Reviews

No More Parades by Ford Madox Ford

manwithanagenda's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

 War, man.

Review: Parade's End 

kateofmind's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

Even better than the first book. Full review on my blog.

Side note, I do miss cross-posting here but cannot on principle after GR has gotten so heavy handed about deleting reviews.

lnatal's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Free download available at eBooks@Adelaide.

Opening lines:
When you came in the space was desultory, rectangular, warm after the drip of the winter night, and transfused with a brown-orange dust that was light.


It is becoming better and better....

The sequel of this book is A Man Could Stand UP.

eddie's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

Disappointed; but perhaps that’s just me. One hundred years of literary activity have created an expectation of what a WWI novel should be: although written in the shadow of that war by an ex-combatant this does not conform to those expectations.

The first book of the series seemed to set up a corrupt and decadent civilisation on the brink of disaster: Book two (this one) to me should therefore cover that disaster. However, Ford just repeats the drawing-room melodrama of Book one but now against the backdrop of the thundering guns on the Western front. The result seems ultimately to trivialise the war - or maybe this effect was part of Ford’s objective?

I’m annoyed with Tietjens, annoyed with Sylvia - cannot be annoyed with Valentine as she does not appear in this book. However, I know from my experience of The Good Soldier Ford requires huge amounts of patience and super-aware reading, so no doubt my responses will develop throughout books three and four.

He writes astonishingly, and with such control. He carefully, indirectly, builds up a devastating picture of British incompetence and chaos, but not one which is foregrounded.
More...