Ray Grover

I picked up this book by chance while on holiday in NZ. I am really glad I did - it is a very interesting read! By telling the story thru the voices of 5 different characters the author gives a real sense of what it was like to be in the trenches in World War 1. There are also maps, a bibliography and short historical introductions to particular battles which help set the story in context. The passages on the private war of snipers helps give texture and depth to the mind-numbing statistics on casualties from the war. Perhaps the best tribute I can pay to the book is to say that when I finished it I felt slightly bereft at losing touch with friends that the characters had become as they journey from the innocence of pre-war New Zealand to the sharp end of industrialised warfare.… (mer)