A Review of Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks

I have recently started to read Birdsong by Sebastian Faulkes, and as I have really enjoyed it so far I thought I should share my view of it. It follows the story of a man named Stephen Wraysford. The story is first set in early 19^th century France, as Stephen stays with a French family while learning more about the textiles production trade. He soon falls in love with Isabelle Azaire, the wife of the textiles factory owner, and head if the household he is staying in. Despite only knowing each other for two months, Isabelle and Stephen run away together to set up a new life in the French countryside. However, after only a few months, the relationship breaks down, and the story then skips to 1916, and follows Stephen’s journey through the war, and his relationship with the tunnellers who detect enemy diggers planting bombs.

I have really enjoyed reading this book, as it brought a new perspective to my knowledge of the war. I had never really heard about the tunnellers, and found their job and hat they had to go through very interesting. The book was historically accurate, as well as having a good plot, and the love-story element made it even more gripping. It also reminded me that very single soldier who signed up, or died, had a life before the war, and had his own story. It also reminded me that none of them were prepared for the scale of death which occurred, or the longevity of the battle.

My favourite character is Stephen Wraysford, who also happens to be the main character.( This may or may not have been aided by the wonderful Eddie Redmayne's portrayal of him in the BBC adaption.) He is certainly not perfect, and he seems slightly awkward and cold. This however makes him seem more real, and shows a very skilled use of character development. These flaws are what make him seem real, so real that I forget he is only fictional, and feel like I could have a conversation with him right now.

 It is also now easy to see how so many soldiers suffered mental health problems, as their surroundings, and what they had to go through everyday was so horrific.

However, what also hit me was the fact that some kind of normal life existed beyond this, and many people did not even know about such conditions. “There were things he thought he might never see again, signs that life had persisted outside the narrow inferno of his existence… there was grass that was still green, that had not been uprooted. There was blossom in the trees.” Apart from this quote showing this, it also displays the beautiful narrative style used throughout the book, which has made it an extremely rewarding read.

One or two points which I have not enjoyed as much, but have not detracted from the overall book: I found the plot to be quite slow in some places, which meant I started to skim read certain chapters of the book. (This means I end up skipping out important details). Also, particularly when the book is set in the war, quite a few characters are introduced, who are not developed further, and do not especially effect the plot, but just end up confusing me. However, this may have meant to show how quickly friends/acquaintances can disappear in a war, in which case it was very effective.

 Overall I really enjoyed this book, and would definitely recommend it to anyone, even if this is not a genre or subject you are particularly interested in, as it is still a very beautiful love story

Age rating: 14+

Star rating: 4.5/5 stars

Author's website: http://www.sebastianfaulks.com

Here is the trailer for the adaption: