The First Casualty
5 journalers for this copy...
"Flanders, June 1917: a British officer and celebrated poet is shot dead, killed not by German fire but while recuperating from shell shock well behind the lines. A young English soldier is arrested and, although he protests his innocence, charged with murder.
Douglas Kingsley is a conscientious objector, previously a detective with the London police, now imprisoned for his beliefs. He is released and sent to France in order to secure a conviction. Forced to conduct his investigations amidst the hell of the Third Battle of Ypres, Kingsley soon discovers that both the evidence and the witnesses he needs are quite literally disappearing into the mud that surrounds him.
Ben Elton's tenth novel is a gut-wrenching historical drama which explores some fundamental questions. What is murder? What is justice in the face of unimaginable daily slaughter? And where is the honour in saving a man from the gallows if he is only to be returned to die in a suicidal battle?
As the gap between legally sanctioned and illegal murder becomes ever more blurred, Kingsley quickly learns that 'the first casualty when war comes is truth'."
Douglas Kingsley is a conscientious objector, previously a detective with the London police, now imprisoned for his beliefs. He is released and sent to France in order to secure a conviction. Forced to conduct his investigations amidst the hell of the Third Battle of Ypres, Kingsley soon discovers that both the evidence and the witnesses he needs are quite literally disappearing into the mud that surrounds him.
Ben Elton's tenth novel is a gut-wrenching historical drama which explores some fundamental questions. What is murder? What is justice in the face of unimaginable daily slaughter? And where is the honour in saving a man from the gallows if he is only to be returned to die in a suicidal battle?
As the gap between legally sanctioned and illegal murder becomes ever more blurred, Kingsley quickly learns that 'the first casualty when war comes is truth'."
Dit wordt een ring:
Mr Fifna
MaaikeB
Suzy26
Smullie
mumtotwins
en weer terug naar Fifna
het boek is weer thuis!
Mr Fifna
MaaikeB
Suzy26
Smullie
mumtotwins
en weer terug naar Fifna
het boek is weer thuis!
Het boek is vandaag op weg gegaan naar MaaikeB.
O, wat heb ik zin om in dit boek te beginnen, maar ik ben nog bezig in een ander ringboek. Gauw doorlezen dus maar. Bedankt, Fifna!
Naar dit boek had ik heel erg uitgekeken. Ik ben een beginnende fan van Elton na het lezen van Inconceivable en Dead Famous en hou erg van Britse romans over de Eerste Wereldoorlog (Birdsong!). Helaas viel deze titel een beetje tegen. Elton is erg goed in satire, maar dit is een serieus boek. Wat in zijn satire goed werkt, mensen typecasten, past helaas niet in een serieuze roman. De personages komen niet tot leven omdat ze clichés van zichzelf zijn. Dat geldt voor iedereen: voor Shannon, de verkrachtende spion, voor Nurse Murray, de suffragette, voor Agnes, de engelachtige schoonheid, en voor Kingsley zelf, de principiële politieman wiens tochten naar de hel van het slagveld om verdachten te verhoren terwijl om hem heen de mannen bij bosjes vallen niet zo geloofwaardig zijn. Ik vond het af en toe zelfs een beetje lachwekkend, terwijl dat toch duidelijk niet de bedoeling was en werd daardoor niet door het verhaal meegesleept, maar heb het desondanks toch met plezier uitgelezen. Elton heeft gewoon een heel scherp gehoor voor taal en kan mensen erg raak portretteren. Dat maakte het lezen toch de moeite waard. Het was weliswaar niet het 'gut wrenching drama' dat beloofd werd, maar er viel toch zeker nog wat te genieten. Bedankt voor het ringen, Fifna! Ik zal het boek weer verder op reis sturen.
Ik heb dit boek gisteren per post ontvangen. Bedankt voor de prachtige kaart, MaaikeB! En Fifna bedankt voor het ringen.
This sure was a fascinating story to read, although I must say that I have my doubts whether the secret service would really have gone to such lengths to investigate a murder amidst the slaughter which the Great War was. I agree with MaaikeB that the main characters in this novel are caricatures of themselves. Kingsley's character, for instance, is quite implausible. He was a conscientious objector, but as soon as he hits the trenches he turns into a war hero. Captain Shannon is such a nasty man that it becomes incredible. I did like Nurse Murray, though, with her motorcycle and her rubber sheath, but again a bit overdone. What clearly comes across is that this Great War was total madness. You cannot begin to imagine what it must have been like for those men sitting in the mud all day with shells going off around them all the time.
All in all I found this a good read. This was my first Ben Elton novel. I am definitely going to give him another try.
All in all I found this a good read. This was my first Ben Elton novel. I am definitely going to give him another try.
Book is on its way to Smullie.
Dit ringboek is nou bij mij. Ben er al in begonnen, maar dat zegt niet direct iets over dat hij weldra uit zal zijn. Ik zal wel vast de gegevens proberen te achterhalen van de volgende lezer op de lijst...
Het boek is onderweg naar mumtotwins. Ik heb het niet uitgelezen. Enerzijds omdat ik nog andere leeswerk heb, anderzijds omdat de eerste paar hoofdstukken me ook niet heel erg aanspraken. Ik ben wel anders van Elton gewend.
Thanks for sending me the book Smullie!
I sort of enjoyed the book, although it didn't really grip me. I agree with what others have stated already: Ben Elton should stick to satire. The characters in the book were cardboard and the ending was predictable.
Also the story was too farfetched: characters that were needed to keep the story survived against all odds while others died miserably (but predictably).
Back to Fifna! Thanks for the bookring!
I sort of enjoyed the book, although it didn't really grip me. I agree with what others have stated already: Ben Elton should stick to satire. The characters in the book were cardboard and the ending was predictable.
Also the story was too farfetched: characters that were needed to keep the story survived against all odds while others died miserably (but predictably).
Back to Fifna! Thanks for the bookring!
The book arrived home safely today, thanks mumtotwins!