Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #52590 in Books
• Published on: 1975-01-31
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Customer Reviews

Beautiful writing by a gentle man
This book is a moving and eloquent description of the rural life led by a young "gentleman" immediately prior to the first world war. The difference between modern life and his experiences is breath-taking. Also his creeping self-doubt gives the account a certain honesty and I thoroughly enjoyed all of it. Particularly good if you have followed, or want to find out about, hunting. Highly reccommended.

Nostalgia at its best!
This has to be one of the finest books that I have read in a very long time. It runs for me along two lines. The first is as an exceptionally refined piece of nostalgia that captures an era which was to be lost forever. The second is the gradual withdrawal of youth's self centred outlook on life as time progresses.

As a piece of nostalgia the book is in its element. Numerous stories abound of hunting, cricket, point to point races and other upper-middle class activities which are framed so beautifully by the wirters love and adept decsriptions of the surrounding countryside. This priveliged Edwardian life is one of the primary aspects of the novel and it is made all the more fun as the narrative gradually becomes more and more dated as time goes on - most notably their attitudes to class and of course fox hunting (of which there is actually at least one reference to an Edwardian anti fox hunting movement!)

The nostalgic nature of the book is an absolute pre requisite for the books main thrusting theme - that of lost time. The lives and traditions of the priveliged few are unalterably changed by WW1, the beginnings of which take up the last two chapters of the book. These last sections make for an astounding contrast to the rest of the book and enables the reader to a) fully appreciate the comparative horrors of conditions in the trenches, and b) sit by helplessly as this young man's world is torn apart.

This is a must read for anyone who loves Sassoons poetry, has a deep interest in the horrors of war, or enjoys looing back nostalgically on times that we thought were better. Times that were either better because our memories have failed us, or better because it is all before age has exposed our ego-centric universe to the "deepening sadnesses of life".

An excellent read!

A deeply thought provoking novel on the loss of innocence
We are constantly told that change is inevitable. This book marks the point when the modern world began and poignantly commemorates the loss of time-honoured tradition and constancy. I do not look back to a "golden age" but would urge anyone that looks to the future to read this book and understand how easily the good things can be thrown away.