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Is he just an adrenaline junkie who needs a regular fix of danger? He acknowledges the effect of his being a soldier on his family but doesn't go on to explore this. This is my main complaint - the lack of reflection on what he has experienced. The book offered me some insights. For example, how the modern British soldier creates films of their war exploits and, after editing the footage, adds a suitable rock or rap soundtrack.
The author acknowledges how current British soldiers are now part of the MTV generation. I was also interested in the way the anti-Taliban soldiers influenced their British allies through their more laissez-faire approach. Ultimately though, this book is less a "War Is Hell" tome, and more "War Is Fun" that frequently bored me and offered me very few new insights.
The book is partly redeemed by some of the sections on Afghanistan but I thought, overall, it was a missed opportunity. Jun 08, Susanhayeshotmail. Seriously considering skipping to the end. I never used to to do that but life is busy and there are more books to read than I will ever possibly find the time to tackle. Despite the back flap description this is in no way a book about books or reading let alone a reading club.
I am more than halfway through and the stream of consciousness style prose, army slang, British slang and pop culture package is just driving me nuts.
Customer reviews There are no customer reviews yet. Jun 08, Susanhayeshotmail. Quality is good - it was a Kindle purchase. Patrick is currently studying to become a barrister and hopes to specialize in conflict and international humanitarian law. Hennessey has a reporter's eye for detail and a soldier's nose for bullshit Guardian Outstanding. Still, I was not disappointed.
Oh, and the language - I am usually able to ignore most foul language Seriously considering skipping to the end. Oh, and the language - I am usually able to ignore most foul language but even knowing that various curses weigh in differently in different countries, cultures and settings read: I was expecting swearing, this is the army we're talkin' about I find myself weary of it.
All this from a gal who grew up in a lumber town, had a British roommate once upon a time, who is the wife of a former air force officer and a woman who loves her Masterpiece Theater and usually follows the BBC with pleasure and ease. To be fair Hennesey makes some terrific wry observations and I have found myself chuckling in a few places.
His map of Sandhurst cracked me up. I appreciate the glossary in the back those British military acronyms! And if I finish I believe I will truly appreciate his journey from a basically spoiled or perhaps just arrogant cadet to seasoned officer man-child to man? Will his personal interpretation of these things, his personal reflection be different enough to be worth what has thus far, for me, been a slog through dirt in stiff boots with a loaded pack on a gray day?
My problems with this book revolve, thus far, around a couple of things. The writing style being number one, I'm having a hard time engaging and focusing. I can understanding why he chose this writing style and I think I get why the first part drags, just as his training and deployment dragged. Maybe i should put a question mark there?
The other biggie is that no matter how many times I have warned myself that expectations don't mean squat I yet again had expectations that there would be some connection to actual books, discussions of books, juxtaposition of books being read while on post, hauled around during battle, something bookish.
I am pretty sure it was this expectation of books that put this on my book club's reading list. Lastly, maybe I'm just getting old and cranky, I just got tired of googling things to refresh my memory - places, music and plots of books to see if they tied in in any way with what was going on tut, tut, expectations, my dear, expectations. So, then I just kind of ignore the references and am left feeling like I just did not get something fully, irritating.
Okay, parsing this out in words convinced me it was time to just skip to the end. Glad I skimmed and skipped a chunk but also glad I read the final chapter. I will be interested to see what my book group ladies think but for now I am happier to go tackle the laundry, my least favorite chore, than spend the day reading every chapter. My final ranking is probably something like a 2. Patrick Hennessey's soldiering memoir is a surprisingly self-aware read. A former officer in the Grenadier Guards he has written a remarkably postmodern work of the same ilk as Swofford's Jarhead.
A generation of smart, educated and well read young men, entirely aware of the horrors of war, but also quite keen to kill someone. Hennessey's account is part impossibly posh public schoolboy romp: Sandhurst "Hogwarts with guns", the officers "tray" in Inkerman Company a sort of giant tuck shop and t Patrick Hennessey's soldiering memoir is a surprisingly self-aware read. Sandhurst "Hogwarts with guns", the officers "tray" in Inkerman Company a sort of giant tuck shop and the bizarre rituals of being in Royal Palace Guards display regiment - chatting up American tourists between marching in spotless uniforms.
Troops shoot "Terry" Taliban by day and catch up with episodes of the hospital soap Grey's Anatomy on the laptop at night. In one account he ponders with black humour why they are watching the characters of Band of Brothers under mortar attacks, in between bouts of actually being under mortar attack - at least escapism has a certain logic to it.
The slightly random diary style writing owes a lot to Michael Herr's Vietnam Dispatches, who Hennessey himself acknowledges as a book of the Reading Club.
He also veers into British Army abbreviations and slang a little too often to make the reading easy going. The odd style means the writing quality varies greatly. He writes very well about the problems of re-entering civilian life on leave, and the PTSD and underlying selfishness that soldiering must require.
He's not so good on geopolitics - at times acknowledging the uselessness, costs, idiotic bureaucracy and impossibilities of the conflicts he fighting in, while at the same time defending the men lost and the worthiness of the intent. Hennessey isn't as good a writer as Swofford because ultimately he lacks the ability to examine his own actions and ask if he's entitled to call himself one of the good guys any more.
Jan 29, J. Gibson Hartley rated it really liked it. I finish this book with great solemnity, trying to fight its conclusions: One hopes that these warriors may return from distant battlefields to find closure for those they leave behind and may nurse their moral wounds to where their scars fade and are forgotten under suits and stained t-shirts. One must believe that your initial distaste for killing and aversion to I finish this book with great solemnity, trying to fight its conclusions: One must believe that your initial distaste for killing and aversion to the blood-pumping moments of combat may weather the flirtations with death that nearly all deployed must experience.
Perhaps above all else, one must hold dearly to the belief that when you open your front door and step back into the lives of your family and friends that you have not lost them--that they remain close to you, can understand you, and bring you to smile and laugh as you revisit old inside jokes and settle down to watch old shows that you once followed together. If Hennessey is right, the costs of war should not be simplified to the statistics of who has died and who returns home without a leg. Hennessey reminds us that soldiers, airmen, sailors, and marines must shoulder the far greater costs of reentering a civilian world that has become so distant from the excitement, the horror, the humor, and the sadness that accompanies their service abroad.
I do not think that Hennessey writes to dissuade young men and women from seeking military service nor does he regret his own service--still, we must continue to think deeply about what the profession of killing demands of its men and women and how we will never truly understand the cost of war unless we live it ourselves. Jun 07, Leora Bersohn rated it did not like it.
Bought this for my husband, who was a huge fan, but if you are not in the "boys who love war" demographic, this is not for you. The writing is completely incoherent. Excerpts from emails are treated with reverence as though they were Joycean stream-of-consciousness, with no seeming sense that you should be crafting prose. I started thinking dark thoughts about how British books are not edited as heavily as American ones, right up until I noticed how Hennessey thanks his editor for being so stric Bought this for my husband, who was a huge fan, but if you are not in the "boys who love war" demographic, this is not for you.
I started thinking dark thoughts about how British books are not edited as heavily as American ones, right up until I noticed how Hennessey thanks his editor for being so strict with him and cutting so much. I can only wonder what the MS looked like before she got started.
I'd say this does give a hint of what Sandhurst is like, as well as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but it really only shows what these environments are like from an extremely arrogant, privileged, and gung-ho perspective. If you're thinking, "This is a solder's memoir--what do you expect? I just can't get into Hennessey. Read of pages and stopped for good. Aug 26, Louise rated it it was ok. This book had parts which were really gripping and gave you a true sense of what it would be like fighting in Afghanistan and the strong bonds of friendship which form among the soldiers and officers.
There are some descriptions which are really quite witty and I found myself trying to supress the giggles at times in order to try and keep up the pretence of me reading a "serious" book tackling a dramatic topic. However, I found large parts of the book hard to follow. I think this had much to do This book had parts which were really gripping and gave you a true sense of what it would be like fighting in Afghanistan and the strong bonds of friendship which form among the soldiers and officers.
I think this had much to do with the language used. Not only is it riddled with military terms and abbreviations, but I don't think the language flows very easily. I had to re-read sentences a couple of times only to reach the conclusion that it really did not make a lot of sense. It is still worth reading and a much needed dose of reality in the context of modern warfare. When it is good, it is very good. When it is bad, it is confusing. Not a modern Birdsong, but not a bad attempt overall.
An irreverent, flippant, and visceral read of what goes through the mind of a warrior before, during, and after combat. The military jargon and the British idioms will no doubt lose many an intrepid soul but seize the day and persevere because this is a gem of a book. It tells it like it is. Reminded me a lot of Junger's book on Afghanistan and the film Restrepo. However, this book takes place in Iraq, Bosnia, and the UK as well. Infantry soldiers believe they have a monopoly on human suffering An irreverent, flippant, and visceral read of what goes through the mind of a warrior before, during, and after combat.
Infantry soldiers believe they have a monopoly on human suffering and this book reaffirms that belief and transforms it into a fact, not some perceived reality.
At times this book seems to contradict Robert E. Lee's aphorism "it is well that war is so terrible — lest we should grow too fond of it. When he takes his leave of the Army he's probably come around to Lee's sage advice. Apr 13, Belinda rated it really liked it. Really interesting account of modern day soldiering with particular emphasis on Afghanistan.
Great writing and required reading if you really want to know how it is on the front line. May 29, Emma rated it liked it. Jumps around a bit but very entertaining. You need a military thesaurus to get through it, luckily I live with one. What I liked were the vivid and often-chaotic descriptions of battle.
What I didn't like was the still-misleading title despite the explanation in the afterword to the paperback edition. Although there were many literary references, far fewer were the attempts at connecting the author's reading experiences to his experiences of war - especially for those that may not have read some of the works he cites.
Furthermore, the entire book is a bit disjointed, scattered, as others have pointed out, fil What I liked were the vivid and often-chaotic descriptions of battle. Furthermore, the entire book is a bit disjointed, scattered, as others have pointed out, filled with unexplained in-jokes and nearly-incomprehensible jargon. As the book progresses he begins to show genuine trauma over the repeated losses of fellow soldiers. He acknowledges the addictive nature of combat and the damage that it is doing to his soul.
Of course he would like to be better equipped, but how can journalists criticise an army system that they have never themselves experienced? Who are they to speak for him? Kandak by Patrick Hennessey: And herein lies the clue to this book. As he reiterates several times, there is a huge gulf in understanding between those who have fought for the Army and those who have not. He is not boasting, but seems genuinely worried by the fact that no one seems to understand what he has become, or what he is doing in Afghanistan — not the media, not his family and friends, not even his girlfriend.
It is only once we grasp this that we realise we might have misjudged this book and the officer who wrote it.
In the end, his desire for action is not merely the extension of some video game fantasy but an acknowledgement of something deeper and more primeval. No one who has not been in a combat situation can possibly understand such a feeling. It's a little slow to get going, and would have benefited from a larger index of British Army acronyms and slang, but in the end a compelling book. Killing Time and Fighting Wars. Killing Time and Fighting Wars, Patrick Hennessey creates a journey that almost any everyday citizen can follow of the men that lived through the sleepless nights of officer training to the sand in Iraq and ending in the mountains of Afghanistan.
The highs and lows that come with being in the military, and the way that it will alter the psyche of all its members. As Patrick begins his military career, just like most soldiers, he is looking for the common ground where he can find good friends. Finding a good core group of friends can ultimately lead to success, without a tight knit group, there is now where to find solace. Enjoying reading, he soon creates the junior officer reading club where they can read and share stories of the tribulations that each member is currently facing and what they expect.
The idea of finding a common group to share a passion is no different than most members of today's military. Each can share their stories, laugh and take in the moment.
As the books, months and even years started to pass, so did the original members. Different units were deploying to different places and this is where Patrick Hennessey began to learn the most about him and eventually combat veterans in general. In the beginning, uniforms, rules and uniformity were the status quo and would lead to a successful military career.
Once being shot at and seeing your good friends die in the battle field this can began to wear thing and not be nearly as important. As he began to witness this transition, he began to push aside the others everyone without combat experience for they had no idea what it took to be in his shoes. After returning home from Afghanistan, Mr. Hennessey realized that life would never be the same.
Knowing that people would not know that sacrifices that were given during the battles, how would Mr. Hennessey continue living his life without some of his best friends that died? The plot is similar to many war time veterans' stories, which depict the hardships that the soldier faces while at war. Knowing that some of your best friends may not return can be hard and this book does not waver from this idea.
Where this book differs from others is the approach in the main character and how his life revolved around his men and how they affected the outcome and eventually him. Hennessey does a fabulous job describes these hardships and the affects and the changes that the men will go through.
bahana-line.com - Buy The Junior Officers' Reading Club: Killing Time and Fighting Wars book online at best prices in India on bahana-line.com Read The Junior Officers' . The Junior Officers' Reading Club: Killing Time and Fighting Wars is a book by Patrick Hennessey, a former officer in the Grenadier Guards. It charts his.
Seeing it from the eyes of their leaders, this so called figure of authority can alter the perception of the men.