Ford Madox Ford’s masterpiece, a tetralogy set in England during World War I, is widely considered one of the best novels of the twentieth century.
First published as four separate novels (Some Do Not . . ., No More Parades, A Man Could Stand Up—, and The Last Post) between 1924 and 1928, Parade’s End explores the world of the English ruling class as it descends into the chaos of war. Christopher Tietjens is an officer from a wealthy family who finds himself torn between his unfaithful socialite wife, Sylvia, and his suffragette mistress, Valentine. A profound portrait of one man’s internal struggles during a time of brutal world conflict, Parade’s End bears out Graham Greene’s prediction that “There is no novelist of this century more likely to live than Ford Madox Ford.”
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“There are not many English novels which deserve to be called great: Parade’s End is one of them.” —W. H. Auden
From the Inside Flap
This monumental novel, divided into four separate books, celebrates the end of an era, the irrevocable destruction of the comfortable, predictable society that vanished during World War I.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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29 of 29 people found the following review helpful
By Nancy Kirk
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
It surpasses all the recenty novels I have read about World War I. It gives a though perspective, not merely a historical one. The characters and the times, their way of looking at a fast-disappearing world are vivid on the page. The literary quality means that you can be transported back into the era without leaving your seat--or searching names and places on your computer. You are a part of the times, and bleed as they bleed. The work is a masterpiece; it reinforces the importance of World War I in our lives. A generation lost, a generation who survive lives in terrible fear. You should not miss this.
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ford Maddox Ford's "Parade's End" is a classic World War I novel now featured on TV as a BBC miniseries
March 11, 2013
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Ford Maddox Ford (1873-1939) the grandson of Ford Maddox Brown the Pre-Raphalite painter was an innovative author in the early decades of the twentieth century. His most famous novels "The Good Soldier" and "Parade's End" have won him literary immortality. "Parade's End" is invariably listed as one of the best one hundred novels of the twentieth century. The huge 906 page tetralogy of four novels covering from 1912 to the postwar World World I has been made a bestseller due to the influential BBC series.
The book deals with such themes as:
a. The passing of the old aristocratic class society of England as manifested in the life of Christopher Tietjens. Tietjens is a rural Tory who has grown up on the vast estate of Groby in the Yorkshire Ridings. Tietjens is infatuated with eighteenth century living but is forced by war and love to enter the mechanized twentieth century of social disorder.
b. The difficulties of married life. Christopher and his wife Sylvia separate. She is amorous, beautiful and unfaithful to the saintly Tietjens. Their one child Mark may have been the son of a man she had an affair with prior to the Tietjens marriage. Sylvia is a cold and calculating woman is loosely based on one of Ford's mistresses Violet Hunt.
c. The huge book evinces the disillusionment and world weariness of the World War I generation. Ford would influence the writings of such authors as Hemingway and other authors of the lost generation.
d. The book is a searingly realistic portrayal of the gritty and tragic warfare experiences oi British troops on the Western front. The petty politics of the officers and the rat like existence of the enlisted men are well drawn by Ford. He was a veteran of combat in France during the war.
e. The book shows us a classic love triange tale. Christopher is loved by both cold Sylvia and the enchanting young Valentine Wollop a virginal, youthful and athletic young lady.
The book is modernistic in its use of flashback and the adroit way the characters reflect on their emotions. Some readers will find this book slow but it will reward careful readers through its close examination of the complex business of human love. It can be very slow moving at times!
Minor characters and upper class British society are well drawn. "Parade's End" is a classic novel by a great writer. It is an essential read for literate English readers. Highly recommended!
The book deals with such themes as:
a. The passing of the old aristocratic class society of England as manifested in the life of Christopher Tietjens. Tietjens is a rural Tory who has grown up on the vast estate of Groby in the Yorkshire Ridings. Tietjens is infatuated with eighteenth century living but is forced by war and love to enter the mechanized twentieth century of social disorder.
b. The difficulties of married life. Christopher and his wife Sylvia separate. She is amorous, beautiful and unfaithful to the saintly Tietjens. Their one child Mark may have been the son of a man she had an affair with prior to the Tietjens marriage. Sylvia is a cold and calculating woman is loosely based on one of Ford's mistresses Violet Hunt.
c. The huge book evinces the disillusionment and world weariness of the World War I generation. Ford would influence the writings of such authors as Hemingway and other authors of the lost generation.
d. The book is a searingly realistic portrayal of the gritty and tragic warfare experiences oi British troops on the Western front. The petty politics of the officers and the rat like existence of the enlisted men are well drawn by Ford. He was a veteran of combat in France during the war.
e. The book shows us a classic love triange tale. Christopher is loved by both cold Sylvia and the enchanting young Valentine Wollop a virginal, youthful and athletic young lady.
The book is modernistic in its use of flashback and the adroit way the characters reflect on their emotions. Some readers will find this book slow but it will reward careful readers through its close examination of the complex business of human love. It can be very slow moving at times!
Minor characters and upper class British society are well drawn. "Parade's End" is a classic novel by a great writer. It is an essential read for literate English readers. Highly recommended!
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By Greg Deane
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I began this this tetralogy when I was a callow youth, but I am glad I waited until recently to savour its gentle virtuosity. The main character, Christopher Tietjens, signs his name Xtopher, which suggests a Christ figure itself, especially when combined with his surname, which sounds much like Jesus.
Though the protagonist may be viewed by modern readers as a pompous prig, he is in fact a very humble, erudite character who does not struggle with worldly lusts or desires. He simply transcends them. Others he meets fear him because of his obvious physical strength and because of the wrongs they do him, whether adultery or failing to repay debts or by calumniating him cutting down Groby Tree and partly destroy his ancestral home. He is a victim of slander but is only concerned for those who are slandered with him than he is for himself. He gives of his money and his solace and love to anyone who asks for help. His main reason for wanting to be with Valentine Wannop, is because he wants to be able to complete conversations with her.
Parallels with Jesus pervade the four stories, including one to Lazarus where he uses his superhuman strength to pull a soldier out from a mountain of rubble that collapsed on him from a bombarded trench. Tietjens is feared and maligned but also followed and admired because of his unassuming strength and quite leadership. He is a genuine protagonist who, unlike Ford's suicidal protagonist in "The Good Soldier", is blessed with a future of uneventful years, in which he can be assumed to quietly do good.
Though the work is a love story without the hint of a love scene, and a war story without a single battle scene, it is gripping. It holds the reader enthralled through fugues provided from the perspectives of multiple characters, so that Ford quietly invalidates scandals and elucidates misunderstandings. In the end, the story has no villain, because the reader has come to walk in the shoes of all the characters. They are all, except Tietjens, lacking in virtue forgiveably. Parade's End (Vintage Classics)
Though the protagonist may be viewed by modern readers as a pompous prig, he is in fact a very humble, erudite character who does not struggle with worldly lusts or desires. He simply transcends them. Others he meets fear him because of his obvious physical strength and because of the wrongs they do him, whether adultery or failing to repay debts or by calumniating him cutting down Groby Tree and partly destroy his ancestral home. He is a victim of slander but is only concerned for those who are slandered with him than he is for himself. He gives of his money and his solace and love to anyone who asks for help. His main reason for wanting to be with Valentine Wannop, is because he wants to be able to complete conversations with her.
Parallels with Jesus pervade the four stories, including one to Lazarus where he uses his superhuman strength to pull a soldier out from a mountain of rubble that collapsed on him from a bombarded trench. Tietjens is feared and maligned but also followed and admired because of his unassuming strength and quite leadership. He is a genuine protagonist who, unlike Ford's suicidal protagonist in "The Good Soldier", is blessed with a future of uneventful years, in which he can be assumed to quietly do good.
Though the work is a love story without the hint of a love scene, and a war story without a single battle scene, it is gripping. It holds the reader enthralled through fugues provided from the perspectives of multiple characters, so that Ford quietly invalidates scandals and elucidates misunderstandings. In the end, the story has no villain, because the reader has come to walk in the shoes of all the characters. They are all, except Tietjens, lacking in virtue forgiveably. Parade's End (Vintage Classics)
Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
boring
I bought this thinking I'd get into a lot of history as well as a good story but I found the writing so boring I read 60 pages to give it a chance and it was too much for me so I... Read more
Published 23 days ago by Patricia M. Garner
1.0 out of 5 stars
Parade's End--novel
If you're looking for Benedict Cumberbatch, you won't find him here. Although this is supposed to be one of the great English novels, I found it unreadable. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Nancy T. Doty
5.0 out of 5 stars
Parades End
Complex and interesting throughout: all four books! I enjoyed every moment and could not put it down. I finished it in a few days.
Published 1 month ago by Brose
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic
Have always wanted to read this book. It came quickly and is good quality. I would purchase from vendor again.
Published 2 months ago by Amy
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