Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo
Book Title: Private Peaceful
Author: Michael Morpurgo
Genre: Historical Fiction, WWI
My Grade: B
# of Pages: 202
Summary: Private Thomas Peaceful has left his family behind. He has lied about his age. He has followed his older brother to France to fight in the First World War. Now, after living through the terror of gas attacks, watching childhood friends die by his side, and battling the lice, the rats, the mud, and the sheer exhaustian of staying alert, young Thomas has the biggest challenge of his life ahead of him. He has been ordered to stand night watch over the battlefields, where the enemy lurks in the darkness. If Thomas falls asleep, he will be shot.
As the minutes slowly tick by, Thomas's memories are full of his childhood spent deep in the countryside. His mother, his brothers, his first love, Molly, come vividly alive in his mind. But every moment Thomas spends thinking about his life means another moment closer to something he cannot bear to think about - a time when the war and its horrific consequences will change his life forever.
My Thoughts: This book was not what I expected, and I liked it. I'm going to have to tread carefully as I review though because the finale of this book is very surprising and I don't want to give it away, because frankly I think that's what ended up making the book.
Private Peaceful does read a lot like a young adult novel, which shouldn't be a shocker since that's who it's aimed towards, but you should still give it a try. If you want an easy read that still deals with heavy and thought-provoking subject matters this might be the book of choice. The characters aren't fully well-rounded, but enough so that you can bond with them to let the novel have a little more impact. There's also a brief adjustment period when you have to get used to jumping back and forth between past and present, the fluidity of that is choppy at best.
Overall though, Private Peaceful was a touching and shocking read. I would love to know what people thought when they finished the book. Fair? Shocking? Did you even know stuff like that happened? Discuss it with me! Be warned though, if you haven't read the book and don't want to be spoiled, steer clear of reading the comments.
Next Book: Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier • review
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Author: Michael Morpurgo
Genre: Historical Fiction, WWI
My Grade: B
# of Pages: 202
Summary: Private Thomas Peaceful has left his family behind. He has lied about his age. He has followed his older brother to France to fight in the First World War. Now, after living through the terror of gas attacks, watching childhood friends die by his side, and battling the lice, the rats, the mud, and the sheer exhaustian of staying alert, young Thomas has the biggest challenge of his life ahead of him. He has been ordered to stand night watch over the battlefields, where the enemy lurks in the darkness. If Thomas falls asleep, he will be shot.
As the minutes slowly tick by, Thomas's memories are full of his childhood spent deep in the countryside. His mother, his brothers, his first love, Molly, come vividly alive in his mind. But every moment Thomas spends thinking about his life means another moment closer to something he cannot bear to think about - a time when the war and its horrific consequences will change his life forever.
My Thoughts: This book was not what I expected, and I liked it. I'm going to have to tread carefully as I review though because the finale of this book is very surprising and I don't want to give it away, because frankly I think that's what ended up making the book.
Private Peaceful does read a lot like a young adult novel, which shouldn't be a shocker since that's who it's aimed towards, but you should still give it a try. If you want an easy read that still deals with heavy and thought-provoking subject matters this might be the book of choice. The characters aren't fully well-rounded, but enough so that you can bond with them to let the novel have a little more impact. There's also a brief adjustment period when you have to get used to jumping back and forth between past and present, the fluidity of that is choppy at best.
Overall though, Private Peaceful was a touching and shocking read. I would love to know what people thought when they finished the book. Fair? Shocking? Did you even know stuff like that happened? Discuss it with me! Be warned though, if you haven't read the book and don't want to be spoiled, steer clear of reading the comments.
Next Book: Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier • review
Back to the Book List.