This Prix Goncourt winner concerns two French veterans of the Great war, scarred by their experiences in different ways, seeking to survive and prosper in postwar France. From the battlefield to the lower reaches of Paris and the depiction of the inhuman, corrupt ruling class, the narrative, alternately tragic and comic never flags. With its vividly drawn characters from a superbly cynical villain, a sexy maid - no better than she should be - to a failed bureaucrat battling for justice, I couldn't put this one down - highly recommended.
(Tony Pratt - bwl 96 Spring 2020 ) |
