Recommend for the coveted BookViral Crimson Quill. To make your recommendation simply click on the award badge below..….
The BookViral Review:
An absorbing read from start to finish Perlsweig’s foray into 20th Century Social & Cultural History of the U.S. proves particularly poignant given the continuing presence of Covid and the ongoing Ukraine war.
There have been many books written about the impact of World War 1 and The Spanish Flu but for all that has been written, it is refreshing to read about the lesser-known and often obscure aspects of life, as opposed to the abstract national impact we are more familiar with.
Intriguing or harrowing depending on the page Perlsweig writes in unsparing detail to make us feel fully present in his narrative. From descriptions of Springfield to his revealing and enthralling thoughts on Lawrence Reed and Gladys (Steer) Reed, few historians write with such fluency. And unlike many historians who are sketchy in the way they deal with the world beyond their principal characters, Perlsweig adds a compelling element of social texture to ensure his characters are vividly and emotionally depicted.
Indeed, a great deal of the pleasure of reading this book comes from the vivid character portraits as Perlsweig aligns historical significance with a touching concern for familial factuality. This is evident throughout the book as he brings the past to life using corroborative evidence such as the letters exchanged between Gladys and her sister Edna.
As we follow the lives of Lawrence and Gladys Reed Perlsweig takes us step by step from the tensions that culminate in the outbreak of the war and the American forces’ first offensive action of WW1 at the Battle of Cantigny on May 28, 1918, to armistice day and beyond to the Great Influenza epidemic of 1918 – 1920 with the latter brought into chilling focus with Gladys’ casualty list within the text of her letters to Edna.
It’s through Gladys’ letters and those of others that Perlsweig peoples his story with powerful and memorable characters and it’s these that take precedence throughout because ultimately it’s their story. The people of Springfield. The recollections of characters like Sergeant C. P. Bacon who wrote “ I have been up to the front and under fire and have seen all there was to see of war” and Corporal Lawrence who writes from a V.A.D. Hospital in Kent England as he recuperates from battle injuries suffered in France. It’s through their letters that Perlsweig conveys their bravery, their sacrifices and the memories they have no choice but to live with. Each of them is a testament to the bravery of those who ensure our continued freedom and way of life and those who enabled them.
The objective of any writer should be to hold the reader’s attention. To want the reader to turn the page and keep on turning until the end and this is what Perlsweig does. A must-read for fans of 20th Century Social & Cultural History of the U.S. Front Porches to Front Lines is unreservedly recommended.
An elegantly coiled puzzler that spins a tale of PTSD and pharmaceutical malpractice E. W. Johnson M.D. weaves absorbing plot threads into the cunningly unpredictable that like his previous release, virulence, observes how the shadier subsets of society operate in a needy, greedy, paranoid and duplicitous age.
In the heart wrenching narrative of a young boy speaking to a father no longer with him, ‘I’m all grown now, Papa’ is written through the eyes of the author, in a biographical journey through his young child-hood in Haiti.
The magical allure of time travel has held a fascination for the layman and scientist alike. Indeed, no well-read individual can think of time travel without their mind creeping back to H.G Wells.
History and present day testifies to the struggles women face and have faced to earn what should be the natural right of all humankind – fairness.
Readers love tropes and publishers know they sell books but there is always room for something new.
George Macdonald, when asked the reason for his chosen genre, replied,
“I write, not for the children, but for the child-like, whether they be five, or fifty, or seventy five”
From humble beginnings in 2002 as a book review club BookViral has grown to become the first choice in book reviews for authors around the world and one of the biggest book review sites on the web. BookViral reaches millions of potential readers through best practice SEO and a trusted social media presence ensuring readers get unbiased, critical recommendations they can trust.
BookViral also offers a full suite of author services, including, book editing services for unpublished and self-published authors, website design and bespoke SEO that help authors get discovered by more potential readers as well as industry influencers, such as publishers, agents and film executives.
© Copyright 2019 BookViral Reviews. All Rights Reserved.