Review: It was the War of the Trenches - Jacques Tardi

Genre: Graphic Novel, WWI

Pages: 118

Published: 2010

Publisher: Fantagraphics Books

Source: Library

World War I, that awful, gaping wound in the history of Europe, has longbeen an obsession of Jacques Tardi s.  It Was the War of the Trenches is Tardi s defining, masterful statement on the subject. Tardi is not interested in the national politics, the strategies, or the battles.Like Remarque, he focuses on the day to day of the grunts in the trenches, and, with icy, controlled fury and disgust, with sardonic yet deeply sympathetic narration, he brings that existence alive as no one has before or since. Yet he also delves deeply into the underlying causes of the war, the madness, the cynical political exploitation of patriotism. And in a final, heartbreaking coda, Tardi grimly itemizes the ghastly human cost of the war, and lays out the future20th century conflicts, all of which seem to spring from this global burst of insanity. 

My thoughts:

It was a bit jumpy so for that it would get a 2, but still he used poems and the way the novel was done, well it gets a 3 for that. Impressed I was not, but it was still a very good WWI graphic novel. It showed the horror in its truth.

I liked the way it portrayed war. The horrible thing is not men killing the enemy. It's war after all. Yes it is unimaginable why it is being done, but that is the way it always have been. The horrible thing here is killing your own.

There was the man who did not understand French and was sentenced to death for not following an order. It was the man when the war started who did not stand up and praise France and was beaten to death. It was the Jewish man sent out to take down a corpse, a task everyone knew would kill him. The men who tried to take a trench, but had to turn back, and then was shelled by their own for being cowards. It was the women and children being used as human shields and was killed because the enemy was behind them. It was the man who did not ran fast enough and was killed by their own for it. That is the horrible fact of war.

"I'm back. I got lost. In which trench, and for how much longer, the mud, the cold, the rats, the fear and the lice?

This is my first book for the WWI challenge

Review: The Silver Locket - Margaret James

Genre: Historical fiction/romance, women's fiction
Pages: 336
Published: November 2010 Choc-Lit

If life is cheap, how much is love worth? It's 1914 and young Rose Courtenay has a decision to make. Please her wealthy parents by marrying the man of their choice - or play her part in the war effort? The chance to escape proves irresistible and Rose becomes a nurse. Working in France, she meets Lieutenant Alex Denham, a dark figure from her past. He's the last man in the world she'd get involved with - especially now he's married. But in wartime nothing is as it seems. Alex's marriage is a sham and Rose is the only woman he's ever wanted. As he recovers from his wounds, he sets out to win her trust. His gift of a silver locket is a far cry from the luxuries she's left behind. What value will she put on his love?

Plot:

Rose Courtenay has had a privileged upbringing, but she is bored of it and she does not want to marry the man her parent's tell her to marry. The big war had started and she runs away to become a nurse. In France she meets Alex Denham, a boy from her past, he has a bad reputation and he is married. But still she falls on love.

My thoughts:

I was not sure about Alex, I mean he got the girl pregnant, and married her, very good, and proper considering, but then he wants to flee his marriage because all along he was in love with Rose. So I felt kind of, you made your bed, now just lay in it! But still he really loved Rose, oh it was hard, I did fall in the end, because he has just done the right thing, and I did wonder if that kid was even his. His wife was a horrid golddigger so her I did not like one bit.

Rose then, she was nice, and she wanted more from life. Can't blame her for falling for a handsome soldier, even if he is married.

There was also a sidestory with two sisters, one a friend of Rose and fellow nurse, the other one, well I can't say, spoiler alert. But via her I learnt something about a side character in the book. Something not nice.

I had wished for more war, I know, that sounds strange but this war was the last honest one, it was more between soldiers than what war is these days. And I felt there was not enough of the plight and horror. But then again that was perhaps could so it could focus on these two. Because this story was about two people running from problems, but at the same time finding themselves and doing courageous things. It was not so much about the romance, it was there, but it was more the growing they did, and how they tried to put things right.

Final thoughts and recommendation.

I felt it was a bit jumpy at times, and I actually think this could have been a good book written in letterform. Or I am just obsessed with war and letters.

Who to recommend it to,sure there is romance, there is war, so perhaps if you want a bit more drama with your fiction, but still some romance. And also an interesting book about WWI. I think it might get a 3, just because I wanted more war, but then I am weird.

Reason for reading:
Always been fascinated with WWI

Cover: Very fitting.

From the publisher