The Beauty and the Sorrow: An Intimate History of the First World War by Peter Englund, translated from the Swedish by Peter Graves, uses the diaries, journals, and letters of 20 individuals who lived during and participated in The Great War to highlight their different experiences. We already know the outcome of the war, about the massacres that took place, and how horrible life in the trenches was for the soldiers, but these individuals weren’t aware of all this when they were writing. Englund gives readers a unique perspective of World War I, thrusting them into the moment amidst all the chaos and confusion at the beginning of the war and the hunger, exhaustion, and sadness toward the end.
Englund describes the war as seen through the eyes of a German schoolgirl, the American wife of a Polish aristocrat, a Scottish aid worker, a seaman in the German High Seas Fleet, a Hungarian cavalryman in the Austro-Hungarian army, a Russian army engineer, an English nurse in the Russian army, a Danish soldier in the German army, a French civil servant, two British army infantrymen, an Australian army engineer, a French army infantryman, a Venezuelan cavalryman in the Ottoman army, an American army field surgeon, a Belgian air force fighter pilot, an Australian driver in the Serbian army, an Italian-American infantryman in the Italian army, a New Zealand artilleryman in the British army, and a trooper in an Alpine regiment of the Italian army. These individuals differ by sex, age, nationality, and occupation, so the assortment of experiences is both tremendous and fascinating.
The Beauty and the Sorrow reads like narrative non-fiction, with Englund giving some backstory and then inserting the individual’s actual words. Readers learn about preparations for the war, how troops were mobilized and transported, what the soldiers carried, how the soldiers and locals interacted with one another, and what people ate as food became scarce. Some of the individuals served on the front lines and/or witnessed hangings and massacres, while others tended to the wounded. Some grew tired of the monotony and had nervous breakdowns. Readers see how the early writings were by people excited and even eager to experience war, and the later writings by people who have seen too much and wish it would end already.
One of the most striking passages is from the diary of the German schoolgirl, Elfriede Kuhr, written in June 1917:
This war is a ghost in grey rags, a skull with maggots crawling out of it. New, hard battles have been raging in the west in recent months. We are fighting at Le Chemin des Dames, at Aisne and in Champagne. The whole region is a field of ruins, blood and mud everywhere. (page 369 in the uncorrected proof; final version may be different)
What I found most interesting in The Beauty and the Sorrow was how people perceived changes in women because of the war. There is talk about how women were engaging in less-than-moral behavior, sometimes out of pity for the soldiers who were probably going off to die. There was an increase in extra-marital pregnancies and illegal abortions, along with a rise in prostitution and sexually-transmitted diseases. Some blamed the change in women’s behavior on the fact that they were taking over jobs once held by men who had since gone off to war and that they were being “masculinized.” Meanwhile, with troops amassing in certain areas, it is not surprising that the sex industry in these areas was given a boost. What I found interesting were stories about how the men actually chose infected prostitutes over healthy ones so they would catch a venereal disease and not have to serve on the front lines. A trade in “gonococcal pus” began as a result. (Nasty!)
The Beauty and the Sorrow‘s strength is that it details the experiences of a diverse group of people, but this strength is also its biggest weakness. Though the book was interesting and informative, it was also tedious and even boring at times. Its structure also makes it difficult to follow. Rather than tell the story of each person separately, Englund divides the book into sections, one for each year from 1914 to 1918, and assembles their diaries, journals, and letters chronologically so that there is a constant shift from one individual to another. If there hadn’t been a list of the individuals at the beginning of the book, I would have been completely lost; I was constantly flipping back and forth to keep track.
Moreover, I don’t have extensive knowledge of the various armies that fought during World War I, the politics of the countries involved, the movement of the troops, or the numerous battles that took place. This information is detailed through the writings of the individuals included in the book, but there is little explanation from the author as to what is going on. So I felt a little lost and bored when it came to military strategy.
However, The Beauty and the Sorrow succeeds in showcasing the experiences and hardships of different people during wartime, from those who fought on the front lines to those who did their part at home. I felt like I got to know who these people were, and I was saddened when I found out over the course of the book that certain people were killed or went missing. I liked how Englund tells where each of the people were when the war ended, so all the ends were tied up. I have a great respect for the author because sorting through the writings of 20 people over a period of years and putting it into some kind of order must have been a colossal undertaking. Even though I was a bit overwhelmed by all the information, I believe it’s an important book. Given that the start of the war was nearly 100 years ago, it’s crucial that we preserve the experiences and stories of those who lived it.
Disclosure: I received a copy of The Beauty and the Sorrow from Regal Literary for review. I am an IndieBound affiliate and an Amazon associate.
© 2012 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.
It does sound like there’s a lot in that book, but that it’s worth reading.
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There is a ton of information, but overall it was interesting.
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Oh, wow — sounds like a great read — I love the info you shared about the changing attitudes toward women — and choosing to be infected with an STD (ew!).
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I really liked how the book focused on more than just the fighting and the hunger. It showed how the war changed a lot of things.
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Which is sort of a ‘no, duh’ but that gets forgotten, I think, because of the fighting and the hunger. I’ll have to keep my eye out for this one!
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This sounds really interesting!
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It was, though definitely a slow read.
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Wow – re trading in pus…. Great review! I could just picture myself flipping back and forth also just as you did!
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There was a footnote about a similar trade in tuberculosis phlegm too. Disgusting stuff. Just shows how war made them desperate. So sad.
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I think I learned a lot (some of it disgusting!) just by reading your review! Sounds like a fascinating book.
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I wasn’t sure whether or not to include that info, but I found it too interesting not to.
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I like that this is a translated work. I’d be open to checking it out just for that reason.
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Well, you’re certainly free to borrow it whenever you want!
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Maybe if the author hadn’t tried to stuff so much into just one book and instead broke it up into a series????
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I don’t know if it would work as a series, but maybe he should have pulled back on some of the info? I understand he was trying to give a comprehensive view of the people’s experience of the war. He succeeded in that, it just made it a bit tiring.
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Oh my, that passage from Elfriede Kuhr really breaks your heart, doesn’t it?!
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Especially since she was only 12 when the war broke out; she’d seen too much, more than anyone of any age should see. Poor girl.
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Got this review on the reviews page….and a snippet on the home page will happen on March 26
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Thanks, Serena!
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I do like how different they all are, which would make this book so very interesting to read
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Their differences really did make it interesting. I just think the book may have been too long, at least for my tastes.
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I’m reading this one now and am absolutely immersing myself in it. I’m reading other World War I books (more straight history) at the same time, so I’m trying to time my reading of this one as a go along. The time line Englund follows makes that an easy way to take my time and get to know each of these individuals, to experience the war from many different perspectives. It’s an absolutely brilliant book, and your review is top notch.
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I think reading a straight history of WWI at the same time might help keep everything straight. Glad you’re enjoying it so far.
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Anna, this sounds sad, but very good as well:(
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Yes, it is both of those for sure.
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This book sounds terrifically interesting. I’ll keep an eye out for it.
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I hope you have time to read it, especially since you are drawn to WWI.
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Thank You for such an intense review. I’m in this challenge as well and have found not such a variety of material, could it be we are already forgetting about it.?
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Oh, there are tons and tons of WWI books. Check out the recommended reading list compiled by Serena on War Through the Generations if you need some help choosing a book for the challenge. She’s always adding more books to the list.
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[…] The Gendarme by Mark T. Mustian 2. Mr. Darcy’s Angel of Mercy by Mary Lydon Simonsen 3. The Beauty and the Sorrow by Peter Englund 4. A Long, Long Way by Sebastian Barry 5. A Lesson in Secrets by Jacqueline […]
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