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Somme (Paperback)

by Lyn MacDonald (Author)
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
RRP: £12.99
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Product details

  • Paperback: 400 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin; New Ed edition (24 Jun 1993)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0140178678
  • ISBN-13: 978-0140178678
  • Product Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.9 x 2.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 73,603 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #36 in  Books > History > Europe > World War I 1914-1918

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Product Description

Product Description

This book looks at the Battle of the Somme, which was planned as "The Big Push" that would at last break the long stalemate on the Western Front in World War I. However the 18 divisions that went over the top between Arras and St-Quentin on the morning of 1 July 1916, walked into a battle that has gone down in the annals of human conflict as the slaughterhouse of a generation. The author has written other books about the history of World War I, including, "They Called it Passchendaele" and "The Roses of No Man's Land".

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Customer Reviews

11 Reviews
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 (3)
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Average Customer Review
4.7 out of 5 stars (11 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Count me in, 3 Feb 2002
By Mr. A. M. Pomeroy (Wiltshire, England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
To add to the other reviews (and it *is* a triumph of research, and tells you pretty much all you need to know about the campaign), one thing puzzled me. The book doesn't seem to cover the first day of the battle, the day which most people think of when they think of the Somme. One moment, the troops are about to leap over the trenches - and then we're at the next chapter, and we've skipped several hours into the future.
I assume Ms MacDonald is trying to replicate the 'fog of war' that existed at the time - nobody in charge knew what had happened until several days later, and the people at home had to wait for months - but it's unsatisfying, somehow.
Still, it's a superb book, and you can't fault the sheer hard work MacDonald has put into it - not only did she interview many of the surviving British soldiers (this was back in 1983, so there were more of them), she actually visited the battlefield.
One other flaw, though, is that whilst she interviewed lots of British people, we don't learn much about the Germans. Given that they took just as many casualties in the battle as us, what must it have been like for them, sitting in their trenches, under a towering artillery bombardment, not knowing what was coming next? We don't find out, which is a shame.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Buy This Book, 12 Oct 2004
By CHRISTIAN TEMPERLEY (Leeds, West Yorkshire, England) - See all my reviews
The best account of the battle of the Somme I have ever read. Not your usual cold account of history it tells the story of the poor souls who were there. Taken from diaries, letters and interviews with the survivors. This is the first book I have read by Mcdonald and I will be reading them all. A must for students and enthusiasts of the first world war.
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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A Worthy Contribution, 19 Jul 2002
By E. A. Redfearn "eredfearn2" (Middlesbrough) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
This review is from: The Somme (Hardcover)
I first came across this book in 1983, the year of its publication. It is a fine additon to the immense material on the Somme, but it could have been a little better. The first day on the Somme is barely mentioned. Maybe she thought that because Martin Middlebrook had covered the actions of the first day wonderfully well, she didnt think much more could be said. Told from the viewpoint of the ordinary soldier struggling to survive in terrible conditions, it does succeed in this respect. Moving in parts, it reveals how the ordinary soldier was pushed into battle almost beyond the very limit of endurance. Some good pictures which show the battlefield as it is today. Maps could have been better though. Still, a worthy contribution.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars The British Army's Blackest Day
Although written more than 25 years ago, Lyn Macdonald's masterly book on the horrors of The Somme is still the definitive work on the subject. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Mr. B. F. Gudgeon

4.0 out of 5 stars A gripping account from the perspective of the British soldier
Few battles are as seared into the British historical consciousness as the battle of the Somme, the months-long offensive against the German trenches during the First World War... Read more
Published on 31 Jul 2006 by Mark Klobas

5.0 out of 5 stars touched
this book was good it flourished with purpose.
Published on 7 Jul 2003 by james Pickard

5.0 out of 5 stars The book that got me interested in the Great War
This is an excellent book! The first one I bought about the subject (and there for the first from this author). Read more
Published on 20 Dec 2001 by wimmaria@hotmail.com / Wim Janssen

5.0 out of 5 stars Should be compulsory reading for all
This book should be given to all politicians who look to set man against man anywhere, it shows the impact of those decisions on the real people. Read more
Published on 17 Nov 2000 by pmsbony

5.0 out of 5 stars Lest we forget...
I have never read a book before like this where I couldn't put it down but at the same time there was something each time I read it that brought a lump to my throat. Read more
Published on 5 Aug 2000 by E. Greenwood

5.0 out of 5 stars Touching, horrific, realistic and memorable.
Although not mentioned by name, my grandfather was amongst the men described in this book. I have known for many years that he took part in the Battle of the Somme, but reading... Read more
Published on 26 Aug 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars Disturbing
This is a fantastic synopsis of first hand accounts of the Battle of the Somme. In places the accounts are shocking, in others humorous. Read more
Published on 2 Jun 1999

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