The Absolutist
Ratings21
Average rating4.3
"September 1919: 20 year-old Tristan Sadler takes a train from London to Norwich to deliver some letters to Marian Bancroft. Tristan fought alongside Marian{u2019}s brother Will during the Great War, but in 1917 Will laid down his guns on the battlefield, declared himself a conscientious objector and was shot as a traitor, an act which has brought shame and dishonour on the Bancroft family. But the letters are not the real reason for Tristan{u2019}s visit. He holds a secret deep in his soul. One that he is desperate to unburden himself of to Marian, if he can only find the courage. As he recalls his friendship with Will, from the training ground at Aldershot to the trenches of Northern France, he speaks of how the intensity of their friendship brought him both happiness and self-discovery as well as despair and pain"--Publisher description.
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Of all the gay war novels I've read, this is the best gay war novel (there's obviously far more depth than that).
John Boyne est un romancier de grand talent. Il a un talent incroyable pour écrire des personnages totalement humains, donc imparfaits, et des histoires mémorables. Je découvre progressivement sa bibliographie et je suis chaque fois épaté et emporté par ses récits.
« The Absolutist » ne fait pas exception. L'auteur nous offre une fiction historique de très haut niveau, sur la Première Guerre Mondiale, l'homosexualité telle qu'elle était vue et vécue à l'époque, et le sentiment de honte.
C'est un grand roman, terriblement efficace. Un régal à lire.
Very readable book. The narrator was so stereotypically British at points that I found it hard to take him seriously, and the romance played very angsty at some points. But ultimately it was heartbreaking, and a sad comment on war and shame and convictions. It shows you the world from the very limited view of this man and then challenges you to try and see around it.
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