War and Turpentine

I didn't know a great deal about this book when I bought it, so my less than stellar review will doubtless come from that.The book follows the life of the author's grandfather, one Urbain (Urbann) Martien, and his life leading up to, during, and after the first world war. The first third of the book deals with his early life and childhood growing up in Belgium. The second is a first person retelling of his time fighting and getting injured (three times, no less) at the front during WWI. And the final third is a recount of life life after the war, and his artistic exploits.The retelling of Urbain's WWI experiences was easily the best part of the book. It was beautifully written, and there was no dancing around the disgusting details of life in a trench. Piles of feces, dismembered limbs, and bullet wounds are all described in loving detail.The first and final thirds of the book were weak points for me. The "narrative" (is it even a narrative? It sometimes reads like a collection of blog posts) jumps from present tense, to past, from first person to third, and describes snippets of Urbain's life, and then other snippets about the journey his grandson takes to uncover the secrets of this life. All of this is interspersed with detailed descriptions of paintings and pieces of classical music. On the whole, I found it a bit messy.I guess it wasn't what I thought it would be, which would be a memoir of someone's experiences during WWI, so my not-so-great view of the book comes from the fact that I'm comparing it to what "I thought it should be" rather than what it actually is. For what it is, it's "something a bit different" and should probably be applauded for that. But it just wasn't for me.The translation is beautiful though, and the translator should rightfully be praised for producing what is, despite its flaws, a very elegantly written book.

I liked the way in which a memoir,of the author’s grandfather, was recounted in such a visual way. This was entirely appropriate as his grandfather and great grandfather were artists. The language, correspondingly, was also beautiful in what must be a very good translation.The history was very interesting covering the Belgian involvement in WW1 with interesting detail about use of facilities in this country, a hospital in Liverpool , convalescence in the Lake District. Art history also threads throughout the book, including famous works which his grandfather copied as well as family portraits.I recommend to those who enjoy memoir and art history.

Sorry to say I was bored and struggling but only because the author could not decide in which tense to write and it lacked dialogue. It was all in monotone. I think it would have made a good 'factional' novel, but I do admire the author for wanting to honour his grandfather.

The book was ok I have read better books about ww1.

It was an excellent read. Bit like three stories in one. Don’t usually read books on war. Beautifully trasnslated.

Beautifully written book about the life of a talented man following his appalling war experiences and the loss of his true love

brilliant

This beautifully written book is not exactly a novel. About half of it is the author's excavation and reflection on his Ghent-born grandfather's life from his birth in 1891 to his death in 1981, while the other half is a novelised retelling of his grandfather's experience in World War I based on his own notebooks about it written in his 80s. It's an exceptionally evocative, gorgeously written and expertly translated book for anyone interested in the First World War and its long afterlife, not to mention the life of one 'ordinary' man and how he was shaped by the experience. Highly recommended.