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Book Review of Good Soldier

Good Soldier
Good Soldier
Author: Ford Madox Ford
Genre: Literature & Fiction
Book Type: Paperback
Paul-RLT avatar reviewed on + 176 more book reviews


This is a rambling story of two wealthy couples (one English and one American) in pre-WWI times...story take place mainly in Europe. Besides having digressions (especially in the first third of novel), the author goes back and forth in time causing some confusion. The strength of the novel lies in the character development and the exposure of marital dynamics of the two couples.
Modern readers may have trouble relating to the characters since the culture there and then is so different from today. As an aside, the author makes numerous comments about Roman Catholics - mainly negative.
Not an upbeat novel...in fact depressing.
Some critics have rated this novel as one of the top 100 of the 20th century. I'm not so sure it deserves that much praise.