Fields of Glory: A Novel

By Jean Rouaud

Book Overview

Winner of the Prix Goncourt A New York Times Notable Book of the Year The setting may be the rainy lower Loire Valley of the 1950s, but it is the WW I battlefields of Artois, Meuse, Lorraine, and Yser... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 155970165X
• ISBN13: 9781559701655
• Release Date: January 1992
• Publisher: Arcade Pub
• Length: 154 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 0.5" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

a masterpiece

In what begins as reminisces by the narrator of a seemingly eccentric family the author slowly unravels the reasons behind each of the characters' actions. This masterpiece of writing develops into a powerful study of aging and childhood memories, and of the long lasting impact of World War I from one generation to another, even when the succeeding generations aren't aware of it.

Insightful and Humourous

This gentle book floats you through the life of a French family between the wars, as seen through the eyes of children. Human foibles are observed with a naive humour, and events are often described without the full understanding of the narrator. Much of the subject matter could be overpowering, but the depiction in this book is beautiful.

A masterpiece!

Fields of glory is the most beautifully written book I have read in more than a decade--maybe ever. Virtually every page, every paragraph, is wonderfully crafted. How I wish I could read it in French, although I can't imagine that it could be any better. Mr. Rouaud is a genious.

A beautiful book

By the end of this book I felt that I knew the family members intimately. This is beautifully done. The story unravels the lives of family members through the memories of a child, tracing their tragedy back to the ultimate tragedy of war. In some ways this book is very French but the feelings are universal and I strongly recommend it.

A family private history vs. Official History

This book revolves around the importance dead and loved ones can have in a life, the story of a family in western France, the sufferings of French soldiers during the First World War and the impact the slaughter had on several generations afterwards. Its written in a very sober style, yet carries a tremendous emotional force.