Alec lives with his rather cold and detached parents, Frederick and Alicia. As he recounts his childhood memories, it becomes clear that they have a very unhappy marriage. Instead he is taught academic subjects and music by tutors who come to the house. Consequently, Alec has a lonely childhood with only a few adults for company. He is a quiet sensitive boy who spends most of his time alone writing or horse riding. In time, Alec meets Jerry , a local boy who also enjoys horse riding.
It is obvious that Alec is delighted to have a friend to talk to, swim with and share his passion for horses. I just can't deal with the crap in the middle. It really needed someone to cut most of the story out. This is the book I've been longing to read even though I didn't know it existed.
I really hope Evelyn Waugh rises from the grave, so I can discuss it with him. Why Evelyn Waugh do you ask? Well, because this book gave me 'Brideshead Revisited' vibes and I really wish to know what he thinks about that. Anyhow, this book was great. It broke my heart, but it was so compelling! Jennifer Johnston describes things with a sense of poetry and sensibility. Sometimes the book reads like it is a poem.
On ot This is the book I've been longing to read even though I didn't know it existed. On other occassions it is more like a script for a play, because Jennifer Johnston puts dialogue on the page without much clues to who is saying what. I tended to get a little confused sometimes, but it was a nice sort of confusion. The way the story developed reminded me of 'Post for Mrs. Bromley' by Stefan Brijs. Maybe that is why it broke my heart. I still haven't recovered from 'Post for Mrs.
I am giving this book three stars, because it blew my heart to smithereens and I am still aching because of it.
I might give it the stars it deserves when I finally recover. Mar 05, Laila rated it it was amazing Shelves: fiction , historical-fiction , sad-but-worth-it , novella , friendship , war , ireland , read-in , world-war-i. Heartbreaking but beautiful. A friendship homoerotic? Frowned upon by Alexander's dysfunctional family. Then WWI starts and they both go off to war. This novella is beautifully written but be prepared for a gut-punch. I'll definitely read more by Jennifer Johnston, a prolific Irish writer I'd never heard of before a couple of years ago.
Read this for Cathy's Reading Ireland Month blog event. Apr 07, Melanie Vidrine rated it it was amazing. Life before the war as heartbreaking as life in the trenches. Nov 14, Micaela Castanheira rated it it was amazing Shelves: favorites. Mar 11, Chrissie marked it as to-read Shelves: contemp-novel , ireland , relationships , audible-uk , hf. Shelves: lit-fic , ireland , world-war-i. What a surprisingly powerful novel! One of our Irish neighbors recommended it to me, saying of all the books he was forced to read for school, this was his very favorite one.
And I must say, the book took me by surprise! Though truly more of a novella than novel, at only being a scant few pages over , it was beautifully written and so emotional! I just loved it! I do think, however, in order to truly appreciate it, you need to have some understanding of the historical and political contex Oh!
I do think, however, in order to truly appreciate it, you need to have some understanding of the historical and political context of the book's WWI setting. The style of the book even adds to that historical feel, because despite its s publication, it definitely has the feel of a book written before WWII even.
All in all, a surprisingly wonderful story and one that I am very glad that I read! Feb 03, A. Each enlists for his own reasons, and if we know anything of the Irish experience of WWI, we know before we start to read that this will not be a happy story. The characters are solid, dense, and in the short space it takes to tell her story, Johnston creates a cast of perhaps ten characters who elicit powerful responses from a reader--love Alec, love Jerry, loathe Sergeant Barry, loathe Alec's mother.
The swans and the horses are symbols that also provide the focus of some fine, lovely, moments. Mar 06, eimear. I read this book in school as part of my final exams and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Usually when I read books as part of my english course in school, the detail and depth we looked for as we read the book made me enjoy it less, but this book is the exception. Jul 31, Lisa Reynolds rated it it was amazing.
How Many Miles To Babylon? I first came across this book when it was on the curriculum in my secondary school. I liked what I got to read of it at the time but when you are studying a book it can be difficult to sit back and just enjoy the book. So I put it on the to-read list and recently I got the chance to read it through and unsurprisingly it was a great read.
Gorgeously told by Johnston, this book is rich in Irish history and also in the history of what life was like in the war in Flanders. The protagonist of this book is Alec and it is told from his point of view.
Alec is an upper-class Protestant who becomes friends with Jerry who is a working-class Catholic. They both grow up together in Wicklow and eventually find themselves in the British Army. Their friendship is wonderful to read. There is such a strong connection and bond between them that bypasses class and another delicate boundary of religion in Ireland at that time.
Love is a major theme in the book. I certainly felt that they were in love but neither told each other how they felt. Still actions speak louder than words and there is so many moments in this book where you see the sacrifices they make for each other and the love they feel for each other.
Class is a major theme in this book. It all is rather ridiculous but to the people saying it they seem to find it valid and right. It does seem to be all about power and appearances.
Another major theme of this book is family life and dynamics. Alec comes from quite a cold home mostly because his mother is domineering. She seems unhappy with her own life and not in love with his father like she used to be. However she is very well-written. So much so that you feel the tension from the home just through the pages.
However much Alec tries to please her, nothing seems enough. I think Johnston wrote these family dynamics very well and gave a very clear picture of both of their home lives. War is also a major theme of this book. We get a great insight into what life was like in Flanders even many decades later and the struggles faced in vivid detail and accounts. We also get an insight into the varying reasons why people joined. Alec joined to please his Mum, Jerry to gain experience to fight for the Nationalist cause and Bennett, an English officer who Alec shares a room with, to be a hero.
They are all young and are now in a situation which it seems clear none of them are ready for with a lot of older people who are putting a lot of pressure on their shoulders and should know better.
Johnston wrote a very authentic book about this period. Anyone from Ireland like me who knows the history of Ireland knows what people went through in those days seeking independence and been ruled by the Catholic religion which had more power than the state at that time.
The book is weaved together brilliantly and seamlessly. The ending of this book is sad and powerful without giving too much away. It seems at first to come out of nowhere and then you realise the whole plot has been working up to this conclusion. Stunningly written but have a few tissues ready … This is a wonderful read. Very naturally written with great descriptions. A must-read. At only pages long, this novel packs a punch. I picked this book up on a whim- it was prescribed on the Leaving Cert course and while I didn't study it, I was intruiged By the promise of horses, and by the fact that it was written by an Irish Author.
First of all, I loved Johnston's writing style, it was lyrical and had a beauty to it, yet it never felt 'wordy' or unnecessary.
It created a sense of loneliness which permeated throughout the novel, while also providing beautiful descriptions of At only pages long, this novel packs a punch. It created a sense of loneliness which permeated throughout the novel, while also providing beautiful descriptions of rural Ireland, which contrasts to the haunting reality of the trenches we see later on. Secondly, the plot, wassimple yet captivating. The focus of the story is the friendship,between Alec and Jerry, a friendship which is forbidden due to their different social standings.
The young men, however, rekindle their friendship years later, when they are enlisted to fight in the trenches. Even so they are still separated, now by rank rather than class. The way Johnston executes this story is mesmerising. Unlike most war stories which focus on the graphic violence of conflict, Johnston focuses on the more humane consequences; the loneliness, pain and grief of battle. Finally, what makes this novel stand-out most of all is the endearing and heartbreaking friendship that exists between Alec and Jerry, and later between Officer Bennett as well.
Despite all the challenges that Alec and Jerry face, their friendship and simple dreams endure. Ultimately the bond between them proves stronger than that that exists between man, country and king. Honestly, this book has left a long-lasting impression on me, and I would highly recommend that everyone reads it. May 14, Ana rated it it was amazing Shelves: historical-fiction , wwi.
God this book I've read a lot of WWI literature, written both by the war generation and by those who came after it, but nothing has reached quite the level of delicate emotional intensity as this. I think it's because the focus of the book is on the relationship between Alec and Jerry rather than more broadly on the war, so even in a mere pages you get so attached to the characters and the love between them.
There are strong parallels with Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men which I cannot believe were simply coincidental, but for me predicting the ending didn't stop the novel being as powerful as it was. The shortness of the book means that every line is so perfectly crafted that the last few pages had my heart breaking over and over and over again.
Would highly recommend reading it in one go if possible, because it's the kind of book that needs to be experienced in one heart-wrenching burst. Mar 19, Amy rated it really liked it.
The book however is poignant. The story is of two Irish youths who go off to fight World War 1. They are childhood friends but Alex is from a well to do family and Jerry is from a common lower class family. Then once they go to war, they also are treated differently, as Alex is immediately made an officer despite his lack of skill because of his social status and Jerry a private due to his.
This is a novella, just under pages, but Johnston is able to weave together a touching ode to friendship in those few pages. As a war book, you really get the dehumanization and darkness that war brings. I really enjoyed it though and the last line may be one of my recent favorites. Jennifer Johnston is an extremely talented writer. Review: How Many Miles to Babylon? Which conflict is worse? Tue, May 6, , Updated: Tue, May 6, , Peter Crawley. How Many Miles to Babylon? More from The Irish Times Books.
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