Most helpful customer reviews
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4.0 out of 5 stars
The Great War, Nov 25 2003
Throughout THE REGENERATION TRILOGY Barker does a phenomenal job of detailing the psychological consequences of trench warfare during the Great War. Set in London, Scotland, and France, the three volumes focus on the principle characters of Prior, Sassoon, Owens, and the renowned Dr. Rivers. Both their personal relationships with each other and with the First World War are examined. The reader is provided a glimpse into the terrible conditions of trench fighting, and how the medical establishment viewed shell-shock as a medical diagnosis and how it was treated. Through the poetry of Owen, Sassoon, etc, the world can begin to understand the personal horrors they have witnessed of a war that many soldiers did not understand. Based loosely on historical events and characters, Barker has created a perspective of modern warfare that does not contain the quintessential happy ending.I believe each volume of the Regeneration Trilogy should be read in chronological order (REGENERATION, THE EYE IN THE DOOR, AND THE GHOST ROAD) to fully appreciate the merits of each volume. Although the plot is re-summarized at the beginning of each book, the main characters are continually being developed throughout. I just finished reading GHOST ROAD, and I have to admit that it's not my favorite of the three. I don't understand how this volume was awarded the Booker Prize when I believe REGENERATION is the strongest of the bunch. I also enjoyed THE EYE IN THE DOOR because of the exploration of societal issues during The First War, especially scape-goating of homosexuals and pacifists. Overall, this trilogy is a wonderful glimpse into the atmosphere of Britain during the First World War.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Read 'The Ghost Road' in its context., Nov 17 2001
Having just finished reading this trilogy in one volume I would find it hard to read any of the books individually. Barker really builds on characterisation and plot as each of the stories progresses. Set in Scotland during World War 1 at Craiglockhart (an institution for miltary personnel suffering from shellshock) in `Regeneration', and moving first to England (`The Eye In The Door') and then to the front in France ('The Ghost Road') this is an excellent look at the impact of that war upon the individual. The series is based on historical meetings between W.H. Rivers (anthropologist, psychologist and childhood acquaintance of Lewis Carroll), Siegfried Sassoon (British poet) and Wilfred Owen (poet, killed shortly before the end of the war in 1918) and comes complete with historical notes at the end of each volume and further recommended reading about the people involved.Barker is a fascinating writer with an obvious interest in the way that the human mind works, and particularly how it reacts to trauma. Some of the descriptions of the breakdowns that individuals suffer, and the incidents that cause them, are horrific and make this (at least in my mind) anti-war literature. Having said that, each of the major characters, both real and fictional, possess a longing to be part of the war even though some have already experienced the horror of being there. I was constantly trying to reassess my own viewpoints in the light of such responses. The only real disappointment I felt concerned some of the more graphic descriptions of sex (both homosexual and heterosexual) which illustrated characters responses to events, but occasionally struck me as gratuitous in their detail. Having said that, if you are interested in reading `The Ghost Road' because of it's status as a Booker Prize winner, then I definitely recommend reading it in this format, with the other books in the series.
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