Remembrance

Remembrance by Theresa Breslin is a story that is set against the huge backdrop of World War I, and yet tells the small story of five young people from a tiny Scottish village. Two families, one of the upper class gentry and the other a family of shopkeepers, but the war makes a huge imprint on both.

These five people all have different attitudes toward what is happening both at home and in France, with a couple of the boys eagerly embracing the life of a soldier and one who has no intention of fighting, until conscription forces him to go. The girls, left behind, are experiencing the changes that are evolving in society and in their homes, neither class or gender are as important now as becoming involved and doing their share. They show more train as nurses and find themselves shipped to France to nurse at the front. What happens to these five over the course of the war, who survives and what they go on to become makes for a thought-provoking story on the loss of innocence and vulnerability.

Both a coming of age and love story, Remembrance captures the heart wrenching feeling of first love, along with the shattering of courage and dreams that the horror of trench warfare brought to this generation. Although a little simplistic in it’s views, nevertheless this is a well written historical fiction novel on the consequences of war. show less

Quite honestly, I had not heard of Theresa Breslin and I hadn't read any of the reviews of Remembrance before I read it. So, it was a bit of an unexpected read when I noticed this is a YA novel. However, it was a thoroughly enjoyable book about a group of teenagers who are thrown into the insanity of the First World War.

Had I read this as a kid, I probably would have enjoyed it more, and could have ignored the contrived storylines that obviously contained every imaginable conflict that society went through in the course of the war.
In short, this obviously is a book that aims to educate young readers about the historical facts. It also tries to convey a plethora of ideas and issues to young readers - from emancipation to pacifism. The show more only problem I had with the book is that it tries a little too hard at times. show less

Wonderful Audio CD version of the book.

I was completely bowled over by the Audio version of this book (sadly, abridged).
It was so tastefully written and so beautifully read by Frances Thorburn and Gary Bakewell. I shall definitely keep this to listen to again and intend to read the full written version at some time too.

The five main characters are aged bewteen 14 and 23 at the time of WWI, The Great War. We meet them as the guns of war are starting to be heard over the chanel, yet picnics on a sunny day are still a glorious option.
All five react differently to the impending changes, Francis rejects war as a solution, arguing comprehensively against the whole idea, yet ultimately under pressure to make the ultimate sacrifice. His show more sister Charlotte, and her friend, Maggie, take the opportunity to leave the confines of traditional women's roles to help with the injured, while Maggie's brothers, Alex and John Malcom, are desperate to fight alongside the other boys of the village in the support of a just cause.
Within this range of five characters is woven an extensive range of view points and responses to the war, add to this the trauma of the parents left behind and the whole becomes beautifully evocative of the effects of war on a small village.
It was startling how little folks back home knew about what was really going on and how wasteful and tragic the whole exercise was. Of course we are familiar with all this now but it doesn't hurt to be reminded from time to time.

I'll admit, it made me cry, always a sign of a good book!
Highly recommended. show less

I remember being very affected by this when I read it in my teens and to this day it still has me welling up. It is a beautifully written tribute to World War One, tailored for a younger reader and to give them a broad idea of the War and the changing attitudes on the early 20th century. A haunting tale that I would thoroughly recommend to any young reader.

I was three quarters of the way through this before I realised it was a children's book. I hadn't spotted anything being sanitised or simplified - in fact it was a very well thought out examination of World War I through the eyes of some interesting characters, and a skilful evocation of the manners and attitudes of the time. An enjoyable read for teens and adults alike.

This was a rather beautiful tale that showcased different aspects of the Great War:
Pro-War, Anti-War, Neutrality
Home front, war front
Women, men
It was very interesting and because it followed multiple protagonists the author was able to do things she couldn't had she had a single protagonist.

This book has it all - coming of age stories, bloody war scenes, rural landscapes, patriotism, feminism and romance - as five young people from the same village in Scotland react and respond, each in their own ways, to the Great War. This realistic and thought-provoking story is told in part through letters written by the five friends and their families, between the years of 1915-1918.