Private Peaceful (After Words) (Collins Drama) (Oberon Plays for Young People)

by Michael Morpurgo

Heroism or cowardice? A stunning story of the First World War from a master storyteller.

Told in the voice of a young soldier, the story follows 24 hours in his life at the front during WW1, and captures his memories as he looks back over his life. Full of stunningly researched detail and engrossing atmosphere, the book leads to a dramatic and moving conclusion.

Both a love story and a deeply moving account of the horrors of the First World War, this book will reach everyone from 9 to 90.

• ISBN13: 9780007150076
• Publish Date: 2 August 2004 (first published 6 October 2003)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 25 January 2017
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Inc
• Imprint: HarperCollins
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 192
• Language: English
• URL: http://harpercollins.co.uk

Reviews

[readingwithwrin]

4.5 stars

"The more we sing the more cheery we become, and that's in spite of all we see - the shell shattered villes we march through, the field hospitals we pass, the empty coffins waiting."
Tommy Peaceful is a young man who has gone off to war with his big brother Charlie and is now trying to survive nights in the trenches by remembering his childhood.

During his childhood, his family always struggled after his father died in a tree cutting accident, that Tommy has always felt guilty for. He tends to follow around his big brother Charlie and Molly who is his best friends, but as time goes on Charlie and Molly start spending more time together and leaving out Tommy in small ways.

Add in a brother who needs help, a rich man who tries to control the whole town, and a mean aunt. The boys are left with only two options, move to a different town, or go to war. Not wanting to make their mother and brother move they join the war.

The war isn't what they expected it to be, and Tommy struggles with it and without Charlies by his side I'm not sure he would have made it.

Overall I did enjoy this story. I don't know much about WWI in general besides the basics. So to learn some of the things that the men had to deal with and how they were treated is just awful. Tommy manages to make it through with letters from home and remembering his childhood. This at first was a little confusing to me, but as it got closer to his present it was easier to understand.

I would highly recommend this book if you're wanting to know a little about WWI.