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Book Review of Birdsong: A Novel of Love and War

Birdsong:  A Novel of Love and War
susyclemens avatar reviewed on + 158 more book reviews


I have to agree with reviewers who struggled with this book or found it disappointing. I too, thought the romance between Stephen & Isabelle was not too believable. I liked that Stephen's granddaughter was searching to know more about him, and the scene with Stephen's former comrade from the trenches, the old man in the rest home, is very moving. The WWI scenes are excellent and the soldiers and the situation that Faulks creates are very "real". Therefore, I found the novel somewhat uneven - half great; half not very good. Maybe if he'd jettisoned the romantic affair, it would actually have been a better novel (for me).