THE FIRST NOVEL IN ‘ONE OF THE MOST DISTINGUISHED LITERARY SERIES IN RECENT TIMES’ (SUNDAY TELEGRAPH)
‘His masterpiece’
Sunday Times
‘Outstandingly good’
Scotsman
‘A great achievement’
Observer
When Sam Richardson returns in 1946 from the ‘Forgotten War’ in Burma to Wigton in Cumbria, he finds the town little changed. But the war has changed him, broadening his horizons as well as leaving him with traumatic memories. In addition, his six-year-old son now barely remembers him, and his wife has gained a sense of independence from her wartime jobs. As all three strive to adjust, the bonds of loyalty and love are stretched to breaking point in this taut, and profoundly moving novel.
‘His masterpiece’
Sunday Times
‘Outstandingly good’
Scotsman
‘A great achievement’
Observer
When Sam Richardson returns in 1946 from the ‘Forgotten War’ in Burma to Wigton in Cumbria, he finds the town little changed. But the war has changed him, broadening his horizons as well as leaving him with traumatic memories. In addition, his six-year-old son now barely remembers him, and his wife has gained a sense of independence from her wartime jobs. As all three strive to adjust, the bonds of loyalty and love are stretched to breaking point in this taut, and profoundly moving novel.
Newsletter Signup
By clicking ‘Sign Up,’ I acknowledge that I have read and agree to Hachette Book Group’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
Reviews
An outstandingly good novel . . . utterly credible, utterly compelling, and very enjoyable
Deeply felt, beautifully realised
The first Great War came alive in Faulks's Birdsong; the second Great War, and in particular the Burma campaign, comes very much alive in Melvyn Bragg's The Soldier's Return - wholly absorbing
Sympathetic, touching, infinitely believable . . . This is a highly accomplished novel