Somme

Lyn Macdonald did something that is priceless. She spent countless hours interviewing veterans of the First World War. Had it not been for her interviews, most of their stories would have been lost to history. This book does not focus on the grand military tactics and strategies. It is about the life of the soldier in the trenches, their perspective on the war and, above all else, their valor and love for King and country. I read this book prior to my visit to the Somme battlefield and brought it with me. I have read many histories of the Great War. This book gave me insights into the life of the common soldier that is second to none. Jeff

This is an excellent work on the Battle of the Somme. I was highly interested in this story, as my Grandfather took part in it. It is an excellent work with how it all began, and how it degraded into the awful mess it became. I understand it much much better now, and with Macdonald's excerpts from soldiers diaries, gives it a personal touch most other books lack.

I just finished Lyn MacDonald's "Somme" and came away with mixed feelings about the book. I agree with the other reviews that the book does a wonderful job in bringing forth the voices of that terrible campaign. If you want to understand what the troops in trenches went through, this is a great book. But the voices are just the British and colonial voices. And this is where my problem with the book starts.With the exception of a captured letter, there are no German voices. We don't know what their units were, we don't know their commanders, and we are given only sparse information on their battle plans.Also, as I read, I had a hard time following the flow of battle. I was hoping for more of a military history narrative of the battle itself. While there are maps, and plenty of photos of the battlefield, only a few of these give some very basic information on unit locations. There is no information on German units. So when you are reading, it is sometimes hard to follow who is where and why.Finally, the author makes little attempt to interpret the events, or even summarize the result of the campaign. Was anything gained? Or, was the whole campaign just a terrible waste. The author does describe the contemporary viewpoints of the politicians and military commanders on this question, but we never hear any historical hindsight from the author.

Something that really can't be surpassed for anyone interested in the small-medium-large understanding of WWI. No bias, no agenda about blame or justification. Objective but more than sympathetic: UNDERSTANDING! If you're interested in WWI, it's a must read!

I have written a few notes about Lyn's other book and I have nothing but praise for all of them. This is no exception. If you like first person history I think you will appreciate her work. I have read them all - some more than once. She is a master at her genre.

For those interested in the First World War, this is an excellent and moving account of the battle and the conditions under which the PBI and other soldiers had to fight. Lyn MacDonald has written several books on this war - "1914", "1915" and "They Called it Passchendale", all of which are excellent.

Great History of the Great War.

I had trouble following the action due to not knowing the lay of the land and the maps did not help much. Otherwise I got good information.

Cracking book very enlightening

Arrived on time and in great condition. Would buy through seller again. A must read of the battles of the Somme that were too small to report. Such shocking conditions our young men endured.

muy interesante, ameno y complet. Muy recomendable el libro y la autora. La considero una autora imprescindible para conocer la I GUERRA MUNDIAL

The book, published more than 30 years ago, is still a gripping and harrowing story of the disaster that befell the British and Dominion troops on the Somme front from July to Novembr 1916. Lyn MacDonald wrote a well-paced narrative that sets the general scenes and which is generously interlaced by the personal stories of the men who fought there and lived to tell the tale. They tell it how it was, leading a miserable life in the trenches, in going "over the top" under heavy German shelling and advancing (or trying to) in the face of deadly machine-gun fire. This book really is a must-read for anyone wanting an authentic, up-close story of the Somme campaign.

Details galore ! So easy to read and based upon personal reminiscences of the guys doing the job.I found Lyn's style of writing so easy to follow as she had obviously set out to produce a book of 'straight from the horse's mouth' as it were. I had been determined to read this edition after the several references in writings of other experts, notably Peter Barton and to sum up....there is so much to read; it is a mine of detail.