A well-researched novel of one man’s war and redemption.
In Harding’s (Alvin’s Famous No-Horse, 1992, etc.) epic work of historical fiction, a young British soldier’s life is changed forever in Italy during World War I.
Reg Olcutt, an aspiring writer, is sent into combat, and although he survives the mud of Flanders and trench warfare, he nearly loses his life on a patrol along Italy’s Piave River. He’s rescued on the riverbank by a young woman named Gabriella, and he recuperates with her family in the Italian countryside. Reg is happy there until he’s captured by the Germans; later, he’s reunited with British soldiers. Despite his injuries and the impending end of the war, however, he’s sent home to be court-martialed for desertion. Reg awaits trial in his hometown, managing to keep the village’s newspaper running and forming a timely and helpful acquaintance with author Rudyard Kipling. Reg has a future in England, but he can’t escape his memories of Italy and the lovely woman who saved his life. Harding’s narrative is a lengthy tome that spans many years and countries. Reg travels from Italy to England and back again as he chases an unexpected future. The novel is incredibly detailed and delves into topics ranging from trench talk to the operation of a printing press. Though the research is impeccable, Harding’s thoroughness does bog down some portions of the novel, particularly in a section featuring Reg’s letters and diary entries. But the pace picks up with the conclusion of the war, as Reg adapts to civilian life in England and, later, Italy. It’s enjoyable to watch a small-town boy cross paths with famous figures of the day, including Kipling and Benito Mussolini, although the most satisfying interactions are with Reg’s Italian family. Harding brings the Italian characters to life with vivid descriptions, flowing prose, and witty dialogue. There are moments when Reg seems doomed to unhappiness, and it’s difficult to guess where the wayward solider will land, but Harding pulls together many narrative threads in a neat conclusion. Reg’s story is hard-earned and overlaid with tragedy yet somehow feels just right.
A well-researched novel of one man’s war and redemption.Pub Date: Nov. 11, 2018
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 390
Publisher: Lymer & Hart
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy.
Are we not men? We are—well, ask Bigfoot, as Brooks does in this delightful yarn, following on his bestseller World War Z(2006).
A zombie apocalypse is one thing. A volcanic eruption is quite another, for, as the journalist who does a framing voice-over narration for Brooks’ latest puts it, when Mount Rainier popped its cork, “it was the psychological aspect, the hyperbole-fueled hysteria that had ended up killing the most people.” Maybe, but the sasquatches whom the volcano displaced contributed to the statistics, too, if only out of self-defense. Brooks places the epicenter of the Bigfoot war in a high-tech hideaway populated by the kind of people you might find in a Jurassic Park franchise: the schmo who doesn’t know how to do much of anything but tries anyway, the well-intentioned bleeding heart, the know-it-all intellectual who turns out to know the wrong things, the immigrant with a tough backstory and an instinct for survival. Indeed, the novel does double duty as a survival manual, packed full of good advice—for instance, try not to get wounded, for “injury turns you from a giver to a taker. Taking up our resources, our time to care for you.” Brooks presents a case for making room for Bigfoot in the world while peppering his narrative with timely social criticism about bad behavior on the human side of the conflict: The explosion of Rainier might have been better forecast had the president not slashed the budget of the U.S. Geological Survey, leading to “immediate suspension of the National Volcano Early Warning System,” and there’s always someone around looking to monetize the natural disaster and the sasquatch-y onslaught that follows. Brooks is a pro at building suspense even if it plays out in some rather spectacularly yucky episodes, one involving a short spear that takes its name from “the sucking sound of pulling it out of the dead man’s heart and lungs.” Grossness aside, it puts you right there on the scene.
A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy.Pub Date: June 16, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-9848-2678-7
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Del Rey/Ballantine
Review Posted Online: Feb. 9, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
The best-selling author of tearjerkers like Angel Falls (2000) serves up yet another mountain of mush, topped off with...
Talk-show queen takes tumble as millions jeer.
Nora Bridges is a wildly popular radio spokesperson for family-first virtues, but her loyal listeners don't know that she walked out on her husband and teenaged daughters years ago and didn't look back. Now that a former lover has sold racy pix of naked Nora and horny himself to a national tabloid, her estranged daughter Ruby, an unsuccessful stand-up comic in Los Angeles, has been approached to pen a tell-all. Greedy for the fat fee she's been promised, Ruby agrees and heads for the San Juan Islands, eager to get reacquainted with the mom she plans to betray. Once in the family homestead, nasty Ruby alternately sulks and glares at her mother, who is temporarily wheelchair-bound as a result of a post-scandal car crash. Uncaring, Ruby begins writing her side of the story when she's not strolling on the beach with former sweetheart Dean Sloan, the son of wealthy socialites who basically ignored him and his gay brother Eric. Eric, now dying of cancer and also in a wheelchair, has returned to the island. This dismal threesome catch up on old times, recalling their childhood idylls on the island. After Ruby's perfect big sister Caroline shows up, there's another round of heartfelt talk. Nora gradually reveals the truth about her unloving husband and her late father's alcoholism, which led her to seek the approval of others at the cost of her own peace of mind. And so on. Ruby is aghast to discover that she doesn't know everything after all, but Dean offers her subdued comfort. Happy endings await almost everyone—except for readers of this nobly preachy snifflefest.
The best-selling author of tearjerkers like Angel Falls (2000) serves up yet another mountain of mush, topped off with syrupy platitudes about life and love.Pub Date: March 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-609-60737-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2001
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
