The Poet's War is destined to become a literary classic, a book for the ages. Unflinching yet hopeful. Enthralling. Rich. Intense. Superbly crafted. One is glancingly reminded of A Dance to the Music of Time. Readers or watchers of this series who loved this work will be great admirers of an even more striking novel in The Poet's War. I have just completed my first reading, will reread in time along with many of the references, and cannot recommend this novel more highly. In time, I am convinced that it will find its way into our literary canon.
The Poet's War: A Novel
by Francis O'Neill and Frank O'Neill
It is Europe’s darkest time in near memory. American warrior poet Alistair Stears, thrown into Italian WWI through his mother’s love for an Italian colonel, experienced a convoy of the dying through burning provinces of Italy in the terrible retreat of 1917. It brought from him the great English poem of the Italian war.
One war later, all gracious things await destruction, knowledge is burned, thought coarsened, manners trashed, perverted faith and truth follow the dictators’ flags—vultures to grace. Stears is a famous poet now, married into German-Italian nobility and determined with his wife to fight the Axis powers. He risks everything to protect Italy and all else he loves. He finds that the bravest and fiercest resistance may be the rightness of a poem, the closing of a letter, the welcome of guests, the embrace of a bride, faith toward a fallen friend—and that it may also come from the barrel of a gun. Spanning both world wars, The Poet’s War finds loyalty, patriotism, war, deception, intrigue, romance, love, and death swept up in a maelstrom that spans generations and changes Europe forever.
Reviews
A literary classic. Enthralling. Read and reread.
Beautifully written historical war novel
I enjoyed The Poets War tremendously. As other reviewers stated, the writing is sweeping and romantic. I particularly enjoyed the inclusion of Italian phrases which lent credibility to his transition into Italian life. It is mindful of a generation and time slowly slipping away. Honor, patriotism, loyalty and faith. Cultured young American Alistair Stears life is extraordinary in many ways unimaginable today. His first journey traveling with his two horses reminds us how far removed we are from those days when war was on the front doorstep. It showed the distinct differences in lives led including Alistairs and the Italians in the countryside which he observes being conscripted and the emotional affects on families. We accompany him through both WW1 and WW2 and we watch his maturation through love and war. This book resonated with me perhaps because I have read history of this time but mostly about France and England. It was enlightening to read about the devastating affects in Italy. I found myself looking for maps of the Italian cities torn apart by conflict, invasions and devastation. The story of Alistairs life in wartime Italy, his personal experiences and some high end intrigue make this a very special book worth reading.
book review
Disclaimer: I received a finished copy from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: The Poet’s War
Author: Francis O’Neill
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 3/5
Recommended For…: poetry, war, historical fiction
Publication Date: August 11, 2020
Genre: Historical Fiction
Recommended Age: 18+ (war flashbacks, violence, gore, romance)
Publisher: Ingram Spark
Pages: 430
Synopsis: It is Europe’s darkest time in near memory. American warrior poet Alistair Stears, thrown into Italian WWI through his mother’s love for an Italian colonel, experienced a convoy of the dying through burning provinces of Italy in the terrible retreat of 1917. It brought from him the great English poem of the Italian war.
One war later, all gracious things await destruction, knowledge is burned, thought coarsened, manners trashed, perverted faith and truth follow the dictators’ flags—vultures to grace. Stears is a famous poet now, married into German-Italian nobility and determined with his wife to fight the Axis powers. He risks everything to protect Italy and all else he loves. He finds that the bravest and fiercest resistance may be the rightness of a poem, the closing of a letter, the welcome of guests, the embrace of a bride, faith toward a fallen friend–and that it may also come from the barrel of a gun. Spanning both world wars, The Poet’s War finds loyalty, patriotism, war, deception, intrigue, romance, love, and death swept up in a maelstrom that spans generations and changes Europe forever.
Review: For the most part I liked this book. The world building was amazing and the strength of this book is the world building. I also felt like the characters were adequately developed and the plot was pretty good.
However, I had an issue with the writing. The book has a lot of Italian phrases and switches between English and Italian. I think that threw me off of the book because it was hard to understand what was being said. Also, the world building was on borderline too much in places. It was kind of like reading a Stephen King novel where he spends 3 pages describing a scene. The book also has a lot of poetry and poetic moments, which is beautiful but not my style.
Verdict: It was good, just long and sometimes confusing.
Loved this book
I second these sentiments from the previous review which I think are spot on. “The characters are drawn realistically, and the settings around the world are described with a detail that makes the reader feel that she is in the time and place.
The Poet’s War is written in the sweeping style of novels from nineteenth century. The emotional approach harkens back to a time when readers enjoyed the leisure for the involved writing style of the romantic period in literature. I enjoyed the Italian phrases that the author included. It added to the authentic feel of the story.” I only differ with the previous reviewer in having found the floral language to have further embedded me in the story’s time and place as I read it. A special book.
Historic and Beautifully Written
I received this book as an ARC from Smith Publicity, Inc., and am providing an honest review.
I love historical fiction, and eagerly anticipated reading and reviewing The Poet’s War by Francis O’Neill.
We first meet the young protagonist, Alistair Stears, as he travels by train from Rome to Venice, just as World War I is breaking out. He is accompanying two valuable horses, as his mother is moving her residence to Venice.
The young man is a poet, and the poetry flows through and around him as he meets his current love in Venice. Later, after the experience of fighting in World War I, he marries another woman, becomes a poet of some renown, and eventually watches his beloved country of Italy slide under Hitler’s influence and into World War II.
The characters are drawn realistically, and the settings around the world are described with a detail that makes the reader feel that she is in the time and place.
The Poet’s War is written in the sweeping style of novels from nineteenth century. The emotional approach harkens back to a time when readers enjoyed the leisure for the involved writing style of the romantic period in literature. I enjoyed the Italian phrases that the author included. It added to the authentic feel of the story.
My only complaint about this novel is that the extravagant language tended to get in the way of the story. I certainly agree that a writer needs beautiful words to describe Venice, but sometimes there can be too many. Readers want a story.
