Review of Weeds of War
Posted: 12 Apr 2022, 15:47
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Weeds of War" by Paul Kluge.]
The book with the interesting title Weeds of War: Those Who Bled at Dien Bien Phu by Paul Alenous Kluge focuses on the fate of the common man. Although the title of the book contains the title of the famous battle of the First Indochina War, the writer decided to describe the lives of legionnaire Conner, Nguyen the coolie, private Pham, and local girl Thuy. As you can guess, although the plot of the book is the result of fiction, it is determined by historical events and placed in a historical context.
The book begins far from Vietnam and the war, in Northern Ireland, with the story of young Patrick. From there, the writer takes us to Vietnam in 1952. Along with each chapter, the author provided a specific cultural, political, historical, diplomatic, and military context. That is why the book is easy to understand even for readers who do not have prior knowledge about this period of human history. A significant part of the book is told from the perspective of ordinary Vietnamese. Very convincingly, Paul Alenous Kluge successfully conveyed to the readers the appearance, culture, mentality, habits, and way of thinking of these proud and hardworking people. Will legionnaire Conner survive the battle of Dien Bien Phu? Is Pham just a private or is he a man trusted by the all-powerful Communist Party? What unites Conner and young Patrick?
What I liked most about the book was that the author described the events from several perspectives. This gives the impression of objectivity. I also liked the way Paul Kluge described the mentalities of different people. The departure of young Patrick from home is described coldly and without much emotion. On the other hand, the mentality of the Vietnamese is authentically presented as much more emotional. The author also demonstrated an enviable knowledge of human psychology. Vivid descriptions of tense situations seem very convincing.
Nonlinear narration is something that is not particularly skillfully implemented in a book. Therefore, the plot of the book can be confusing at times. Some scenes, like the first meeting of legionnaires Conner and Thuy, do not seem too convincing. Apart from this, I did not like the frequent factual errors in the book, such as the fact that the Soviet Union was often called Russia.
The decision on how to rate Weeds of War: Those Who Bled at Dien Bien Phu was complex. Excellent descriptions of different mentalities, landscapes, and war operations prevailed over occasional confusion and errors, so I rate the book with three out of four stars.
I recommend the book to fans of historical fiction as well as fans of war novels. I also believe that the novel will be enjoyed by fans of love stories set in the whirlwinds of war. Due to occasional love scenes, profanities, and inevitable descriptions of the horrors of war, I do not recommend the book to younger categories of readers.
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Weeds of War
View: on Bookshelves
The book with the interesting title Weeds of War: Those Who Bled at Dien Bien Phu by Paul Alenous Kluge focuses on the fate of the common man. Although the title of the book contains the title of the famous battle of the First Indochina War, the writer decided to describe the lives of legionnaire Conner, Nguyen the coolie, private Pham, and local girl Thuy. As you can guess, although the plot of the book is the result of fiction, it is determined by historical events and placed in a historical context.
The book begins far from Vietnam and the war, in Northern Ireland, with the story of young Patrick. From there, the writer takes us to Vietnam in 1952. Along with each chapter, the author provided a specific cultural, political, historical, diplomatic, and military context. That is why the book is easy to understand even for readers who do not have prior knowledge about this period of human history. A significant part of the book is told from the perspective of ordinary Vietnamese. Very convincingly, Paul Alenous Kluge successfully conveyed to the readers the appearance, culture, mentality, habits, and way of thinking of these proud and hardworking people. Will legionnaire Conner survive the battle of Dien Bien Phu? Is Pham just a private or is he a man trusted by the all-powerful Communist Party? What unites Conner and young Patrick?
What I liked most about the book was that the author described the events from several perspectives. This gives the impression of objectivity. I also liked the way Paul Kluge described the mentalities of different people. The departure of young Patrick from home is described coldly and without much emotion. On the other hand, the mentality of the Vietnamese is authentically presented as much more emotional. The author also demonstrated an enviable knowledge of human psychology. Vivid descriptions of tense situations seem very convincing.
Nonlinear narration is something that is not particularly skillfully implemented in a book. Therefore, the plot of the book can be confusing at times. Some scenes, like the first meeting of legionnaires Conner and Thuy, do not seem too convincing. Apart from this, I did not like the frequent factual errors in the book, such as the fact that the Soviet Union was often called Russia.
The decision on how to rate Weeds of War: Those Who Bled at Dien Bien Phu was complex. Excellent descriptions of different mentalities, landscapes, and war operations prevailed over occasional confusion and errors, so I rate the book with three out of four stars.
I recommend the book to fans of historical fiction as well as fans of war novels. I also believe that the novel will be enjoyed by fans of love stories set in the whirlwinds of war. Due to occasional love scenes, profanities, and inevitable descriptions of the horrors of war, I do not recommend the book to younger categories of readers.
******
Weeds of War
View: on Bookshelves