Over There [Hardcover]

Thomas Fleming (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1992

During the First World War, Polly Warden, a feminist and former pacifist, acts both as a nurse in a frontline French hospital and an ambulance driver on the British and American fronts, while friends and former lovers fight. 75,000 first printing. $100,000 ad/promo. Tour.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Issues of life, death, honor, glory and the futility of war are given lip servce in this saga of WW I from the author of the bestselling Time and Tide. Set on the Allied front in France and grimly cataloguing countless atrocities there, the novel focuses primarily on the fortunes of nurse's aide Polly Warden as she changes from a wide-eyed, idealistic young woman into a shell-shocked and weary cynic. A recent Wellesley graduate with a major in French, Polly sails for the Continent determined to do her part, and is soon working at the front in a job described to her as "tres difficile et tres dangereux." Danger and difficulty notwithstanding, Polly begins a love affair with Dr. Paul Lebrun, a brilliant but desperately disillusioned French surgeon who speaks repeatedly of "le cafard," an affliction of the soul that "resonates hunger, cold, the blood of brothers and foes." Following the war-complicated romances of Polly and others, including Gen. John J. Pershing, Fleming traces a cast of flat, stock characters (the leader, the spy, the poet, the foot soldier) through an uninspired, formulaic plot. 75,000 first printing; $100,000 ad/promo; author tour.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

Historical novelist Fleming (The Officer's Wives, 1981; Time and Tide, 1987, etc.) offers a melodramatic saga set against the backdrop of the First World War. American Polly Warden, an incipient feminist and active pacifist, turns down marriage to a millionaire to go off to Paris in 1917, seeking nobility in the ravages of war. As a nurse in a French hospital, she becomes romantically involved with a disillusioned young surgeon, in large part as defense against the horrifying reality of the front lines. After the doctor's tragic death, his very rich father tries to use Polly's pacifist background as part of a secret plan to surrender his country to Germany (there was a great internal struggle about whether to continue the war effort in France in the months just prior to the arrival of the American forces). Instead, she ends up working as a counteragent on behalf of Clemenceau (sacrificing much of her reputation in the process), then becomes an ambulance driver, first for the British, later for the Americans. All of this intertwines her life with that of General Malvern Hill Bliss, who has been rescued from incipient alcoholism and self-destruction (brought on by the loss of his wife and son in the Philippines) by ``Black Jack'' Pershing and put in charge of the Lafayette Division, one of the first American units in Europe. Bliss, aided in no small part by the insights of the beautiful Englishwoman Anita Sinclair, sees through the politics and hypocrisy of British and French commanders who want to misuse American forces, but he's powerless to do much about it. As the war reaches its bloody climax, he can only send his men to die needlessly. An intriguing enough story of an emerging new world (and most especially of a new and modern-style woman), but even Fleming fans will have to be willing to plow through an abundance of pedestrian and (especially in matters sexual) awkward prose. -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 624 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers; First Edition. edition (May 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060179902
• ISBN-13: 978-0060179908
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,451,528 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

"How do you write a book?" 24 year old Thomas Fleming asked bestselling writer Fulton Oursler in 1951. "Write four pages a day," Oursler said. "Every day except Sunday. Whether you feel like it or not. Inspiration consists of putting the seat of your pants on the chair at your desk." Fleming has followed this advice to good effect. His latest effort, "The Intimate Lives of the Founding Fathers," is his 50th published book. Twenty three of them have been novels. He is the only writer in the history of the Book of the Month Club to have main selections in fiction and in nonfiction. Many have won prizes. Recently he received the Burack Prize from Boston University for lifetime achievement. In nonfiction he has specialized in the American Revolution. He sees Intimate Lives as a perfect combination of his double talent as a novelist and historian. "Novelists focus on the imtimate side of life. This is the first time anyone has looked at the intimate side of the lives of these famous Americans, with an historian's eyes." Fleming was born in Jersey City, the son of a powerful local politician. He has had a lifetime interest in American politics. He also wrote a history of West Point which the New York Times called "the best...ever written." Military history is another strong interest. He lives in New York with his wife, Alice Fleming, who is a gifted writer of books for young readers.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly Wonderful, August 18, 2005

By 

Turtle "Kelsi" (Minnesota) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Over There (Hardcover)

I've read several books that I have rated into the top ten ever, and each time I read a new one it edges its way up there. When I opened this book and read the startling graphic details of war, loss and love, I knew this would be more. I had studied and been very fascinated with the First World War, The War to end all Wars. I learned all about the effects upon Americans who stayed at home, but it was recommended for the student to read a few different books relating to the European experience; Over There was one of them. It gave the details they don't tell you in American History about the gruesome effects upon the millions and millions of affected families and friends of those who were killed on the European front.
It kept me awake late into the night every evening I read it and I always rued setting it down. It captures the reader's imagination and tears their heart and mind in so many directions. You must think about some jokes and comments in order to fully understand the impact they make upon conversations that are so well written you would never believe you were sitting quietly in your undisturbed home. It pulls you in and won't let you go until the very end. Never a boring moment, you'll love it and instantly rate it as one of the top books ever, as I did.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A connection to history, January 22, 2002

By 

Keith R. Bridgman "Keith ' Backcountry ' Brid... (Alvaton, Kentucky) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Over There (Paperback)

Few novels have captured my attention as much as this one. My grandfather fought during WWI, a fact I'm sure contributed to my interest in this story. The way the characters Malvern Bliss and Polly Warden were woven into the historical story of the American experience 'Over There', syphoned my imagination into the perils and pitfalls of that era, and rekindled childhood memories of stories my grandfather told of his experiences. I gained a greater respect for the men and women who actually lived the events depicted in this story. The characters brought to life events that have been shoved back into the recesses of the history books and mostly forgotten by today's generation. To fully understand The Second World War, one must understand the events surrounding the breeding ground where the roots of that conflict were planted. This novel captures the tragedy that was WWI through strong and powerful characters caught up in events no person can fully comprehend. Although it is fiction, it is must reading for all war history enthusiasts. America's roll during WWI has been down played in the history books, but this novel helps to shed light on the significant contribution the 'Doughboys' made. They were big and brawny, and in the end, pulled off some heroic efforts even the battle hardened British and French were unable to do. 'Over There' beautifully captures that effort.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Read, January 19, 2008

By 

M. Lutton - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Over There (Hardcover)

This books does a good job of dealing with the collective psychology of a generation. The motives of the characters, and the mind-set of the time, are presented without the melodrama and simplicity found in other books. Reading this book took my mind to a different time. One is quickly removed from our current world of technology where everything is accessible, entertaining and established. Instead, one is put into the world of uncertainty and change as the characters try to make sense of their lives and the world during the war. Few books can be so subtle, yet so effective, in their delivery of the motivation of the characters. If you wish to experience a different time, a different way of thinking, and gain respect for those involved in World War I, this book is highly recommended.