All Quiet on the Western Front and The Red Badge of Courage
are classic war novels because they deal not with the war so much as with the men who risk their lives,
often for a cause they don't fully understand--if, indeed there is a legitimate
cause. The books have a universal quality because humanity does not change its yearnings.
Elizabeth Speller’s The First of July is a book in
this classic tradition as it examines men of different backgrounds, in different countries, and of
different ages, all who have a reason to enter the war as a soldier but whose
reason may have nothing to do with love of country. Each makes extreme sacrifices during WWI but
each for a very different reason. In
that way, in particular, I was immediately reminded of All Quiet on the Western Front
and The
Red Badge of Courage. Those
protagonists were boys; that is not always the case in The First of July.
First of July becomes a superb study
of human character and motivation, its strengths and weaknesses as well as the
yearnings which sometimes lie so deep inside that we are not even aware.
Following the characters’ individual stories and
appreciating the uniqueness of each man becomes a sad joy as we learn their
fates in the horribly bloody battles of WWI.
In fact, Speller sets her novel before the war begins and then in the time leading up to, and then shortly after, the bloodiest battle for the British of WWI, The
Battle of the Somme . Allied forces
casualties numbered almost one hundred thousand.
First of July is exquisitely crafted. The ugliness and grittiness of war is exposed
in a descriptive but controlled manner. We
move through time when war lay only on the horizon until it is all
encompassing. We learn each character’s background and reaction as the war
moves closer and closer. We get a
glimpse into the distinct cultures of their different countries as well as of
their personal relationships with others.
From a wealthy “runaway” member of British royalty to the son of a
coffin maker whose greatest wish is to make enough money to buy a fine bicycle,
we view every strata of society, different kinds of relationships from mother
and son to husband and wife. Some men are
honest; some are not. Some have been
mislead. Some are ambitious; some are
not. In total, we are gifted with a perceptive view of Everyman meeting the
horrors of war. It is stunning.
The writing is excellent--descriptive yet right and
objective. I will definitely read another one of Elizabeth Speller’s books of historical fiction.
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