Title: There's a lot better stuff out there...
Product review: Reading some of the positive reviews for this novel, I am a little surprised. Along with descriptions that often seem forced and unnecessary, the dialogue is clunky and sappy - read the first scene b/w Patrick and Julia for a good idea of what it's like. There are MANY better WWI novels out there. A few suggestions would be Helprin's book (mentioned by other reviewers), All Quiet on the Western Front, or Sebastian Japrisot's "A Very Long Engagement" (even in translation it's much more eloquent). I read probably seventy-five novels a year and I would say this is in my bottom five for the last twelve months.
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