Customer Reviews

The Officers' Ward

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Based on the experiences of his grandfather in WWI, Marc Dugain writes beautifully about a hospital ward of soldiers recovering--if that can be done--from severe facial injuries. The Officers Ward is a powerful account of what it means to go to war and to have oneself disfigured and, perhaps, left literally speechless. The characters make the reader uncomfortable and make each other uncomfortable, as the story explores what men can and cannot share with each other. These soldiers, including the main character Adrien Fournier, talk of their own pain and of women and of the men still in the trenches. This story is especially powerful because the men who fought WWI are largely gone--it's a history that cannot be lost to new generations. Now that it's available in paperback, I'm doubly recommending this short novel to friends.

If you're interested in short novels, you might also consider Julie Otsuka's When the Emperor Was Divine, a story about a Japanese-American family during WWII. Other good, short novels include Bill Grattan's Ghost Runners (think baseball), Jane Smiley's Ordinary Love & Good Will (think Midwest), Neal Bowers' Loose Ends (think Tennessee funeral), and Helen Humphreys' Afterimage (think 19th-century photographer).

Perhaps the tragedies, the horrors, and the heroics of World War I have been
chronicled over and over, but perhaps, still, not often enough. In Marc Dugain's first
novel "The Officers' Ward," the French-born author has furnished yet another story (and
lesson) from the "War to end all Wars."

To say it was "the worst of times" would be an understatement and young
Lieutenant Adrien Fournier finds himself an early casualty of the German onslaught. He's
devastatingly wounded--much of his face is blown away--and he's transported to Paris to
await recovery and rehabilation for the rest of the war, some five years or so. A bright
young man (an engineer by education), and handsome, he must now face a future
grotesquely disfigured and to a whole where self pity, even repulsion, await him. He
forms a long-standing bond with three others who've suffered similar injuries. It is a time
for them all to come to grips with their own mortality.

But Fournier is no lightweight and sets about facing his own destiny. His time in
hospital--in a special ward for soldiers with such facial injuries--serves as the basis of his
own positive perception of the world to come. It's not an easy ride for him.

The general idea for this story comes from Dugain's own grandfather, himself a
veteran of The Great War. "The Officers' Ward" was honored with France's Prix des
Libraires, and was on the short-list for the Grand Prix of the Académie Française.
Dugain's power of description and episode is a depressingly tragic view of such a
senseless war, yet these tragic elements are somehow overshadowed by the hope and the
will of the human spirit to rise above the personal pitfalls and to function positively within
the confines of a civilized society. But most importantly it is within the confines of his own
self-image that Lieutenant Fournier prevails. Dugain deserves his accolades.
(...)

every once in a while, a book pops up that really succeeds in almost every way imaginable...that is, capturing the imagination, feeling empathy with/for the characters and then simply getting so involved with the story that nothing else exists except the written word...The Officers'Ward is one of these jewels...the lovely thing about it is that it may be read in one sitting and even though the story is quite tragic, there is a certain slant of optimism that keeps the story alive. a simple, elegant story...i highly recommend.

The Officer's ward. Moved me like no other book has ever moved me before.

It is one of those books, that once you start reading it you can not put it down. I am a reader that tends to have a few books running at once and it can take me weeks to finish them. This book I read in two days.

The strength of human spirit shines in this book.

If you only read one book in your life this is the book to read. The regretful thing is, that after this book all other books pale into insignificance.

This book was a total surprise. I never expected it to have such an impact on me--or frankly any of the other people I lent the book to. It should be required reading in high school or even for adults. It sends a powerful message about the important things in life and true happiness.

This book is a perfect little gem.
A book complete and very alive in the writing.
Bravo.Look foreward to read his second novel.This being his first, we have wonders to look foreward to.Thank you.