I posted this on Book Talk, but maybe I'll get a better response here.

I'm looking for historical fiction about WWI, but books that encompass the history that brought it to that point, not the death of the Archduke whatever. I'm also not interested in reading stories about or by soldiers, nor Hemingway. I really want a historica perspective, sort of like a GWTW or any of a gazillion books written about WWII.

What I find interesting is that WWII is so often considered the second part of the First Great War, but so little is written about how we got there, aside from the many nonfiction books I could probably read. I've read Nicholas & Alexandra and loved it. So I'm looking for more like that.

Any thoughts?

I suggest Herman Wouk, The Winds of War and War and Remembrance.

There is an old thread with many recommendations---find it here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/6926

#3 Thank you. I checked out the link. Many of the books were either about the experiences of soliders or nonfiction. I don't really want books about the fighting itself, although the war and its brutality is integral, but rather about the societies before the war and what led up to it. It's quite encompassing, I know, surely these books exist. It seems that there are so many books and still coming about WWII. Where is the WWI fiction?

#2 Thanks for your suggestions. Both these books appear to be about WWII.

I read quite a bit of Great War fiction, non-fiction and poetry -- even so, I've had a hard time thinking of titles that might fit the bill! This is the best I could do:

Memoirs of a Fox Hunting Man by Siegried Sassoon (1928) -- Yes, Sassoon was a soldier, and yes, war does break out by the end, but this fictionalized autobiography gives a sense of what it was like growing up in upper-middle class, pre-war England.

Jacob's Room by Virginia Woolf (1922) -- Jacob's life story is told by those who knew him growing up in Edwardian England. The war, while playing a decisive role, is just background for Woolf's character study.

The Radetzky March by Joseph Roth (1932) -- traces the decline and fall of the Austro-Hungarian empire through three generations of one family, from the 1850s right up to the outbreak of war.

Mensagem editada pelo autor, Abr 27, 2009, 11:40pm.

This is indirect, but the Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear provides an interesting perspective on the social changes caused by WWI ... it's a set of cozy mysteries set after the war, but Maisie's experiences as an aid-station nurse are a key element of every story. Very good reads.

Spy's Honour looks to be a novel about Britain setting up a secret service in the run up to WWI.

Funny, I have made the same comment about the dearth of good WWI historical fiction since I read:

To the Last Man: A Novel of the First World War
by Jeff Shaara

Shaara and his father have written excellent historical fiction about Civil War, American Revolution, and WWI and WWII. I believe you will like "To the Last Man". He and his father do/did a tremendous amount of research and you will find among his characters several military and political individuals of note.

#8 Thank you. I actually have the civil war Shaara (title escaping me right now) on library reserve. I will definitely check out To the Last Man.

Fallen Skies by Phillipa Gregory is about the aftermath of the Great War in England. A main character is a lawyer and former officer in the war and is utterly damaged by what happened to him in France. Reviews are mixed on this one, but I like what it revealed about the effects of the war.

Another author that noone seems to know about these days is Howard Spring. He wrote about England, post WWI mostly. A favorite is These Lovers Fled Away. These books, too, focus on after the war, however.

There was a trilogy published by John Masters in the late '70s. The first was titled "Now God Be Thanked", can't remember the names of the second and third titles. These cover every aspect of how the WWI changed the lives of the British people: aristocrates, farmers, etc. These books have MANY characters, it can be hard to differentiate them at first, but stick with it! I enjoyed these books very much. Two problems: 1)these books have cheesy cover art that make them look like romances, and
2) only the most well-stocked libraries would be likely to still have them on their shelves. That said, they are well worth seeking out.

I'm not sure how this fits in with what you're looking for, but I have a book titled 1901, which is an alternate history of WWI. The basic premise is what if Germany invaded America? The reason behind it is that Kaiser Wilhelm wanted Germany to be a colonial power, and was jealous over the upstart United State's recent aquisitions of Samoa and the Phillipenes. Mind you, this is from the introduction of the book and I haven't independantly researched what the real potential was for a flashpoint. It makes for a fun read nevertheless.

you might take a look at John Biggins's books about the Habsburg Empire... I've read the first one, and enjoyed it immensely.

May I ask why the emphasis on, or prescription of, fiction?

If you want excellent, narrative, easy to read and digest books on the First World War, may I respectfully recommend The Guns of August and The Proud Tower by Barbara Tuchman. The first title deals with the first month of the way, whilst the second with the state of the world (primarily Europe) in the preceding twenty years. I also heartily recommend Dreadnought by Massie, an absolutely riveting account of the naval arms race that preceded the war.

You may also like The Lions of July and The Arming of Europe. These are both slightly more "traditional" history books though.

The trilogy starting with Regeneration by Pat Barker.

I'd second Regeneration but want to suggest Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks as an amazing, moving depiction of the tunnelers and so much more. Highly recommended.

Also, if you like mysteries, Charles Todd actually a mother/son team have a series starting with the award winning A Test of Wills about a shell-shocked officer returning to his job at Scotland Yard but haunted by a fellow soldier who lives in his mind as a result of actions in the Somme.

#15,16

I would second Birdsong which I preferred to Regeneration (I never bothered with the rest of the latter trilogy).

One of the Casca series by Barry Sadler is set in the First World War, Casca 21: The Trench Soldier.

I understand that you are looking for historical fiction that brought the word to WW I. If that is correct, you might look at Reilly, Ace of Spies, by Robin B. Lockhart, or Ken Follett's The Man from St. Petersburg. The Reilly book also appeared as a TV series that is available on DVD. Both Lockhart and Follett deal with the spy activities that occurred before the war.

I can't believe I'm still getting responses to my original request for WWI historical fiction. It just illustrates what a wonderful site this is.

I am reading the first of the Pat Barker series, although it is not quite what I had in mind. I'm not opposed to nonfiction, as I am a big fan of the genre. My interest in historical fiction is one of curiosity, as it seems that there are countless fiction books written about WWII, (as there is also an endless stream of books and novels about the Civil War.) I just wonder why the first world war is too often told through soldier narratives with not enough general history to educate the uninitiated like me. It seems that a good novel could do that through threads of several stories. These books must be there, and I will gladly take some of your recommendations to heart. I still do want to know more about "How We Got There..." I will give it up however, and read Guns of August as it seems to be on everyone's top ten list.

Thanks again for your interest and help.

Mensagem editada pelo autor, Nov 11, 2009, 6:11pm.

I have Bury Him Among Kings on my keeper shelf. Really enjoyed that book.

Closed Circle by Robert Goddard is fiction that posits a cause for WWI.