I was recently asked for some suggestions of books that are written about both World Wars. This was an easy list to make as I tend to read (or collect for later anyway) a lot of books written about this period. I'm fascinated by the war years and not just about what happened on the battlefield, but what it was like for the people at home as well. I should really read more nonfiction, but I do tend to choose mostly fictional accounts of the war. I thought I would post the list (or one similar to it) here, though I am splitting the list into two. I have a feeling I am not alone in reading about this period, so if I've missed a really exceptional or well written book, please do share the title and I will tack it on at the end! As usual many of these I have already read, and many are waiting to be cracked open. The list could have been longer, but I tried to choose the novels that really struck me as representative of the period.
- Life Class, Pat Barker
- Regeneration, Pat Barker - This is the first in a trilogy blending fact and fiction. The last book won Barker the Booker Prize. I've heard excellent things about these books and they are high up on my list of 'to be reads'!
- No Angel, Penny Vincenzi - I know Vincenzi has a fluffy sort of reputation, but the three books she wrote about a publishing family before, during and after WWI are really excellent. They are all real page turners and I remember wanting to finish one of them so badly I walked home from the bus stop book in hand still reading. This is the first bookin the trilogy.
- Long Way Home, Sebastian Barry - I believe he was longlisted for the Booker Prize for this one.
- Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks - An excellent read. A very harrowing look at trench warfare and a bittersweet romance. Need to reread this one!
- Air We Breath, Andrea Barrett - This is set in an American sanatorium. I love the cover of this one by the way.
- Crimson Portrait, Jody Shields - I really liked this. I read it early this year, though it had mixed reviews from other readers.
- Apple Blossom Time, Kathryn Haig
- Dark Tide, Vera Brittain
- Flowers of the Field, Sarah Harrison - I am planning on reading this one for a reading challenge I still hope to finish this year.
- The Last Day of the War, Judith Claire Mitchell
- Mansfield, C.K. Stead - A fiction account of writer Katherine Mansfield. She lost a brother in the war and was devastated by it.
- Random Harvest, James Hilton
- Love's Mansion, Paul West
- Testament of Youth, Vera Brittain - My sole nonfiction read in this list. I really need to read this one as well.
- Dreamers of the Day, Mary Doria Russell
- A Very Long Engagement, Sebastien Japrisot - Loved this one, too. It is narrated by a young woman in an wheel chair. She's told her fiance is missing in action and believed dead, but she doesn't believe it.
Just thinking about these books makes me want to pull out one of the unread titles and start reading now! Part 2, WWII books to follow soon.