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No Man's Land by Major, Kevin (1995) Hardcover
On July 1, 1916, the best and the brightest of a generation of Newfoundland men were virtually wiped out. From every bay and cove and town, from fishing stage to merchant's home, they marched off to the Great War, proud members of their very own Newfoundland Regiment, never suspecting what one terrible morning of treachery would bring. The Battle of Beaumont Hamel is considered the greatest tragedy in Newfoundland and Labrador’s history. Beyond the trenches were lovers and mothers and others who held them dear. The soldiers were part of the immeasurable turmoil of war, yet as they travelled to dangerous and distant lands they were never without the spirit and humour they brought from their homeland. Adapted for stage from the novel of the same name.
Unknown Binding
First published August 19, 2005
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About the author
Kevin Major
30 books39 followersKevin Major is the author of 20 books, for both young people and adults. The first, Hold Fast, won several awards in Canada and was placed on the Hans Christian Andersen Honour List. It was released in 2014 as a feature film. His second book, Far From Shore, was the winner of the first Canadian Young Adult Book Award. Others which followed include Blood Red Ochre and Eating Between the Lines, winner of the CACL Book-of-the-Year Award.
In 1992 Kevin was given the Vicky Metcalf Award, for an outstanding body of work of significance to young people. The languages into which his work has been translated include French, Danish, German, Spanish, Portuguese, and Hebrew.
An adult novel, No Man’s Land, about the Newfoundland Regiment in World War I, was published in 1995 to much acclaim. Kevin’s adaption of the story was brought to the stage by Rising Tide Theatre and has played for more than a dozen years.
His more recent books include the Christmas classic The House of Wooden Santas, and a history of Newfoundland and Labrador: As Near To Heaven By Sea (a Canadian best-seller and finalist for the Pearson Non-Fiction Prize). Ann and Seamus, a verse novel released in 2003 was shortlisted for a total of ten awards. It has since been turned into an opera. The adult novel New Under the Sun was published in 2010, book one of a trilogy of historical fiction. The second, Found Far and Wide, was released in 2016, and the third, Land Beyond the Sea, in 2019.
In 2018 Kevin started a projected serious of crime novels with One for the Rock. He anticipates the second will arrive in bookstores in the fall of 2020.
Kevin has been named Memorial University’s Alumnus-of-the-Year, and the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council’s Artist-of-the-Year .
John Moss, writing in “A Reader’s Guide to the Canadian Novel,” has said, “Kevin Major is among the best Canadian writers of his generation. He has established himself as a figure of singular importance in our literature.”
He lives in St. John’s, NL with his wife Anne. They have two grown sons.
In 1992 Kevin was given the Vicky Metcalf Award, for an outstanding body of work of significance to young people. The languages into which his work has been translated include French, Danish, German, Spanish, Portuguese, and Hebrew.
An adult novel, No Man’s Land, about the Newfoundland Regiment in World War I, was published in 1995 to much acclaim. Kevin’s adaption of the story was brought to the stage by Rising Tide Theatre and has played for more than a dozen years.
His more recent books include the Christmas classic The House of Wooden Santas, and a history of Newfoundland and Labrador: As Near To Heaven By Sea (a Canadian best-seller and finalist for the Pearson Non-Fiction Prize). Ann and Seamus, a verse novel released in 2003 was shortlisted for a total of ten awards. It has since been turned into an opera. The adult novel New Under the Sun was published in 2010, book one of a trilogy of historical fiction. The second, Found Far and Wide, was released in 2016, and the third, Land Beyond the Sea, in 2019.
In 2018 Kevin started a projected serious of crime novels with One for the Rock. He anticipates the second will arrive in bookstores in the fall of 2020.
Kevin has been named Memorial University’s Alumnus-of-the-Year, and the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council’s Artist-of-the-Year .
John Moss, writing in “A Reader’s Guide to the Canadian Novel,” has said, “Kevin Major is among the best Canadian writers of his generation. He has established himself as a figure of singular importance in our literature.”
He lives in St. John’s, NL with his wife Anne. They have two grown sons.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
March 6, 2014
This could have been a beautiful and breathtaking short story. Unfortunately, it's over twice as long as it needs to be and drags on and on.
January 5, 2018
Kevin Major's No Man's Land is a devastatingly straightforward account of a disaster that cost Newfoundland a generation of its best and brightest - losses that were felt for decades after the Battle of Beaumont Hamel. Of the nearly 800 Newfoundlanders involved in the advance, only 68 men were available for roll call the next day. It's a story that looms large in Newfoundland's history. We mark it with solemn remembrance on Memorial Day on July 1. You'd almost think there was nothing left to learn.
Perhaps there isn't - at least not about the battle itself. History has covered that - its faults and its success. But what we're in danger of losing is an interest in stories that again humanize the men who knew without illusion that when they went over the lip of the trenches on July 1, 1916, it was to certain death. What Major has accomplished with this story is a powerful reminder that behind the bravery and bravado of a proud and accomplished Regiment from "the colonies", there was a powerful sense of duty. There was also awareness, and in writing one of the characters as a vocal protagonist to commanders' decisions, Major created a growing undercurrent of tension that peaked less than an hour before the battalions were dispatched. They knew then that the Battle of Beaumont Hamel was ill-conceived and poorly executed. In short, the soldiers suffered as much from German artillery fire as they did from the strategic stupidity of their own commanders who failed to ensure they had proper artillery protection by giving the Germans time to regroup after the initial onslaught. They also failed to communicate that the German trench line they were headed for without cover in broad daylight had barely been breached, let alone destroyed by constant airstrikes in the week leading up to the Great Push.
But I'm getting away from myself. Major's book isn't a military critique. It's a powerful story that connects you to the characters who are headed into battle with brilliant success. You're rooting for them. You feel their fear and hope even before it happens they can channel it into momentum. You want them to survive. You know the ending to the story. But Major makes you care, anew, and you will want a different outcome. It's a wonderful book that makes me wonder about the balance between fear and duty, death and patriotism. In my humble opinion, it is a quintessentially Canadian read.
May 26, 2025
I have mixed emotions about this book.
The cover is great, as the pictures really help create a sense of the young men who ultimately sacrificed themselves for King and Country, but more importantly, pride in the Regiment and themselves.
That part was solid.
However, I haven't really figured out why the title of the book is "No Man's Land" when so very little of the book has anything to do with it. Particularly annoying is the fact that actual battle only starts on page 232 of 251 pages.
Instead, the bulk of the book captures the young men in the leadup to the battle, where they are billeted at a small French village before the battle, then they march to the trenches just before the attack.
A lot of time is spent on the individual relationships between Hayward, a young officer, his officer friend, and then his relationship with everyone else.
Also annoying was that there was a fair bit of "headhopping" where the point of view changed a few times across paragraphs, which was a bit jarring.
Overall, the book was a decent read. I like the atmosphere, the pre-battle angst and nervousness, and young men trying to be young men, despite the fact that they have been thrust into roles that are well beyond what they are likely ready for. A decent read, but not the best book I've ever read on WWI.
The cover is great, as the pictures really help create a sense of the young men who ultimately sacrificed themselves for King and Country, but more importantly, pride in the Regiment and themselves.
That part was solid.
However, I haven't really figured out why the title of the book is "No Man's Land" when so very little of the book has anything to do with it. Particularly annoying is the fact that actual battle only starts on page 232 of 251 pages.
Instead, the bulk of the book captures the young men in the leadup to the battle, where they are billeted at a small French village before the battle, then they march to the trenches just before the attack.
A lot of time is spent on the individual relationships between Hayward, a young officer, his officer friend, and then his relationship with everyone else.
Also annoying was that there was a fair bit of "headhopping" where the point of view changed a few times across paragraphs, which was a bit jarring.
Overall, the book was a decent read. I like the atmosphere, the pre-battle angst and nervousness, and young men trying to be young men, despite the fact that they have been thrust into roles that are well beyond what they are likely ready for. A decent read, but not the best book I've ever read on WWI.
May 10, 2019
Over the past couple of weeks, I have read 3 memoirs related to the Royal Newfoundland Regiment during the First World War. Major’s book, No Man’s Land is a fictional novel that takes place during and just prior to the Battle of Beaumont Hamel (July 1, 2016), a huge defining and heart wrenching event for the RNR and the entire Province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
I was unsure of how I would feel about a historical fiction novel set in that time during those events, especially after reading the memoirs. However, I thought that Major did an amazing job at bringing the story together and putting people in it. I’ve read other books by Kevin Major and enjoyed this one much more. Not sure if I could explain why as it is difficult for me to separate his writing style from my strong interest in the events depicted.
Some of the characters are real but I am unsure about the main ones (I have not checked). Although a work of fiction, I would recommend this if anyone is interested in getting a glimpse of that period of history. It contains some history but more importantly, he brings in a strong human element reminiscent of the memoirs but also not as personal.
I was unsure of how I would feel about a historical fiction novel set in that time during those events, especially after reading the memoirs. However, I thought that Major did an amazing job at bringing the story together and putting people in it. I’ve read other books by Kevin Major and enjoyed this one much more. Not sure if I could explain why as it is difficult for me to separate his writing style from my strong interest in the events depicted.
Some of the characters are real but I am unsure about the main ones (I have not checked). Although a work of fiction, I would recommend this if anyone is interested in getting a glimpse of that period of history. It contains some history but more importantly, he brings in a strong human element reminiscent of the memoirs but also not as personal.
March 22, 2017
“No man’s land” Is an incredibly interesting and intriguing book filled with interesting characters and an even more interesting setting. Kevin Major has perfectly captured the true sense of camaraderie, friendships, and hardships, that many soldiers experienced on the battle field of world war 1 and puts a great twist on the somewhat over-saturated war novel genre. However, for as much as I liked certain parts of this book this novel has an incredibly glaring issue that is not to be passed over. That being the fact that throughout this book the tempo horrifically sporadic. There where points where I had been reading several chapters with little to no action or mild focus put on to weaker subplots distracting from the much, much, greater plot. Kevin Major made a big mistake by spacing out the plot so much that at times I even forgot what was going on. Aside from that rather large blemish for what “No man’s land” has to offer, it’s worth a read, especially if you happen to be interested in Newfoundland and Labrador history. But due to the fact that you have to read at least 100 pages of filler I can only give it a 3/5.
September 4, 2025
A great read covering an oft’ forgotten topic of the Great War: the magnificent contribution of the Newfoundlanders at the Somme. Losing early an entire generation of men in one day the Newfoundland regiment fought valiantly at Beaumont Hamel and this novel covers that in great detail.
The plot is the majority of the book, the character development is superb - the story line leading up to the battle is fantastic and you really get a sense of morale and the relationship between soldiers. Young men who grew up together on a tiny island of the Commonwealth dying in France for King and Country.
The book reads a bit like All Quiet on the Western Front. There are no heroes; just the shock, horror and sadness of war. Lest We Forget.
The plot is the majority of the book, the character development is superb - the story line leading up to the battle is fantastic and you really get a sense of morale and the relationship between soldiers. Young men who grew up together on a tiny island of the Commonwealth dying in France for King and Country.
The book reads a bit like All Quiet on the Western Front. There are no heroes; just the shock, horror and sadness of war. Lest We Forget.
January 12, 2021
It was a book I couldn’t put down. I was hooked right from the beginning. Very well done.
December 30, 2009
How I Came To Read This Book: Canadian Literature – the Maritimes half of the course.
The Plot: Is incredibly similar to ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’, only this time we’re looking at a band of boys from Newfoundland. The special hook here is that – based on a real story – the island suffered heavily in the particular WW1 1916 battle looked at in the story. Over 270 boys were killed in one fell swoop, with no other regiment suffering as many casualties. There is a protagonist, but just like with AQOTWF, his individual experience is not so important as the hell the collective group goes through.
The Good & The Bad: I feel the same about this book as I do with All Quiet. It’s a solid story, with characters developed enough you feel some emotional tension at their demise or survival. Having read this book first, I was stunned to read All Quiet several years later and realize how incredibly similar the two stories really are. Again, like with All Quiet, it was neat to read a different perspective of the war and realize how horrible it is from all angles – the Germans in All Quiet are just as scared and horrified as the Canadians in this book. I don’t know that it’s worth reading both stories as they’re so closely linked, but it does reinforce the message: War Is Hell.
The Bottom Line: A solid piece of Canadian war lit, but nothing out of this world.
Anything Memorable?: I specifically remember telling my classmates at this point that I often pictured movie stars in the key roles in a book. In this case, I remember Orlando Bloom factoring in as one of the main characters.
50-Book Challenge?: Nope
The Plot: Is incredibly similar to ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’, only this time we’re looking at a band of boys from Newfoundland. The special hook here is that – based on a real story – the island suffered heavily in the particular WW1 1916 battle looked at in the story. Over 270 boys were killed in one fell swoop, with no other regiment suffering as many casualties. There is a protagonist, but just like with AQOTWF, his individual experience is not so important as the hell the collective group goes through.
The Good & The Bad: I feel the same about this book as I do with All Quiet. It’s a solid story, with characters developed enough you feel some emotional tension at their demise or survival. Having read this book first, I was stunned to read All Quiet several years later and realize how incredibly similar the two stories really are. Again, like with All Quiet, it was neat to read a different perspective of the war and realize how horrible it is from all angles – the Germans in All Quiet are just as scared and horrified as the Canadians in this book. I don’t know that it’s worth reading both stories as they’re so closely linked, but it does reinforce the message: War Is Hell.
The Bottom Line: A solid piece of Canadian war lit, but nothing out of this world.
Anything Memorable?: I specifically remember telling my classmates at this point that I often pictured movie stars in the key roles in a book. In this case, I remember Orlando Bloom factoring in as one of the main characters.
50-Book Challenge?: Nope
February 15, 2013
“This past summer in Trinity, among those who had come to No Man’s Land was a very, very old man. At the end, he stood up and he said, ‘I knew these men. I knew them.’ It was, in its simplicity, the most powerful statement that one could ever hear about the play.” -- Donna Butt
“Kevin Major is among the best Canadian writers of his generation. He has established himself as a figure of singular importance in our literature.” -- John Moss
"No Man's Land is a gripping drama. . . . The tale is well told, informative without being expository, embedded with subtle touches of the soldiers' panic and homesickness." -- The Telegram
"The play is sensitively written using the songs and values of the time to underline what we would consider a naive view of war, one that makes the end of many of these soldier all the more poignant." -- CM: Canadian Review of Materials
"This masterful adaptation of his celebrated war novel includes archival illustrations and photographs by Ned Pratt from Rising Tide Theatre's 2001 and 2003 productions of the piece in an exquisitely designed softcover edition." -- Canadian Book Review Annual
“Kevin Major is among the best Canadian writers of his generation. He has established himself as a figure of singular importance in our literature.” -- John Moss
"No Man's Land is a gripping drama. . . . The tale is well told, informative without being expository, embedded with subtle touches of the soldiers' panic and homesickness." -- The Telegram
"The play is sensitively written using the songs and values of the time to underline what we would consider a naive view of war, one that makes the end of many of these soldier all the more poignant." -- CM: Canadian Review of Materials
"This masterful adaptation of his celebrated war novel includes archival illustrations and photographs by Ned Pratt from Rising Tide Theatre's 2001 and 2003 productions of the piece in an exquisitely designed softcover edition." -- Canadian Book Review Annual
May 16, 2017
This is the story of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment in the 24 hours leading up to the attack at Beaumont Hamel on 1 July 1916. Although reading it, I already knew the fate of the RNR on that terrible day, I found myself hoping again and again that it would all end differently. The book is written with pride, affection, and gratitude, the result of which is perhaps not an action-packed tale but one filled with people you really come to like and root for. It took me awhile to finish this relatively short book because I couldn't bring myself to keep moving, as all these men, did toward their fate. But I'm glad I finished it, and I can recommend it for the military history buff as well as for those who know nothing of the battles of World War I.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 15, 2014
I think the story even though it was fiction was told with great detail or description of what the men in WW1 might have seen and went through. How close those men must have been realizing that it could all end a any moment. The trying at times but strong relationships between the general an his men on what they didn't know where the last hours of their lives. It makes you realize how much we can take for granted with what we have today.
January 29, 2016
A great tribute to the Newfoundland Regiment of World War I. History told with dignity, compassion and truth. A very meaningful way to introduce the Battle of the Somme and the reality of military men who who sacrificed all to our young people of today.
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July 25, 2011Very sad Story from the War .
July 28, 2011
never reading this book ever again -_- we had to read this book for school and the writing is good but nothing happens! up until like the 17th chapter they haven't even left for the trenches!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews