Customer Reviews

Remembrance

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am a High School English teacher in Brisbane. My father (who served at sea in WW 2) was named after his uncle, an Australian artillery officer who served in Gallipoli and in France. He was killed in action in the Somme region in 1917. I discovered this novel, "Remembrance" by Theresa Breslin after my family had visited his grave in France during 2001. Breslin's account of seeing British students (my own children were upper primary school age and truly affected), visiting a similar war cemetary struck a chord with me as many Australians and New Zealanders suffered and died in this area (along with British, French, Canadian and US troops and Germans in this region). It inspired me to use it as the focus of a unit on war, using the play, "Journey's End" by R.C. Sherriff, set in the trenches, plus WW1 war poetry by women & men, allied and German (e.g. Owen & Sassoon & Trakl). The students love the novel with its mix of both female and male perspectives on the war (and a little romance) and the social history of the period. The students have also studied the period in History, so it has proved a valuable inter-disciplinary unit. I recommend the novel whole-heartedly to anyone interested in the period including young people who wish to explore the mood and many social changes of the period in Britain. Also on the Hyperion CD label, and on Chandos are CD's either featuring composers of WW1 or music appropriate to listen to in conjunction with "Remembrance". There are few authors and novels that I have taught that have enthused both teacher and student as deeply. A must read novel !

OK. heres the deal. I read TONS of books, but this is me ALL TIME favorite. I was so happy when Charlotte Armstron-Barnes and John Malcolm admit the like each other, and I cried for charlotte when she found out he had been killed. I worried about Johns too-young-brother that sneegles his way into the army to fight. I was glad that Maggie (John Malcolm's twin sister) helped Francis (Charlottes older brother) stay sane while he was fighting. I recommend this book for anyone (12+) who likes to read. Younger people probably wont appreiciate the romantic aspect of this book, but hey knock yourselves out, because you will fall for this book Hook-Line-and-Sinker!

My daughter actually recommended this as one of her favorite books. After reading it, I can see why. It is a well-written historical fiction about WWI, primarily from a UK perspective. Through the characters, the realities and potential consequences of any war are brought to life. There are a lot of interesting sub-topics and themes, such as the social changes of the period, particularly in terms of the changing roles of women in the UK. One of the more subtle and profound themes is the role of art and literature in our lives. One of the novel's greatest strengths is the character development of Maggie. The correspondence between Maggie and Francis is particularly powerful. It is mainly through the character of Francis that the impacts of WWI, and arguably any war, are fleshed out. It is a book that can be enjoyed by teens and adult, and can provide opportunities for discussion between the two on many different topics.

Remembrance by Theresa Breslin is a fun Historical Fiction book to read that is full of excitement. The excitement that I thought was exciting was the letters that the characters get. The letters were full of love, and some shock. Like Maggie, for instance, her little brother Alex and boyfriend Francis are both at war, keeping touch with her as much as they can. So Maggie ends up getting one of those letters saying Alex died. But he really didn't. So of course they sort it all out and she is relieved that he is fine. Along with Maggie is her good friend, Charlotte. Who also has a boyfriend in the war. Maggie and Charlotte are great friends, who both work at hospitals, Military hospitals. The book takes place in 1915. I think what Theresa is trying to say to us in this book is that you shouldn't worry too much when family members leave to war, stay calm if you get a letter that doesn't sound right, and to keep in touch with your loved ones. So if you like war related stories, and letters full of excitement, you should read Remembrance.

This is one of the greatest WW1 books I have read. It shows what the war was like for multiple characters through a group of young adults, whether it be solder in the heat of the battle, a sister or girlfriend worrying at home, a young nurse seeing things most people are lucky enough not to have to see in their life or a man trying to avoid enlistment because he is against the war, you are bound to be able to relate with one of the characters. For any historical-fiction lover this is a must read...

Fabulous. Excellent. Brilliant!

Before I start, may I just make a correction to the review above- it is actually World War 1 that this book is set in, not world war 2, as you said.

The story is os easy to follow, and so tear jerking- I cried about three times throughout the book!The relationships between characters the grow, and turn into love, are so beautifully described. You can predict the plot after reading the first few chapters, but I was still gripped by the story

Theresa Breslin writes beautifully, the pictures she created in my mind were vivid, and I felt as though I was there.

A strong recomendation.

There is a war going on and it has been going on for quit some time now. Charlotte and her family own a small little store. Charlotte has a brother, Francis, which wants to go to the war so he can help them fight. Her mother is sick, and her dad is always down in the store. Charlotte and her brother are always helping their dad down in the shop because they are always busy. Charlotte has a crush on a boy named John Malcolm. He has a sister named Maggie. She didn't like very many people. Charlotte wants to go work as a nurse in the hospital. The hospitals are going to be full of army people who were hurt in the war, which could be very sick and gruesome. Charlotte's mom is pretty sick. So she has to listen to what her mom says. Since the war is going on you can't walk alone a lot of places because something could happen to you. So every time charlotte wanted to see John, she had to have her brother take cover and not say where she was. Her mom didn't want charlotte going to be one of those nurses because she thought it would make her upset. She did it anyways. At first she didn't like it because some guy cut his own leg off and it was infected and it was all green and different colors. Everyone doubted her before that guy came in. once he came in and she stared at him for a while being grossed out, she called for the closest person and had him get her some things. Then everyone thought different of her.

When John Malcolm went off to war, he sent a longer letter to charlotte than he did his own family and Maggie was mad at charlotte for that. Charlotte only received like two or three letters from him. Maggie got the telegram that John Malcolm had died during the fighting. And charlotte knew where to meet her because she already knew. There had been people all over the block that had died. So she knew. Her brother ran off to the war

And that made her family really upset.