Starshine

by John Wilcox

1914. Outnumbered British forces are desperately trying to hold off the oncoming German soldiers in France. Star shells fly high into the night, illuminating the chaos, violence and death taking place in the French trenches below.
Like so many other men, Jim Hickman and Bertie Murphy are plunged into this nightmare. As the war progresses, Jim receives honour after honour, whilst Bertie sinks deep into depression. And back home Polly, the girl they both love, must choose between the two men…that is, if they ever come back alive. As the trio are trapped in physical and mental torment, a terrible tragedy befalls them…
Wilcox perfectly captures the horror and tragedy of the First World War in this vivid and moving novel.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical

320 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2012

About the author

Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name

John Wilcox started out as a local reporter and journalist in Birmingham before spending many years in industry, which took him all round the world. He finally sold his company to devote himself to writing full-time. He lives in Salisbury.

Reviews

[Clemens Schoonderwoert · Rating 4 out of 5]

**Should read as 4.5 Stars!**

Read this book in 2014, and its a wonderful standalone book about WWI and its heroes and horrors.

Its the story about two boyhood friends, Jim Hickman and Bertie Murphy, who are joining WWI and all its horrors this will bring in this war against the Germans in France.

These two friends, from child to manhood will do everything together, even fall in love with the same girl, and so they will enter together this war together.

But this war will give very different reactions to our young soldiers, for the one, Jim Hickman, there's honour upon honour, for the other, Bertie Murphy, this war is mentally too much for him to cope with.

And so where Jim Hickman thrives, Bertie Murphy will get into a very deep depression that will cost him his life, especially when also Polly will choose for Jim Hickman and Bertie nobody has left to help him through these hard and difficult times.

What is to follow is an intriguing and heartfelt warstory, in which the one Jim Hickman comes home and is feted as a hero, and gets the girl Polly, while poor Bertie Murphy will die lonely and in despair for this war has brought him only misery, hardship and death in the end.

Highly recommended, for this is a astonishing picture of two men who fought in WWI and where the one is applauded as a hero, the other is seen as a poor cowardly creature and who dies very lonely, and that's why I like to call this book: "A Captivating Starshine"!

[Georgia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story of life in 1914 for 2 childhood friends and the woman they love in uncertain times!

[Sophie]

Une belle représentation de la 1ère guerre mondiale du point de vue de deux soldats anglais engagés de la première heure

[Kevin Burnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Is Not A Simon Fonthill Novel As I Have Seen Advertised. It Is About 2 Men From Birmingham And 3 Battles Ypres In The First World War.

[Paolo Ventura · Rating 1 out of 5]

..."polpettone" melenso (mal scritto) da film ?!
abbandonato troppo tardi ...al IV capitolo.
(...forse in lingua originale avrebbe potuto funzionare (?!))

[Baz · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first introduction to this author & I really enjoyed this book. A good read & I liked the style of writing. Looking forward to finding more of his books.

[Andrea Cross · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a really enticing fictional story about friends during WWI. It was interesting to watch the balancing act between friendship and duty and where it took the characters, right until the very end.

[David Slater · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story. Very moving.

[M.K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Polished this off in one day! Will review as part of a Historical Novel Society article coming out in August.