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Birdsong
- Narrated by: Peter Firth
- Length: 15 hrs and 19 mins
- Categories: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Thriller & Suspense
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Publisher's Summary
Searingly dispassionate in its account of life in the trenches and the commonplace nature of death, Peter Firth's narration of Sebastian Faulks's wartime epic is as shocking as it is honest.
Set before and during the great war, Birdsong captures the drama of that era on both a national and a personal scale. It is the story of Stephen, a young Englishman, who arrives in Amiens in 1910. His life goes through a series of traumatic experiences, from the clandestine love affair that tears apart the family with whom he lives, to the unprecedented experiences of the war itself.
© Copyright image: IWM
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What listeners say about Birdsong
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Ilana
- 20-09-12
Didn't live up to my expectations
I was very much looking forward to reading this book set in a period which fascinates me, the early 20th century and WWI, and had big expectation considering it was the recipient of many awards and mentions and seemed to be highly appreciated by many people on LibraryThing. Though there were many elements there to hold my attention, I never quite connected with the story or the characters. Stephen Wraysford finds himself on a business visit in Amiens, France in 1910, where he quickly falls in love with his host's wife, Isabelle Azaire. She is the much younger wife of a local textile baron with whom she has little in common, and in no time at all she and Stephen are exploring their passion and sexuality in very explicit erotic interludes which had me blushing and simultaneously worried I'd picked an erotica book by mistake. As the author probably deliberately planned, the reality of war and trench warfare comes in stark contrast to this love affair. This part of the novel, which makes up a good part of the story is just as explicit in describing the battles and countless deaths and maimed bodies, and while the anti-war message is made amply clear, the disillusionment Stephen goes through failed to touch me, because the spectacle of blood and gore and flying body parts made me feel like an indecent voyeur and as such cut off from complex emotions. The added layer of story, with Stephen's granddaughter attempting to decipher some of the encrypted diaries he left behind felt awkward and unnecessary. If it was meant to provide a different perspective from which to view the events, it didn't quite work for me.
To give credit where it is due, Peter Firth is a wonderful narrator I would love to listen to again.
5 people found this helpful
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- Chrissie
- 20-08-12
YES, this is the audiobook you must pick!
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
I could not stop listening to this book. It is wonderful. I just finished. I haven't been able to do anything except listen to this book. Excellent narration by Peter Firth. I loved it. I loved all the emotion - horror of war and passionate love. And great lines and so much to think about...... Can I collect my thoughts?!
This book has everything. It is exciting and horribly moving and oh so wonderful. It is like life: full of the worst and most wonderful.
There are lines you must ponder. Why does one fight in a war? Who do we fight for? Do you fight for your land, your family, your friends....or for those comrades who have fought and died next to you? You are in the trenches and in tunnels, in the middle of bombardments. You are in a tunnel and you may be suffocated and buried alive. This book is about fear. This book is about the warfare of WW1.
But there is humor and passionate love too. Their is death and there is birth. There is hope and despair. The story takes place during WW1 in the trenches in France. It also has events set later, in the 70s. Most authors cannot switch between different time periods. In this book the two are wonderfully intertwined.
This book rips you apart, scares you to death, rolls you in passionate, sensual love, one minute has you giggling and then later pondering the essence of life and death and fear. The book is an emotional roller coaster. And you will learn what it was really like to fight in the first world war. You can swallow the horror because it is balanced by humor and love and passion and even hope and happiness.
Ooops, I think I am gushing!
4 people found this helpful
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- Joanne
- 01-01-13
Magnificent
Any additional comments?
I commend this book to anyone and everyone. It is magnificently researched, the love interest is a compelling juxtaposition to the brutality of the war, and the constraint of time.
2 people found this helpful
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- Lynda
- 11-03-13
A must read for lovers of good literature
If you could sum up Birdsong in three words, what would they be?
Story, Characters and writing
Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?
Yes, by the sheer power of the craft of his writing and story.
Which character – as performed by Peter Firth – was your favorite?
The main character whose life was fundamentally shaped by the dramas of love and war
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
No, one needed to absorb the intricacies of the drama and the graphic images of a world wracked by war.
Any additional comments?
I have said it all I think for me
1 person found this helpful
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- Jonas Blomberg Ghini
- 17-05-19
Disappointing writing, partly OK story
The narration is solid, though it can be a little strange that German soldiers and French villagers alike all speak working class British amongst themselves.
It all starts out with a flat main character, Stephen, who is endowed primarily with lust and jealousy. In the early stages of the story, the flow is that of one in which the man wins the woman by wearing her down. Throw in some sexual harassment, bordering on assault, as well as a pinch of the usual "Oh, pretty please, I so would like this Mr. Man to make me his object, and just take me for his own pleasure". What we're left with is a four hour long section of the book entirely devoted to a love story of the garden variety. There is a lot of parting pink flesh in there I could have gone without. Sex in porn is all about what you can see (for me as a man, anyway), sex in fiction is all about what you can make your reader imagine. I do not want to imagine parting pink flesh.
Then it changes gear, and we get to see Stephen during the Great War. During the plat love-garble in the beginning, the tone of the story was detached and impersonal, which, as it is kept for the war story, serves the book well. The utter randomness of violence is captured in passages where the start is about how Stephen (or Jack) are just being present, for so to completely blindside you with someone's brains pouring out of a bullet wound. I've certainly been privy to more powerful war stories than this one, but it works fine. Especially the scene leading up to the Somme is gorgeous, with the tension in the British camp exquisitely captured, then released in a frenzy of violence and despair.
Now, the tone of the book, so good for the parts where Stephen is a soldier, does a major disservice to the other parts of the tale. The detachment is necessary for the gruesomeness of war to not be overwhelming, but then, this same tone, makes the mundanity of Elizabeth making tea or whatever so damn boring it is hard to not skip ahead. War is inhumane, inhuman, even, and takes a certain tone to work in fiction. Daily life is as human as it gets, so telling this in the voice of war just makes it seem boring beyond reason.
In all, I think this is a story that would have benefited by completely removing the quarter about Isabelle cuckolding her husband with Stephen. The parts about Elizabeth could also be trimmed. This way there would have been more room for the part of the story the tone is good for, and it might have been better than "okay".
Obviously, it is much easier to criticise than to create, so my imagined slicing and dicing of the book is at best a poor suggestion. It is what it is, and I suppose the crux is that I simply did not like it.
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- Sherry Shrimpton
- 07-04-15
have listened to this book at lest 2X
Where does Birdsong rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
up there with the best
What did you like best about this story?
Interesting, in every way..even though slow going... parts of it that is.
Love how he can draw you into characters experiences...including the terrors of war.
Which scene was your favorite?
His visit to England and spiritual healing...
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
no...i needed to listen to chapters over again as deep
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- Declan
- 08-05-11
Modern classic, beautifully narrated
Truely enjoyed this book, it's pretty epic, covering the great war and more. The character development is excellent and the words of Sebastian Faulks paint an wonderful picture of pre war France and the struggles of the soldiers in the war itself, the description of the Battle of Somme is especially heart-rendering.
What made this audiobook for me was the narration by the great Peter Firth (more known for his lead role in BBC drama "Spooks"). For the first 15 minutes I thought it was a little monotone and lacking in emotion however as the story developed I discovered his tone was in fact perfect for the drama to come.
The book is beautiful phrased and a true modern classic and the narration does in justice. A rewarding book well worth the investment and effort.
A final point, the book obviously revolves around World War One, however the book is more than a "war novel", it's a broad tale of the struggles of identity and includes some very well written female characters.
21 people found this helpful
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- Peter
- 20-04-11
An exceptionally well told story........
Being of that generation to whom the First World War still arouses deep passions (my grandfather undured & survived the Somme & Ypres) I was a initially anxious that this book was not going to portray an accurate picture of that dreadful period in history.
This impression arose from the first part of the story which detailed in perhaps too graphic a manner, the principal character's exploits in France in 1911.
However, my anxieties were allayed - although my emotions were truly stirred - by the subsequent descriptions of life in (and under) the trenches as the Great War developed.
Faulks' story line is really quite brilliant and Peter Firth's rendition of it is of the highest order.
The end of the story, when it came, was not unlike the end of the War itself....not so much a time to celebrate a job well done but to reflect on what it was really all about.
I drew my conclusions and I recommend that you listen to it & draw your own.
30 people found this helpful
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- Eun
- 05-02-16
Wonderful!!
This is probably one of the best books I have ever read! An absolute classic!!
8 people found this helpful
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- Johanna
- 24-12-12
An epic novel. Highly recommended
What a brilliant and moving book - of love and endurance set during the WW1. The horror of war is depicted so amazingly well. The description of the trench warfare was very emotional. Faulks' wonderful narrative is beautifully written and gripping with Stephen, a complex and hard to pin down character and what happened to him is both ordinary and remarkable which seems like most of the men to have fought for their country. The other thread of Elizabeth, is one of hope and the importance of knowing where you came from an history.
8 people found this helpful
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- julia arthur
- 23-04-15
Beautiful, sad and gripping.
This is a book I have owned for some years; on retiring I was able to give it the attention it deserves - worth the wait.
7 people found this helpful
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- Debbie
- 27-02-15
Fantastic listen!
Had wanted to read this for ages but couldn't find the time so I thought the audible version would be a good compromise. It wasn't a compromise, so beautifully written and spoken that the whole story was brought to life as I listened. 12 hours flew by, I didn't want it to end
7 people found this helpful
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- mike
- 15-08-11
Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks
A wonderful evocative tale. It takes the reader into the nineteen hundreds in France, and the reader can live the horrors of trench warfare during the first world war. Faulks has that magic knack of weaving an entire world for the reader to inhabit. I had previously read this book and enjoyed it, but it lends itself really well to the audio book format, and Peter Firth is well up to the job of narrating this involving and moving story.
13 people found this helpful
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- R. J. Gladden
- 19-09-14
Overwhelmingly moving!
I first read this book fifteen years ago and I can clearly remember sitting on a bus journey with tears trickling down my face and missing my stop. Listening to the book, as opposed to reading it, brought out a whole new dimension and there was a whole host of things I didn't remember or notice last time round.
It was no less moving or tragic and perhaps with our current commemoration of the First World War and my own maturity, it has leant an added dimension to this amazing book.
I listened to this book with my husband while on a two week driving tour of the UK. It probably would have been better if we had been touring Northern France as we have in the past, but I just couldn't wait.
The big negative bit for me was the first part of the book and it's concentration on the sexual relationship of the two main characters. It's graphic description of the repeated sex acts didn't do much for me fifteen years ago and didn't do much for me now. But perhaps I'm just a prude.
But if you're looking for a book which demonstrates the emotional stress of the war, this is the book for you and whatever your view of the 1st WW this book will challenge you to look closely at the moral, emotional and political aspects of it and come out the other side with greater clarity.
5 people found this helpful
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- E T-Watson
- 30-01-16
Extraordinary levels of description
Story ultimately not so valuable as the insight into suffering, endurance, resignation and hope. Descriptive writing so gripping that the plot was secondary.
4 people found this helpful
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- Sigrin
- 13-02-14
A love story through the bloody battles of WW1
Where does Birdsong rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
Very high
What did you like best about this story?
This is not my usual book but its up there in the top 50 reads and I understand why. The story of a man before, during and after the first world war and a love story woven through.
Which character – as performed by Peter Firth – was your favourite?
Stephen Wraysford, what a sad but strong man.
Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
Yes, as the author is so good at describing a scene down to minute detail, as well as taking you emotionally into the conflict of battle in the trenches and a gentle love story
Any additional comments?
A fabulous book.
4 people found this helpful
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- Woolfe
- 04-02-16
Wow! A book that just grabs you and lives with you
Would you listen to Birdsong again? Why?
Yes and yes. Story, characters and narration all beautifully woven together. Sometimes you read or listen to a book that stays with you. This is one such novel. That generation is now gone, but not forgotten.
Who was your favorite character and why?
Jack Firebrace I think, but all characters are beautifully shaped.
What does Peter Firth bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
Fine narrator for an exceptional novel.
Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
I gasped at one point and was teary at another, I wont say where as it would be a spoiler.
Any additional comments?
What else can I say, I was captivated by this beautiful tale of a horrific period.
1 person found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 17-08-20
Traumatic rendition
This novel captures both the ardent over confidence and passion of youth and the terrible realities and futility of war. Some of the war scenes are quite long and graphic so if that’s not easy for you to listen to, this may not be the story for you. Beautiful metaphors of birds throughout.
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- Rob Moore
- 12-06-19
Tedious
Two themes, sex and being stuck underground. Found it quit e boring and lacking any real diversity in the storyline
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- Hobart Hughes
- 12-12-18
A complex and compelling read
Although some of the detail seemed not so essential there is however an immense quality that only a deeply written novel can evoke.
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- Danelle Kenny
- 05-10-14
Keep it under your hat
If you could sum up Birdsong in three words, what would they be?
Depressing, Confronting, Life affirming
Have you listened to any of Peter Firth’s other performances? How does this one compare?
This was my first experience with Peter Firth, it was a perfectly adequate performance and I wanted to keep listening.
Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
I had a very visceral reaction to several parts of the book and, having had experience with soldiers, can relate to many of the occurrences in the book. I was a little disappointed with the ending though.
Any additional comments?
This is well worth keeping on the shelf for the centenary anniversary of the end of that god awful war. Lest we forget.