The Wars by Timothy Findley tells the story of Robert Ross, an young man from a wealthy family who serves in WW I. Although the book left me feeling emotionally drained, The Wars was a very impressive read. The Wars was a moving account of one Canadian man’s experience during World War I, and while it is not an in-depth exploration, the author introduces his character and allows us to sample his early life, his training and his war experiences that together paint a clear and penetrating picture of the shock and struggle that these soldiers were exposed to. He kept a diary about his experiences and many of his descriptions matched with this book. The things he saw and did affected him for the rest of his life. He was caught the first time, but succeeded a year later at seventeen. This book really grabbed me and I think this had a great deal to do with my own grandfather who ran away at age sixteen to fight in World War I. The brutality that the author describes in rich, lyrical language makes it plain that there is really nothing noble about warfare and that the psychological effects of this particular war were devastating. The story of one Canadian lad who goes off to the trenches in World War I was an intricate and heart wrenching story. The Wars by Timothy Findley is a short book but it packs a very large punch.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |