Synopses & Reviews
Review
"This book recounts the story of the British Army, those professionals who helped hold back the invading Germans while Great Britain was training the hundreds of thousands of volunteers who wanted to do their duty in the great adventure. The sword and lance figure prominently. The author manages her tale of the confused maneuvering very well, but the most appealing aspects of the book are the many sizeable quotations from interviews, journals, letters, and books of participants, both military and civilian. She has preserved the experiences of men and women who cannot be with us long. Her sense of drama often serves her well as she tells of strain and fatigue, but finally it betrays her cheap journalistic effects that seem very contrived. There is also a curiously light touch that states the losses but misses the fear and horror, even the excitement and glory. The maps are uneven, the index good." Reviewed by Daniel Weiss, Virginia Quarterly Review (Copyright 2006 Virginia Quarterly Review)