- Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
- Publisher: Seal Books (Oct 1 1993)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0770425763
- ISBN-13: 978-0770425760
- Product Dimensions: 17 x 10.2 x 3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 181 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #558,035 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
In May 1940, 19-year-old Farley Mowat ( A Whale for the Killing ) joined the Canadian Army, enlisting in the same infantry regiment his father, Angus, belonged to. By mid-1943, his unit was part of the British 8th Army; for the next two years he fought in Sicily and Italy. His letters home and his parents' replies from Ontario (especially those from his father) reveal their extraordinary familial bonds. The elder Mowats report on friends in the service and encourage their son to pursue a writing career. From Italy, Mowat describes the horrors and inanities of war; as the conflict wears down, he expresses his uncertainty about his future. He has a final, madcap fling collecting German armaments (including a V-rocket) for the Royal Canadian War Museum. This correspondence is a fine portrait of a young man's coming-of-age. Photos.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
In 1940 at the age of 19, Canadian novelist and nonfiction writer Mowat presented himself at the Royal Canadian Air Force recruiting office in Toronto to sign up for World War II. He was rejected as too small. He subsequently made it into the army and in 1942 was sent overseas. Thus began a lively correspondence between Mowat and his would-be novelist father, who worked as a librarian. This book consists mainly of the letters son and father (and sometimes mother) exchanged from 1942 to 1945. It may seem a little late in the day to be producing such a book, but there is something about the volume that keeps one going. The sum total is a graphic picture of the war as seen through the eyes of a sensitive and idealistic young man and a no less sensitive and idealistic father, who was blessed with an ingenious fancy, a sense of humor, and the gift of agreeable patter. For public library collections.
- A.J. Anderson, GSLIS, Simmons Coll., Boston
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
- A.J. Anderson, GSLIS, Simmons Coll., Boston
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
From the Stink of Gunpowder Distilled,
By
This review is from: My Father's Son: Memories Of War And Peace (Mass Market Paperback)
Profane and coarse, this book has all the finesse of trench warfare in a mortar attack. It is a book I'd rather my daughters didn't read, yet feel they MUST.Like so much of Farley Mowat's work, MY FATHER'S SON gives a chapter of Canadian history that was never taught in school. Brutal, obscene, and probably unfair at times, it consists mostly of a collection of letters exchanged between a son and his parents separated by an ocean and a war. It is refreshingly free of political correctness. The blunt honesty of a twenty something nature lover crouched in a slit trench while he dispenses death and comrades die around him -- comes with the uncensored vocabulary of men and women caught in hell. Distilled from the stink of gunpowder and the scream of falling shells in the muddy trenches of Italy, it is 200 proof, uncut. This tea-totaler has gasped, taken offence at the language and morals, yet ranked it among the most worthwhile books he has ever read. It won't be found on the shelves of Bible Book Stores, with good reason. Yet if this writer had the authority, it would be mandatory reading before any Canadian could graduate from High School. Out of the many thousands of books I have read over the years, MY FATHER'S SON is a story with few peers. It doesn't fit any genre, it makes its own. It doesn't read smoothly and comfortably, it rends the fabric of cozy prejudice. It doesn't glorify war, it paints it as the hell it is. Perhaps more than anything else, it reminds me of the price my freedom cost, a reminder I don't always want to receive. Laced with harsh, masculine humour, yet bearing a vital message, this is a book that should not be out of print. However, copies are readily available on the used book market. It is well worth the effort to track one down.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.8 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews) 4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Stink of Gunpowder Distilled,
By Brian Austin - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: My Father's Son: Memories of War and Peace (Hardcover)
Profane and coarse, this book has all the finesse of trench warfare in a mortar attack. It is a book I'd rather my daughters didn't read, yet I feel that they MUST. Like so much of Farley Mowat's work, MY FATHER'S SON gives a chapter of Canadian history that was never taught in school. Brutal, obscene and probably unfair at times, it consists mostly of a collection of letters exchanged between a son and his parents separated by an ocean and a war. It is refreshingly free of political correctness. The blunt honesty of a 20 something nature lover crouched in a slit trench while he dispenses death and comrades die around him -- comes with the uncensored vocabulary of men and women caught in hell. Distilled from the stink of gunpowder and the scream of falling shells in the muddy trenches of Italy, it is 200 proof, uncut. This tea-totaler has gasped at every sip, taken offense at the language and morals, yet ranked it among the most worthwhile books he has ever read. It won't be found on the shelves of Bible Book Stores, with good reason. Yet if this writer had the authority, it would be back in print and mandatory reading before any Canadian could graduate from High School. Out of the many thousands of books I have read over the years, MY FATHER'S SON is a story with few peers. It doesn't fit any genre, it makes its own. It doesn't read smoothly and comfortably, it rends the fabric of cozy prejudice. It doesn't glorify war, it paints it as the hell it is. Perhaps more than anything else, it reminds me of the price my freedom cost, a reminder I don't always want to receive.This is a book that shouldn't be out of print, but copies are readily available on the used book market. 4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Farley Mowat (finally) goes to war,
By Owen Hughes - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: My Father's Son: Memories Of War and Peace (Hardcover)
This is another fine memoir from the author of "And No Birds Sang," "The Regiment," and "Aftermath," all books relating in part, to Farley Mowat's participation in the Second World War. (Although "The Regiment" does not specifically concern Mowat's adventures, much of its path is common to his own.) "My Father's Son" is also a tribute to his father Angus, and acknowledges the contribution made by him to Mowat's progress as a writer. Mowat senior was also a published author, but never achieved the pre-eminence of his son. Most of the book is concerned with the military details of Mowat's own experience, starting with his failed attempt to be inducted into the army due to his youthful appearance! He eventually succeeded in getting into the Hasty Ps, his father's regiment. So father and son were able to salute each other in uniform for a time, the one as a major, the other as a private. From there we are taken through the lengthy process of training, embarkation, arrival and billeting in England and the further long wait to go to war. Those who know Mowat's writing will enjoy this book for the usual reasons; there is an urgency to his writing and a singular facility for finding the right words, even for conveying the mundane. Those who are interested in Mowat the person, will as usual, find him hesitant to completely open up about his personal life. Never mind; he tells us a great deal about himself by leaving certain things unsaid. This is a good read if you can find it. 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Stink of Gunpowder Distilled,
By Brian Austin "Brian C. Austin" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: My Father's Son: Memories of War and Peace (Hardcover)
Profane and coarse, this book has all the finesse of trench warfare in a mortar attack. It is a book I'd rather my daughters didn't read, yet I feel that they MUST. Like so much of Farley Mowat's work, MY FATHER'S SON gives a chapter of Canadian history that was never taught in school. Brutal, obscene and probably unfair at times, it consists mostly of a collection of letters exchanged between a son and his parents separated by an ocean and a war. It is refreshingly free of political correctness. The blunt honesty of a 20 something nature lover crouched in a slit trench while he dispenses death and comrades die around him -- comes with the uncensored vocabulary of men and women caught in hell. Distilled from the stink of gunpowder and the scream of falling shells in the muddy trenches of Italy, it is 200 proof, uncut. This tea-totaler has gasped at every sip, taken offense at the language and morals, yet ranked it among the most worthwhile books he has ever read. It won't be found on the shelves of Bible Book Stores, with good reason. Yet if this writer had the authority, it would be back in print and mandatory reading before any Canadian could graduate from High School. Out of the many thousands of books I have read over the years, MY FATHER'S SON is a story with few peers. It doesn't fit any genre, it makes its own. It doesn't read smoothly and comfortably, it rends the fabric of cozy prejudice. It doesn't glorify war, it paints it as the hell it is. Perhaps more than anything else, it reminds me of the price my freedom cost, a reminder I don't always want to receive.This is a book that shouldn't be out of print, but copies are readily available on the used book market. |
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