8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dance dance, wherever you may be, February 15, 2004
When I rule the world every man, woman, and child will be handed a copy of Iain Lawrence's brilliant "Lord of the Nutcracker Men" for their home library. Every country in the world will have it translated. And every human being will know it. Too high praise for a book that so few people (let alone librarians and booksellers) have heard of? Not at all. The amount of reception a book receives is not always indicative of how good it is. And this book is good. Boy oh boy, is it good.
Taking the perspective of a ten-year-old boy during the first year of World War One, Iain Lawrence draws on his own knowledge (and intense research as well) to bring us a story of children during wartime. Johnny's father is a toy maker, and before going to fight the front lines he gives Johnny a set of handsome Nutcracker men to play with. As the war continues, Johnny's father sends his son hand-carved soldier to fight the German Nutcrackers. But Johnny comes to believe these soldiers carry a power beyond his own private games. As he plays with his toys he hears of battles frighteningly similar to the ones he's created. Soon Johnny comes to believe that the actions he takes in playing influence the real battles in France.
This book is about war. The dirt, fatigue, and mindlessness of it. Drawing on the Iliad, Lawrence draws definitive connections between Troy and World War One that are eerily credible. As Johnny moves from loving the excitement of war (as a child does) to hating it (as an adult would) his opinion of fate, the gods, and God himself waver between fear and love. Beautifully written passages display his father's disillusionment as he deals with constant shelling, death, and despair. Though he never comes out and says it, the audience understands that this war really did mark the end of chivalry. Certainly we remember some dashing figures from this time. The Red Baron. Lawrence of Arabia. But for most soldiers it was a dirty filthy war. Based on dirt alone I highly recommend pairing this book with Karen Hesse's "Out of the Dust". You'll never want to leave your shower again.
After the story, Lawrence clears up many of the facts portrayed within the story, elevating it from interesting fiction to a novella based in reality. Yes, there really was a Christmas Truce of 1914 where Germans and Brits climbed out of their trenches into the No Man's Land to celebrate Christmas together. Yes the village of Cliffe had their railway bombed by the Germans. Lawrence also notes that the supernatural was invoked more than a few times during the long years of the war. This feeling is well replicated in his book. The story wavers between what is real and what is imagined brilliantly. It never changes its tone (which is to say, it never starts out as a historical drama and suddenly turns sci-fi) and there are moments of otherworldliness that are nothing if not poignant.
It is a gory story. It has moments of horror and despair. But it is also an honest story. This tells a tale of a country in which war was seen as a glorious outing, only to turn into more death than anyone could have ever imagined. Sound familiar? When governments can make war seem wonderful, people will buy into the myth. It takes books like, "Lord of the Nutcracker Men" to remind us of what's really important in life.
"We're getting better at fighting wars. We've got them running like machines now: faster, more efficient."
"I wish we'd get better at not fighting them," I said.
"That's a fine thought," said Mr. Tuttle.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Lord of the Nutcracker Men, October 6, 2005
A Kid's Review
Johnny is a ten year old boy growing up during a difficult time. His favorite pastime is
playing with the toy soldiers that his father, a popular toymaker in London makes for him.
One day he gets the terrible news that his father must leave their home and go fight in
World War I, and he must stay at his Aunt Ivy's house. As the war between the Allies and the
Central Powers intensify, Johnny's father sends him toy soildiers, and eventually makes one
of himself. Throughout the novel, Johnny plays intense battles with his friend Sarah, until one
day he realizes that the battles that he fights are the same as the battles that his father writes
about. He also finds the figure of his dad and thinks he can see the future. Johnny is tutored
by his teacher, Mr. Tuttle, and soon talks with a commander who has lost his mind. Finding out
that this person is supposed to be dead, Johnny seeks the answers of his life that is right
outside his window, until his father finally comes back home. Lord of the Nutcracker Men is a
fantastic novel by Iain Lawrence. It is a book that anyone will easily get caught up in reading.
Lord of the Nutcracker Men has an excellent plot that has numerous twists and will
keep anyone on edge. In the middle of the novel, Johnny sees a commander walking around
the trench where he plays with his toy soldiers. After the man mysteriously vanishes, Johnny
comes across a picture of him. The man, whose name is Murdoch, is supposedly dead.
Meanwhile, when Johnny is playing with his soldiers, he notices the toy soldier version of his
father has turned gray and pale, almost as if his life has been knocked out of him.
Remembering that all of the battles that he had fought were exactly like the ones his father fought,
Johnny is worried that something will happen to him or already has.
Lord of the Nutcracker Men is for those who like suspense, but is also for people who
like to read historical fiction. The novel takes place in the beginning of World War I, and has
a lot of information packed in the pages. In the early chapters of the book, Johnny is picked on
by a gang of bullies during Guy Fawkes day, a holiday celebrated by the English. Also,
his father is fighting on the war front in France, when on Christmas Day in 1914, a truce
occured between the Germans and the British. Even though the book has so many facts that
you might get lost on some parts, the story that tells how Johnny lives through the war is amazing.
The main character in Lord of the Nutcracker Men, Johnny, has the perfect character
traits. This ten-year old boy is highly intelligent, and hopes for his father to beat the odds against
the Germans. Johnny also speaks what he thinks, which sometimes gets him into deep trouble,
as when he says he sees Murdoch, a person who is supposed to be dead, and really isn't.
However, the number one trait that Johnny has is endurance. He uses this trait throughout
the novel to escape hardships, such as his dad fighting in France for such a long time, and
having to live with Aunt Ivy, who can be very stern. Johnny is a very special young boy.
Lord of the Nutcracker Men by Iain Lawrence, is an excellent book that everyone should
read if they like action and suspense all in one. I rate this book a grand total of four stars out of
five.
A. Chappell
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
