Customer Reviews

1915: The Death of Innocence

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I hate to see a book I liked so much get a poor review. I too have read a number of the other narrative histories of World War One by Lyn MacDonald, specifically "Somme" and "They Called It Passchendaele." I like the use of first person narrative sources to illustrate the history, because it places such colossal, overwhelming events as battles and campaigns on a more human, personal level. Rather than focusing on a single campaign, MacDonald focuses on the entire year of 1915 in this book, as she did in her previous book, "1914." While the scope of the book is large, it is not unmanageable for the reader. You just have to be dedicated to following the action and the narrators. While the job is easier if you have a passing knowledge of the history already, it is not completely necessary to enjoy the book. "1914" and "1915" are more inclusive developments of the style she used in her earlier books. I hope that she is someday able to complete her chronicle of the war years by covering 1916, 1917, and 1918. I would buy, read, and display the entire set if I had the chance. Now, if only I could find a copy of "1914"...

Lyn MacDonald has continued her presentation on the battles of World War I as seen through the eyes of its participants. Her use of first hand interviews and the diaries of the combatants brings to life for the modern reader the sense of exhaltation, fear, anxiety, loss, frustration, anger, and futility that the subjects of her book experienced. Her viewpoint is primarily that of the British soldier and nurse. The fading months of 1914 saw the cream of the British army, 1 million veterans, reduced to a tenth of their original strength. Now Kitchener was building a new army to hurl against the German juggernaut. 1915 saw an influx of the territorials that had originally been left behind during the first months of the war. In addition, raw, enthusiastic, and naive young men were sent into the trenches of France. Kitchener sends his new army against the well trained, well fed, well equipped Germans all along the front, from Ypres in the north to the Somme in the South. It is undersupplied, hastely trained and equipped, and haphazardly led. All which lead to costly battles in men and materials punctuated by incredible acts of sacrifice and bravery. Lyn MacDonald shares the hopes and expectations of a country slowly bled to death side by side with the ever increasing realization that the war would be with the British for many years to come

I have lived in Flanders for the past 9 years. Just over one year ago I picked up my first Lyn MacDonald "novel". I have now read and in some cases reread all of her books. They tell the story as no other author can. This book is like all her others. Magnificent. Now every day when I commute to the office the I view the countryside with a very different outlook. I think the story of WW1 is impossible to tell, but Lyn lets us glimps at just a small part of something that changed the future of the world forever.

Thank you Lyn.

Some people may criticise this book for not including the French. But to do that, it would have to come in several volumes. World War One is just too vast to include everyone from both sides in one volume. What is covered very well is the experiences of those at the "sharp end". Generals and maps are very well for those who want to follow the overall view, but that does not cover the misery of the rifleman and company officers who did not have the luxury of comfortable billets and lack of danger enjoyed by the higher ranks. Drawing a line on a piece of paper is a far cry from having to man that line. Ordering an attack is easy for those who don't have to do the attacking and have no idea of the conditions of the soldier who has to advance through mud and barbed wire. I am reminded of a staff officer who, on seeing the actual front line after the battle of the Somme said "My God, did we send men to fight in that!"

The other reviewers have spoken to Lyn MacDonalds style and areas of expertise. My experience with this book is that compells me to read it again and again. I pick it up and start reading it in mid chapter, and it's always interesting despite the number of times I have read it. Every page has completely engrossing narrative, so it hooks me any time I pick it up. The account of miners tunnelling underneath enemy lines is particularly memorable.

I'm definitely going to pick up everything else she has written.

Lyn MacDonald's writings on WWI are possibly the best available. She is not judgemental, rather she reports using first hand accounts from participants. The reports are always stirring and moving. Her detailed accounts together with a picture of the overall scene of the battles show the decades of research that were required to produce her books.

Much better than I expected, this work is very well written and provides a different view of the Great War. My only quibble with it was that it was totally from the British view; I didn't get that sense when I purchased the book

Lyn MacDonald's book captures the true and complete horror of warfare in this book. Rich in detail and telling accounts by the men that fought in the savage and bloody battles in 1915. A must read for someone trying to understand the daily misery and destruction of a generation of brave men. By far, my favorite book in the series, but not to discount the others, each of which is a classic and should be read in sequence to grasp the fullness of the story of The Great War.

This was a good book following the lives and campaigns of British troops in 1915. It mostly centers on the trench war in Belgium (Flanders) and on the Battle of Ypres but also on the campaign against the Turks of the Ottoman Empire at Gallipoli. There is also an account of the horrific troop train crash which killed many British soldiers before they even had a chance to fight. Much of the content of the book is the actual writings from people who were there. It gives you an amazing insight into the innocence of people in those days. There was just a very high sense of duty among men.

The only negative to me is that the name of the book is misleading because reading this, you do not learn about the political or strategic goings on away from the front. And there is almost no writing from the Germans side or even the British allies. There is a little written about the Canadians, the Indian Gurhkas, as well as New Zealand and Australian troops (Anzac). There is almost nothing written from the French troops or German perspective. There is a part I recall where the Germans first decide to use gas but no info is given as to why they did it. Or what decisions were going on in the German command to use it. In fact, I don't even think it was mentioned what kind of gas they used. I assume it was mustard gas because the troops described it as a yellow cloud.

So the book kind of written as though you are there when it happens, and just like the British in the trenches, you don't necessarily know all the details. In a way this works and makes the book more immersive but also leaves you with questions. Reading letters and diaries from troops is great though so it was still a good book. I just think it could have had a different name like "1915 - Letters from the British Front" or something.

I am an amateur history buff, and have read a fair amount about the beginning and the end of the First World War. This book nicely fills in a period about which I knew very little. The author effectively uses contemporaneous letters to effectivley tell her story