Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks

Published 1994, copyright 1993

Recommended Rating: R18+[NDVLH]

Nudity

Drug Use (cigarettes, alcohol [underage])

Strong Violence

Language

Religious References

Restricted to persons aged 18 and over

Representations:

Although there are sections with female characters, their concerns all seem to revolve around men in or absent from their lives.

So far as could tell, everyone in the story is white English, French or German. There were some Jewish characters cameoing to connect this story with The Girl at the Lion D'or.

No noticed representations of queer sexuality.

Disability seemed present only to evoke pity or horror; while reading I also wondered if Jack Firebrace's young son might have been intended as having a developmental disability, based on descriptive commonalities.

On personal note, the part of the story I found most affecting was the Battle of the Somne. Apart from that, I felt disinclined to read the third in Faulks' French Trilogy and glad I managed to avoid it. Not only did I not enjoy much of the reading, and not I think in the way one might expect not to enjoy a war novel, but I also felt affronted by the abrupt convenience of the ending. But I suppose Faulks can be considered to have succeeded, since I left with an interest in reading more contemporary war accounts.

This was all written some months after the reading; may no longer accurately reflect contents.