Regeneration Trilogy [Hardcover]

Pat Barker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 3, 1996

A trilogy of novels set during World War I which mingle real and fictional characters. "The Ghost Road" won the 1995 Booker Prize.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 608 pages
• Publisher: Viking Books; Reprint edition (October 3, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670869295
• ISBN-13: 978-0670869299
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 2.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #304,852 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Read 'The Ghost Road' in its context., November 16, 2001

By 

Wayne Symes (Doha, Qatar) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Regeneration Trilogy (Hardcover)

Having just finished reading this trilogy in one volume I would find it hard to read any of the books individually. Barker really builds on characterisation and plot as each of the stories progresses. Set in Scotland during World War 1 at Craiglockhart (an institution for miltary personnel suffering from shellshock) in `Regeneration', and moving first to England (`The Eye In The Door') and then to the front in France ('The Ghost Road') this is an excellent look at the impact of that war upon the individual. The series is based on historical meetings between W.H. Rivers (anthropologist, psychologist and childhood acquaintance of Lewis Carroll), Siegfried Sassoon (British poet) and Wilfred Owen (poet, killed shortly before the end of the war in 1918) and comes complete with historical notes at the end of each volume and further recommended reading about the people involved.

Barker is a fascinating writer with an obvious interest in the way that the human mind works, and particularly how it reacts to trauma. Some of the descriptions of the breakdowns that individuals suffer, and the incidents that cause them, are horrific and make this (at least in my mind) anti-war literature. Having said that, each of the major characters, both real and fictional, possess a longing to be part of the war even though some have already experienced the horror of being there. I was constantly trying to reassess my own viewpoints in the light of such responses.

The only real disappointment I felt concerned some of the more graphic descriptions of sex (both homosexual and heterosexual) which illustrated characters responses to events, but occasionally struck me as gratuitous in their detail. Having said that, if you are interested in reading `The Ghost Road' because of it's status as a Booker Prize winner, then I definitely recommend reading it in this format, with the other books in the series.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Great War, November 25, 2003

By 

S. Calhoun "rhymeswithorange" (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Regeneration Trilogy (Hardcover)

Throughout THE REGENERATION TRILOGY Barker does a phenomenal job of detailing the psychological consequences of trench warfare during the Great War. Set in London, Scotland, and France, the three volumes focus on the principle characters of Prior, Sassoon, Owens, and the renowned Dr. Rivers. Both their personal relationships with each other and with the First World War are examined. The reader is provided a glimpse into the terrible conditions of trench fighting, and how the medical establishment viewed shell-shock as a medical diagnosis and how it was treated. Through the poetry of Owen, Sassoon, etc, the world can begin to understand the personal horrors they have witnessed of a war that many soldiers did not understand. Based loosely on historical events and characters, Barker has created a perspective of modern warfare that does not contain the quintessential happy ending.

I believe each volume of the Regeneration Trilogy should be read in chronological order (REGENERATION, THE EYE IN THE DOOR, AND THE GHOST ROAD) to fully appreciate the merits of each volume. Although the plot is re-summarized at the beginning of each book, the main characters are continually being developed throughout. I just finished reading GHOST ROAD, and I have to admit that it's not my favorite of the three. I don't understand how this volume was awarded the Booker Prize when I believe REGENERATION is the strongest of the bunch. I also enjoyed THE EYE IN THE DOOR because of the exploration of societal issues during The First War, especially scape-goating of homosexuals and pacifists.

Overall, this trilogy is a wonderful glimpse into the atmosphere of Britain during the First World War.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars regenerating british fiction, December 2, 2005

By 

N. goodey "Nick" (new york, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Regeneration Trilogy (Hardcover)

Just finished the final volume of this excellent trilogy . I can't help but think the books should not be sold seperately because they do build one upon the other and if you read one on it's own you might just shrug your shoulders and move on. Also I can't agree with many of the reviewers that 'Ghost road' is the weakest of the bunch .I found it a very moving finale with the edition of Dr Rivers pre war African experiences giving a necessary twist to what could be a rather over familiar ending. The other thing I felt about the Regeneration trilogy is that some of the writing cries out to be translated into if not film, then at least a tv miniseries ........but billy priors graphically portrayed bisexuality probably makes that unlikely . Shame.