Pat Gibbon:Ghosts
Of Dunkirk is self published by a neighbour. It’s the recollections of his
uncle, as related to him, of being sent to France, half trained at the start of
WW2, of being abandoned and taken prisoner. His struggle for survival as a POW
, with slave labour, near starvation, lack of medical care and disregard of the
Geneva Convention by his captors makes harrowing reading in places. After
release and the almost fatal march from Poland to Belgium he returns to England
and the Army. The final insult is when he’s had up on a charge for hitting an
Italian POW who obstructs him in some deliveries. The story is good with some
lovely descriptions but very long, and would benefit from a professional
editor. It gives
real human background and “domestic” detail of the awful conditions, a useful
addition to anyone studying or interested in WW1
Kipling, Puck of Pook’s
Hill. Recommended by
someone doing Hadrian’s Wall MOOC, not very original now but maybe it was one
of the first timetravel stories for children. Too heavy and educational for
today’s generation, but I’m working all through Kipling.
Kesey:One Flew
Over The Cuckoo’s Nest has been a huge gap in my education, why haven’t I read
it before, or even seen the film? It’s brilliant once you get used to the
Americanisms and colloquial style. The characters evolve totally believably
towards the conclusion but you’re never quite sure what drove Mack. Some
evocative descriptions.
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