is clearly distilled from his experience. As fiction it doesn't dwell on the rivalries that existed between armies or their regiments - which is much to its strength. Many modern WWII armchair generals are given over to criticism of various armies or their leaders and pointless debates about the military commanders (Patton vs. Montgomery - that kind of rubbish). Woodruff cuts through all this by illustrating what a total mess the whole affair was for all concerned. There is no glory, no massive victory, no seminal tactical maneouvers - just bloody slaughter and the blessed luck of the survivors.

There are some moments which will amuse anybody who has experience of the armed services and their intransigent hierarchies - the tale of 'Private Herbert Cudderslip 2345809' and his radio sails very close to the truth. But in the end it makes you glad you weren't there - Bert's dream in the final chapter will leave you empty.

I would recommend this to anybody with even a passing interest in WWII, but also to anybody who wants to understand the mentality of war without having to actually go there, and finally to all those of us who don't want to hear once more how the Yanks won it single handed.

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Moved (almost) to tears, 30 April 2009
By John Glen (Glasgow) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Words fail me to describe this book, save to say that it is less a memoir than a brilliantly crafted prose poem which belongs in the top drawer of literary achievement. I have no idea why it isn't more famous than it is.
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