Customer Reviews

The Four Feathers

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This book is full of noble ideas and notions of Victorian honor in the days of the British Empire. Those who come to this book after seeing the 1939 Korda classic, or even the more stark 1979 re-make might be in for a suprise. Even as this review is written yet another cineamtic foray is being planned with a Fall 2002 re-re-make. No doubt 21st century notions of Political Correctness shall be heavy handed on this 19th Century classic.

Still, I think readers will be in for a bit of a disappointment here. Not for the book itself which is a sublime piece of writing, a work typical ot the pathos of the time, but because of the lack of action contained therein. This is a pyschological and emotional work. The main charcters have many inner feelings to deal with. The plot moves slowly at times, building to a gradual crescendo typical of Victorian novels of the day before it resolves itself in rapid sequences.

The film versions convey the general impression of the book, but there are not big clamatic battles of Omdurman or prison breaks which made the Korda movie such a rousing epic. Here Harry Faversham is very much on his own to resolve his fears and inner emotions, as are his friends. Its good to see a book like this revived, but readers who come to it from the movie theater or video are apt to be suprised at what they find here. Lets hope the find the suprise a pleasant and interesting one. I know I did.

The front cover of the book might lead you to misunderstanding that "Four Feathers" is a book about war; actually, though it deals with the war in the Sudan in late 19th century, the book consists of superb descriptions of complicated psychology found in the hero, the heroine and their mutual friend. "Four Feathers" as a whole is not a book like "She" or "Beau Geste," but it is rather a special kind of romance which could be found only in this era.

To disprove his disgrace, the hero Harry Feversham, who quit his regiment just before being sent to the Sudan, decides to go to Africa, disguising himself as a Greek, and firmly is determined to give back three white feathers sent to him as a symbol of his being a coward. One clever touch is given here; his fiancee also added one feather to them, and rejected him in the face before their marriage. Now you think Harry must prove that he does not deserve such an act. And probably, you expect the book to draw you into the world full of adventure. No, you're wrong.

There are certainly descriptions of adventure under the sizzling sun of Africa, but you must wait. Before they come, we are introduced to the complex relationship between Harry and other characters that are involved in his action. Various feelings of love, regret, courage, and suspicion, all caused as aftermath of the crucial action of sending white feathers, follow with a surprisingly and deeply psychological insight. Though the story is, as you expect, very melodramatic and sentimental, the characters are well-drawn and convincing, and if not as insightful as Henry James, surely deserves much serious attention.

The adventure scenes come in the last third of the book, but the suspense is a little diminished due to the rather hasty ending of the book. (If you want to read a book full of adventure in Africa, I recommend P. C. Wren's "Beau Geste," which I found a gripping tale, too.) Still, the descriptions of the House of Stone, concentration camp of POW, (where the author himself visited after the war ended) are still realistic and shocking, and will haunt your mind after reading, and as an adeventure story too, you won't be disappointed. In short, "Four Feathers" is one of the greatest forgotten bestsellers in the English literature.

This book is NOT Four Feathers. It may be Two and one half feathers. It is mercilessly abridged, but if you haven't seen the original, you won't know how you are being cheated. Be warned and stay away.

A.E.W. Mason's classic story of love lost and courage found is over a hundred years old, but its themes are timeless: love, friendship, and courage, along with the human desire to make right the wrongs of the past.

Harry Feversham is a young officer in the British army whose greatest fear is to be seen a coward, and disgrace those whom he loves. On the night he finds out that he is to be sent to war in Egypt, he resigns his commission in order to avoid any possibility that his fears may be realized. In response to Feversham's act, three of his friends send him three white feathers as a symbol that in their eyes, the decision makes him a coward. When Feversham's fiancee, Ethne Eustace, finds out about Feversham's act and the three feathers, she gives Harry a fourth feather, and casts him out of her life. A broken man, Feversham quitely resolves to redeem himself by proving his bravery to each of the four, forcing each to recant their accusation of cowardice and take back the feather that each person gave.

What evolves is a grand tale of adventure, as the lives of Feversham and his closest friends move along through the next few years. Ethne moves on with her life, while not entirely forgetting Feversham, nor forgiving herself for her harsh treatment of him. Harry's best friend, Jack Durrance, is blinded in the Sudan and returns to England to marry Ethne, but never forgets about Feversham, and wonders what happened to his friend. As details of Feversham's deeds begin to emerge, both Ethne and Durrance begin to understand Feversham's character; they realize their true feelings about him, and about each other.

The characters in Mason's story have a Victorian simplicity, which, while limiting their outward emotions, adds to the conflict with which they have to deal. The desire to do the right thing, for love or friendship, is a strong theme in this book, which works well with the contrast between the harsh Sudan and the comforts of England; for in each location, the characters are found to suffer and survive in different ways, but in equal measure. For having been written 100 years ago, the characters and story hold up very well against modern standards.

I very much enjoyed this book, and now understand why it has been made into a movie several times. The combination of intense emotion and epic adventure in far-off lands makes for some compelling reading, and a wonderful story.

My mother bought this book for me when I was a young girl-tomorrow I'll be 66 yrs old..I remember reading it over and over and even though I knew the ending, I'll could sabor the whole story like the first time--Now I'm buying for my grandchildren and hoping that they will enjoy it as much as I did.

My first exposure to this story was the 1977 movie version featuring Beau Bridges and Jane Seymour. I always thought it was a great story, and when I heard there was a new movie remake coming out, I looked into it, discovering that there was a book behind it all.

One reason I was fascinated by the book is that it is a cross-cultural experience. The book is now over a hundred years old, so the world-views and values of the characters and the author are significantly different from my own. Certainly I would agree with other reviewers that the Arabian and African characters are nothing but silhouettes, and that colonialism is not necessarily something Westerners should be are proud of. But these things are in line with the worldview of the author and his society. Other contemporaries of Mason may have questioned the values of the day, but he doesn't explicitly oppose them. Even if the reader doesn't agree with the 19th century values, one can still appreciate how the characters each wrestled with their lot in life within the framework of their society.

I also enjoyed many of the author's insightful descriptions. At one point he describes the reason for Ethne's fear and reluctance to play her violin as that she considers it her "indiscreet friend" (p. 191). It will reveal her feelings when she most wants to keep them in. Then there is the simply hilarious description of Captain Willoughby's social skills, or lack there of, on page 241.

Having seen one of the movie versions first, the original story had some surprises for me (pretty hard to squeeze a 400 page book into a two-hour movie). Ethne's character has a lot more depth and fascination than the 1977 movie. And the adventure story line has a few extra twists as well. Also, Feversham as a main character is almost absent more than he is present. The story is his, but it is told as observed and discovered by the other characters.

This story offers adventure combined with a serious romance. If you can go along with the late 19th century perspectives on life, this is a story worth reading.

A.E.W. Mason's classic adventure tale about a British soldier who, after resigning from his regiment just before they're to be sent to the Sudan, receives three white feathers from his comrades; his bride-to-be adds a fourth and calls the wedding off. Our hero must then regain his stature by following his regiment into the desert and performing heroic deeds. Actually, much of the tale is told from the point of view of the woman, as she learns of his adventures second-hand; it's a neat trick, and allows for one of the most complex female heroines in a tale of this kind. Some derogatory comments about ethnicity might bother modern readers, but if you can get past that, this is truly a rip-roaring adventure!

I found this book to be a classic tale of honour and redemption, dealing with love and perceived cowardness. This book is about a young man, Harry Ferversham, who is brought up in an old military family, thinks he is a coward and is about to be married to a girl who's father disproves of the military. As a result, he decides to quite the military. The trouble comes when he finds out that his unit is about to be shipped off to war, just before he quits, but he decides to quite anyways. Three of his friends in his military unit send him white feathers of cowardness, and when his fiancée finds out, she breaks off her engagement, and gives him a fourth feather.

Harry, with his life in tatters decides to go and attempts to do heroic acts for his friends, in the hope that if they redeem their feathers, his fiancée, Ethne Eustace, will withdraw hers.

Meanwhile, Jack Durrance, one of Harry's other friends, finds out that Harry and Ethne's relationship has been broken off, but not why it was broken off. He tries to court Ethne, as he was in love with her before, but she has now decided that she made a mistake with sending Harry away, and doesn't love Jack. Before she can tell him this, Jack gets blinded, and she decides to pretend to love him so that she can care for him.

Interestingly, this story is told, after the feathers have been given, primarily from the viewpoints of Ethne and Jack, which allow the reader to find out what's happening only as those characters do, and it also allows us to see Jack and Ethne's thoughts towards each event as they slowly piece together what is and has happened with Harry.

A warning note is, like many of my fellow reviewers have stated, there is very little action in the book, unlike in the movie adaptations, as many of the events are just mentioned as a backdrop. But, this is not a bad thing, as this story does not need any major action scenes, and they would probably hurt this story, which is more of personal struggles, of love and honour, than battles.

This story has some 19th Century ideals, such as colonialism, and the fact that there is only one non-white character in the book, who, while he plays a fairly major supporting role, is not that well developed, nor is he a very strong character. Despite all of this, I really enjoyed its tale of honour and redemption, and if this book is taken as a product of it's time, it is really quite amazing. The book also gives the reader a great view of upper-class English life in this time period.

The Four Feathers by A.E.W. Mason is a riveting tale that relates the natural human need for redemption through a story that realistically depicts the complex interrelationships between love, friendships, trust, and courage.

Harry Feversham, a young man who finds himself born into a historic family of proud British military men, wants nothing more than to be free of such a heritage. Whereas his forefathers fought and died with great courage, Harry is petrified of risking his life for his country and mentally labels himself a coward. Nevertheless, he has little choice but to follow in his father's footsteps.

When Harry's regiment is finally summoned to go to war in the Sudan, Harry's fear of his own cowardice overcomes his fear of his father, and he accordingly resigns his commission. Once three of Harry's closest companions uncover the reason for his decision to resign, they decide to each send him a single white feather to signify his cowardice.

What ensues is a story of Harry's heroic attempts at redemption, not only from his friends and from his father, but also from the girl of Harry's dreams, who, being present at the time Harry receives the feathers, adds her own to the original three.

Throughout the exciting events and plot twists of The Four Feathers, Mason presents to readers a reality of human emotions and impulses which cannot draw comparison. The characters of The Four Feathers explore the complexities of humanity, loyalty, friendships, love, courage, and justice in such a fashion that each reader can relate to in his or her own individual way, making each turning of the page even more personal and captivating than the last. The three most primary characters of The Four Feathers, Harry, Ethne Eustace, and Jack Durrance, become involved in a triangle of love, loyalty, and misleading each other about how each feels about the other two in order to try and preserve these traits.

Mason's novel, The Four Feathers, is highly recommended for all those seeking an exciting romantic adventure to capture their attention for hours on end. There is no question that Mason's work is one of the masterpieces of twentieth century literature.

The four feathers is a tale of the meaning of Victorian virtues of heroism. The tale takes on a very Clausewitzian stance on the difference between physical courage, shown in Durrance, and moral courage, shown in Harry Feversham. Harry is disgraced for he refused to face combat in Sudan in the late 1880's. He is sent white feathers by his comrades and given one by his to be fiancé, Ethne. He then takes a path of redemption to regain honour in the eyes of his friends and woman. Overall, this novel is an excellent show of the difference between moral and physical courage, and with deep psychological development in the characters.

This novel is one of the most intriguing character development novels, perhaps even rivaling Heart of Darkness. The characters of Harry, Durrance, and Ethne are all so engaging and enticing that you cannot but help to get engrossed within this novel. Yet that is where the engagement ends. The front cover of this novel is indeed very deceptive. The work is predominately, as one reviewer already noted, a psychological and emotional journey. This book is not an action war novel in the likes of Cornwell, Clancy, Smith, O'Brian, Forrester, and other military writers. The reader used to these kinds of action-packed works with a great balance between character development (Sharpe and Harper, or Aubrey and Dr. Maturin being the most famous character pairs)and historical military action will find this novel sorely lacking. The novel retains a hint of allusion to action such as breaking of squares and night-actions and the like, yet the reader seeking a vivid mental imagery finds the material lacking in description. The descriptions of POW life and the House of stone were haunting, yet seem misplaced within a Victorian war novel. The action (or allusion to it, as is predominately the case) in the novel is sorely to further the admittedly outstanding character development of Harry, Durrance, Sutch, Ethne, and other distinguished characters.

Overall an excellent character development story, yet to those looking for action and a historical analysis of actual battles and fighting, look to the aforementioned authors instead.