Customer Reviews

1914-1918 Voices and Images of the Great War

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This one book is what led me to become a Lyn MacDonald fan who has eagerly collected and read each one of her books as they became available. She is one of the foremost experts on the WWI and as such, has brought to life in this one volume, the stories of the men who risked all in this long ago conflict.

This book is dedicated to the individual soldier and the collective experience. As such, it is not straight history and is all the more compelling for it. If you are looking for something more detailed, this is not the book for you.

What this book does offer is glimpses into the lives and deaths of the soldiers who participated. From heroes who won the Victoria Cross to deserters who were shot at dawn, each tale, snapshot or drawing provides a vivid introduction to the personal aspect of war.

"Voices & Images of the Great War" was great idea. The formula of presenting first-hand accounts of the experience of war has worked well for such authors as Cornelius Ryan (Longest Day, and A Bridge Too Far). But acclaimed World War I authority Lyn MacDonald proved to me that she should stick to her day job of writing straight history.

First of all it should be noted that despite the ambitious (or ambiguous) title, the scope is rather limited for this work. Except for two Germans and one American liaison officer, one finds here only the words of soldiers from the British Empire - and only on the western front. I have no problem with that per se, but there are alot of voices - French, German, American, civilian - and images left out. Actually, a narrow focus is preferred. Oral histories are nearly impossible to produce on a large scale and are much more effective when they focus on specific battles or campaigns such as D-Day or Iwo Jima. I think to write a book like this also requires more journalistic training than Ms. MacDonald appears to have.

As written, the book moves chronologically through the war and each event is retold sometimes through personal narratives, sometimes through letters. In true military fashion, we are given name, rank and unit of each man, but beyond that we are not introduced. After reading each entry, one often wonders what happened to these letter-writers, whether they survived the war or what they made of their lives after. One isn't rewarded. The images mentioned in the title are present, but there are not very many and they are unlabeled. The result is confusing because you aren't sure whether the photo is the actual image of the writer or merely representative. On infrequent occasions the photos are tilted to one side or the other, lending an air of the scrapbook.

Despite all of this book's shortcomings, the stories are there and they speak with undeniable clarity. If you purchase this book do it for these great men.

This is a magnificent book. To be sure it isn't complete, perhaps Ms. MacDonald can be persuaded to do a similar book on the French and American activities in the Great War. Come to think of it, some more books on the air war and the sea war would be nice as well.

I can't call this a history exactly, it is instead a series of letters, recordings, and reports from the people who were there. I suspect that a lot of these came from the Imperial War Museum which is creating a collection of such things.

What I really can't imagine is where she was able to contain the huge number of truly amazing photographs. So many pictures you see of that war are reprints from a magazine and show the moire patters of being re-scanned, these do not.

This has to be one book in your collection on the Great War, but I think you will find it to be a book that you pull down quite often, if for no other reason than the photographs.

Lyn Macdonald is the finest authority on WWI, having written several books on the subject. Most of her books center on a certain time period during the war. This book is a more general approach to the subject, using several photos, letters, and interviews with different soldiers.

With its highly personal approach, this book often tugs at your heart and reminds one just how insane trench warfare was. The bravery and endurance shown by soldiers of both sides is almost overwhelming. The photographs Macdonald chose are strikingly effective, without focusing on graphic depictions. Once you read this book, you will forever remember the "voices and images" of the Great War. Highly recommended! Also see:
To the Last Man: Spring 1918
The Somme
1915: The Death of Innocence
1914
They Called It Passchendaele The Story of The Battle of Ypres and of the Men Who Fought In It
Ordeal By Fire - Witnesses to the Great War