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Losing Julia
From an American nursing home, a war veteran reflects on his love for the widow of his slain friend. From the savagery of trench warfare to the indignities of life in a nursing home, listeners journey through Patrick Delaney's memories, as he questions whether the joy he shared with Julia can outweigh the losses of a lifetime. Abridged.
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First published February 1, 2000
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About the author
Jonathan Hull
3 books35 followersJonathan Hull is the bestselling author of Losing Julia and The Distance from Normandy. His latest novel, The Devoted, has just been released as of August 2012.
A graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, Hull spent ten years as a correspondent at TIME, including three as the Jerusalem Bureau Chief. His reporting has ranged from the Gulf War and the Palestinian uprising to presidential politics and the troubled underside of American society. A cover story he wrote on youth violence won the Society of Professional Journalists' prestigious Sigma Delta Chi award for magazine journalism.
A father of two, Hull lives in Sausalito, California, where he is at work on his fourth novel.
A graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, Hull spent ten years as a correspondent at TIME, including three as the Jerusalem Bureau Chief. His reporting has ranged from the Gulf War and the Palestinian uprising to presidential politics and the troubled underside of American society. A cover story he wrote on youth violence won the Society of Professional Journalists' prestigious Sigma Delta Chi award for magazine journalism.
A father of two, Hull lives in Sausalito, California, where he is at work on his fourth novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 262 reviews
December 16, 2015
First, I should probably go ahead and thank Allison for this one. She threw this into a Christmas box she sent me as a last minute whim. To be honest, I probably never would have picked it up on my own. But that would have been a shame, because this story was fantastic.
So far this year is starting out wonderfully. This is my 4th 5-star read this year alone. When I think of that ratio, I feel like I've been super generous already this year. But I think that everything has been deserving of the rating I've given, so I'm not going to change anything. :)
This book is absolutely deserving of a 5-star rating. I would NEVER have guessed that this is a first novel. Sometimes a first novel will take you by surprise, just by being far better than any first novel should be, and better by far than some 5th or 10th or 25th novels. This is one of those. I was feeling kind of blah about the book that I was reading, and this happened to be within arms reach, so I picked it up.
When I say that this book grabbed me from the very first page, I'm not exaggerating. Just the descriptions and the words and the feelings that flow off the page were enough to hook me. I wrote down my first quote at page 13, and then kept jotting them down throughout the book. There are so, so many insightful and beautiful quotes in this book. So many vivid descriptions and heart-tugging and honest emotions. This book is an absolute gem. And I do NOT say that often.
This is Patrick Delaney's story. His life story, in a way, but really his life centered around small islands of understanding and happiness that he found in two people that he loved and lost. We see Patrick through his eyes, and his insights and memories and at different stages of his life. We see how he's changed with each stage, even though he doesn't tell us, "I was different back then..." or anything, I could just see.
We see him as a scared, naive 20 year old heading off to war and meeting the first person who changed his life. We see him as a 30 year old, more than a little jaded, now visiting the war memorial and meeting the 2nd person who changed his life. Then finally we see him as an old man, looking back over his life and pondering his impending death.
Each of Patrick's "lives" was represented on the page with truth and grace and clarity that I think would be hard for a different writer to carry off, let alone to do so by intertwining them in and amongst each other without losing his (the writer's) way, or losing the reader. The three stories blended together perfectly, and felt so intimate that toward the end, I felt as if I was losing a little bit of myself in Patrick's loss.
I am infinitely impressed that Hull was able to write an 83 year old man pondering life and old age and death as convincingly as he did. One would think that he was writing about his own experience. It was beautiful and staggeringly sad at the same time. But then, 83 year old Patrick is witty and funny too. Here's the quote I mentioned writing down from page 13:
Or this one, which I loved because it describes the book lover so perfectly:
This is a book that deals with war head on. It pulls no punches, and isn't shy about showing how awful and horrible war is. It's not glamorous. It's not romantic or virtuous or glorious. It's terrible. All of them. Patrick talks about what it is to be a part of something so terrible, and what it is to survive it.
This book touched me on so many different levels. It was beautifully written, heart-breaking and heart-warming at the same time, and shows us that loss is maybe subjective. If we love someone enough, they are always with us, even when they are not.
So far this year is starting out wonderfully. This is my 4th 5-star read this year alone. When I think of that ratio, I feel like I've been super generous already this year. But I think that everything has been deserving of the rating I've given, so I'm not going to change anything. :)
This book is absolutely deserving of a 5-star rating. I would NEVER have guessed that this is a first novel. Sometimes a first novel will take you by surprise, just by being far better than any first novel should be, and better by far than some 5th or 10th or 25th novels. This is one of those. I was feeling kind of blah about the book that I was reading, and this happened to be within arms reach, so I picked it up.
When I say that this book grabbed me from the very first page, I'm not exaggerating. Just the descriptions and the words and the feelings that flow off the page were enough to hook me. I wrote down my first quote at page 13, and then kept jotting them down throughout the book. There are so, so many insightful and beautiful quotes in this book. So many vivid descriptions and heart-tugging and honest emotions. This book is an absolute gem. And I do NOT say that often.
This is Patrick Delaney's story. His life story, in a way, but really his life centered around small islands of understanding and happiness that he found in two people that he loved and lost. We see Patrick through his eyes, and his insights and memories and at different stages of his life. We see how he's changed with each stage, even though he doesn't tell us, "I was different back then..." or anything, I could just see.
We see him as a scared, naive 20 year old heading off to war and meeting the first person who changed his life. We see him as a 30 year old, more than a little jaded, now visiting the war memorial and meeting the 2nd person who changed his life. Then finally we see him as an old man, looking back over his life and pondering his impending death.
Each of Patrick's "lives" was represented on the page with truth and grace and clarity that I think would be hard for a different writer to carry off, let alone to do so by intertwining them in and amongst each other without losing his (the writer's) way, or losing the reader. The three stories blended together perfectly, and felt so intimate that toward the end, I felt as if I was losing a little bit of myself in Patrick's loss.
I am infinitely impressed that Hull was able to write an 83 year old man pondering life and old age and death as convincingly as he did. One would think that he was writing about his own experience. It was beautiful and staggeringly sad at the same time. But then, 83 year old Patrick is witty and funny too. Here's the quote I mentioned writing down from page 13:
"I thought dying old would be easier than dying young. Now I see how that very expectation makes it so much worse. Die young and fists clench with rage; die old and shoulders merely shrug. If you are young and dying, you are embraced with love and sympathy; charities exist solely to accommodate your final wishes. If you are old and dying, well you're right on course, aren't you? Take too long about it and the looks begin; subdued impatience at first, then glares as though you've been lingering at a window table in a crowded upscale restaurant long after your coffee has gone cold, the table cleared of everything but stains and crumbs."
Or this one, which I loved because it describes the book lover so perfectly:
"Like most bookworms I read so as not to be alone, which often annoys those who are trying to make conversation with me."
This is a book that deals with war head on. It pulls no punches, and isn't shy about showing how awful and horrible war is. It's not glamorous. It's not romantic or virtuous or glorious. It's terrible. All of them. Patrick talks about what it is to be a part of something so terrible, and what it is to survive it.
This book touched me on so many different levels. It was beautifully written, heart-breaking and heart-warming at the same time, and shows us that loss is maybe subjective. If we love someone enough, they are always with us, even when they are not.
September 20, 2007
I actually underlined insights the author expressed via Patrick's character -- wise words about life and living, about pain and forgiveness. I found the male perspective enlightening. Some of the passages describing the reality of war were excruciating, yet beautifully written. I see others found his lusting after Julia to be tedious. I found it to be so very true to life and representing perfection, unattainable - like the perfect butterfly that got away. This is honest writing. Patrick is a very "human" character. I read other reviews and feel I must defend Patrick. To judge a character is silly. A character is a vehicle through which a thought or message is conveyed and it may not be what one expects or wants, for that matter. One doesn't have to agree with everything to enjoy the wisdom, beauty or the ride. I find reading with an open mind allows one to appreciate more, but this is just an opinion. I realize this is my personal perspective and others may see things differently. We all read through lenses of our unique experience, after all. I guess this book is one that one either loves or hates. I felt gratitude for a wonderful read, and wanted to thank him.
September 20, 2014
This is one of the best books I've ever read.It is on my to keep shelf.About every two or three months I take it down and reread it and cry all over again.Since my daughter gave it to me in 2004,I've read it six times.It is underlined,highlighted and written in the margins of every page and everytime I read it I find some new gems.I can honestly say it is the best book I have ever read.
Altho the love story is great,In my opinion it ranks third .The telling what WWI was like would be second.For some reason,I've never read much about the first world war. What a horrable time those poor boys had.It was so hard to read.And Danial!!!I loved him.Because of this book,I have now read quite a few books on this war.
The main thing that stands out for me was the completely believable story of what it is like to be old.How you, as a young man, could write so true to life is dumbfounding.And I should know! Iam 80 years old and the words written in this book rang so true.It was like you took my own thoughts and put them in this book.This Jonathan Hull is one great writer And I must get a hold of the other two books he has written.
If you like a good love story ,read this book.If you are interested in history and WW1 ,read this book.And last but not least,If you are old or approaching old age please read this book.It will blow your mind.
I forgot I was supposed to name the tittle and author.The title is "Losing Julia" and the author is Jonathan Hull
Altho the love story is great,In my opinion it ranks third .The telling what WWI was like would be second.For some reason,I've never read much about the first world war. What a horrable time those poor boys had.It was so hard to read.And Danial!!!I loved him.Because of this book,I have now read quite a few books on this war.
The main thing that stands out for me was the completely believable story of what it is like to be old.How you, as a young man, could write so true to life is dumbfounding.And I should know! Iam 80 years old and the words written in this book rang so true.It was like you took my own thoughts and put them in this book.This Jonathan Hull is one great writer And I must get a hold of the other two books he has written.
If you like a good love story ,read this book.If you are interested in history and WW1 ,read this book.And last but not least,If you are old or approaching old age please read this book.It will blow your mind.
I forgot I was supposed to name the tittle and author.The title is "Losing Julia" and the author is Jonathan Hull
September 7, 2007
ok, you can approach this from a moral sense (he longed for this woman al lhis life and had a brief affair with her while he was marrit) or you can enjoy.. i say just read it and THOROUGHLY enjoy the way it is written. a man, reflecting on his life, his love, as he sits in a nursing home, waiting to die.
so well written (from the heart), very 'male' in the way he looked at things (ok, it IS written by a man) and ... dare i say it? romantic, from that male point of view.
this book drew me in with its feelings and bare bones emotions. some of the passages are SO good, so close to home. after i finished it, i wanted to contact the author and say 'nicely done! you moved me!'
this is one of my all-time-favorite 'take me away' books.
so well written (from the heart), very 'male' in the way he looked at things (ok, it IS written by a man) and ... dare i say it? romantic, from that male point of view.
this book drew me in with its feelings and bare bones emotions. some of the passages are SO good, so close to home. after i finished it, i wanted to contact the author and say 'nicely done! you moved me!'
this is one of my all-time-favorite 'take me away' books.
November 12, 2018
This is a very poignant story of a man's life (as told by himself in hospital in the early 1980s), which was shaped very much by his experiences as a soldier of the U.S. Army in France during the First World War.
Sensing that death may be near, the narrator (Patrick Delaney) shares with the reader the full scope of his long life. His sorrows, joys, fears, and the great love of his life (Julia, his best friend's fiancée). Rather than go into further details, I would strongly urge anyone who has read this review and had his/her curiosity piqued by it to buy Losing Julia and read it. You'll be so glad that you did.
Sensing that death may be near, the narrator (Patrick Delaney) shares with the reader the full scope of his long life. His sorrows, joys, fears, and the great love of his life (Julia, his best friend's fiancée). Rather than go into further details, I would strongly urge anyone who has read this review and had his/her curiosity piqued by it to buy Losing Julia and read it. You'll be so glad that you did.
August 11, 2012
I found this book profoundly sad. A beautiful and heartwarming story, with a protagonist who is in his 80s and winding down his remaining days in a nursing home and spending most of his time wondering what might have been. Perhaps because it reminded me of my dad, perhaps because I have a soft spot for stories about the young men who fought in the world wars, at the end I was drained. This Isn't meant to deter anyone from reading it-- it's a wonderful book. But I think I need to watch a comedy or read something light to cheer up :/
November 21, 2020
11/20/2020 Just finished reading Losing Julia for a second time, and I loved it no less than the first time. This is Patrick's story, and he's still the fictional character I'd most like to spend time with. I imagine some would say the ending is too sentimental and impossibly coincidental, but for me, it was perfect.
1/21/2001 A third Grand Conversations selection, this may well be the best book I have ever read. The main character, Patrick Delaney, is an 81-year-old man living in an assisted living facility. He tells the story in the first person, moving back and forth between the present, and the past, focusing on his days as a young soldier on the Western Front in World War I and on the woman he loved all his life, his best friend Daniel’s fiancée. Patrick fell in love with Julia when he knew her only from Daniel’s descriptions. Meeting her ten years after the war, he spends several days with her in and around Paris. Though he ultimately returns to his wife and son, Julia remains his lifelong true love, and in his heart and imagination, his life's companion. Patrick is surely the fictional character I’d most like to meet and spend time with. His wise and witty outlook on life and love make him a great role model for growing old, not gracefully perhaps, but with an incredible capacity for compassion and connectedness with others.
1/21/2001 A third Grand Conversations selection, this may well be the best book I have ever read. The main character, Patrick Delaney, is an 81-year-old man living in an assisted living facility. He tells the story in the first person, moving back and forth between the present, and the past, focusing on his days as a young soldier on the Western Front in World War I and on the woman he loved all his life, his best friend Daniel’s fiancée. Patrick fell in love with Julia when he knew her only from Daniel’s descriptions. Meeting her ten years after the war, he spends several days with her in and around Paris. Though he ultimately returns to his wife and son, Julia remains his lifelong true love, and in his heart and imagination, his life's companion. Patrick is surely the fictional character I’d most like to meet and spend time with. His wise and witty outlook on life and love make him a great role model for growing old, not gracefully perhaps, but with an incredible capacity for compassion and connectedness with others.
April 6, 2009
So unbelievably heartbreaking!! An amazingly written love story with a mixture of loss, refinding love, losing love again and of history and destiny. For a debut novel, Jonathan Hull has done an incredible job. I'll be looking for more of his work.
From back cover:
"Patrick Delaney was just a boy when he marched off to war in 1918. But on the stark battlefields of France, amid the horror and the chaos, Patrick forged a bond that would shape the course of his life. Daniel was Patrick's best friend, his comrade-in-arms. But it was Daniel's lover Julia, who would change Patrick forever.
Julia's letters, shared by Daniel in the muddy trenches, touched Patrick in ways he never could have expected. But years would pass before he finally met her at a war memorial in France. There, on a field still scarred by battle, Patrick closed his eyes in silent prayer and opened them to the woman he had never seen but always loved: Julia.
After a brief, passionate encounter, Patrick made a fateful choice and Julia slipped away, perhaps never to return. It is just the beginning of an astonishing story that will span almost a century, a story of memory and desire, history and destiny-and of the people who slip from our grasp only to hold us forever."
From back cover:
"Patrick Delaney was just a boy when he marched off to war in 1918. But on the stark battlefields of France, amid the horror and the chaos, Patrick forged a bond that would shape the course of his life. Daniel was Patrick's best friend, his comrade-in-arms. But it was Daniel's lover Julia, who would change Patrick forever.
Julia's letters, shared by Daniel in the muddy trenches, touched Patrick in ways he never could have expected. But years would pass before he finally met her at a war memorial in France. There, on a field still scarred by battle, Patrick closed his eyes in silent prayer and opened them to the woman he had never seen but always loved: Julia.
After a brief, passionate encounter, Patrick made a fateful choice and Julia slipped away, perhaps never to return. It is just the beginning of an astonishing story that will span almost a century, a story of memory and desire, history and destiny-and of the people who slip from our grasp only to hold us forever."
July 27, 2014
I have just finished this book and feel like my heart has been ripped out of my chest! I read it in a day, it's so wonderfully written. Patrick's insights into his life, and life in general are so poignant, at times I needed to put the book down to think about what I just read.
I loved the stories told from his days as a soldier in the Great War, although these are graphically descriptive, and at times hard to read as you try to imagine what the men are going through. His friendship with Daniel and his love for Julia are beautifully written and, combined with his interactions with others as an older man in a nursing home, are the bright lights of this stunning story.
Simply amazing!
I loved the stories told from his days as a soldier in the Great War, although these are graphically descriptive, and at times hard to read as you try to imagine what the men are going through. His friendship with Daniel and his love for Julia are beautifully written and, combined with his interactions with others as an older man in a nursing home, are the bright lights of this stunning story.
Simply amazing!
June 29, 2013
Deliberately paced, beautifully written, and poignant.
There is one scene here, written in rapid-fire prose, with staccato dialog (no tags) that has to be the best representation I've ever read of WWI trench warfare-- the terrifying maneuvers up and over the top of the trench, dashing across no-man's land, seeing friends being blown to bits, being shot, getting tangled in barbed wire, and dying in front of you.
There is one scene here, written in rapid-fire prose, with staccato dialog (no tags) that has to be the best representation I've ever read of WWI trench warfare-- the terrifying maneuvers up and over the top of the trench, dashing across no-man's land, seeing friends being blown to bits, being shot, getting tangled in barbed wire, and dying in front of you.
December 31, 2009
It seems so thin to call this a history/romance since it is so much more.
Patrick Delaney is an 81-year-old living in a nursing home and he is also a veteran of World War I. During that war he listened to his friend and comrade in arms, Daniel, talk about his fiance, Julia.
Ten years after the war, when Patrick is married and Daniel dead, Patrick meets Julia in France and the two have a brief but intense love affair. Their relationship is more than just an affair, but Patrick returns home to his family and Julia eventually sends him a letter that she is married.
The books is more than this because it is also Patrick's philosophical reflections on his life and what really matters. He comes to the conclusion the striving and awards given for work is a shadow of what matters. The most important is how deeply and honestly we can love our families, our friends and our lives.
As he thinks in one passage: "What wretches we are! Congenital narcissists who cling like drowning rats to the notion of a self that is fixed and strong and permanent, a delusion defended by material possessions and job titles and diplomas and bolstered by drugs and therapy and social convention. (Ironically, the more effective our false selves, the more we compromise our deeper selves.)"
You cannot read this book without being touched by man's inability to get life completely right. It is easy to sympathize with Patrick and his struggle to come to terms with aging. This is a story which, as the old cliche says, will stay with you long after you have read it and begs a revisit.
Quote: "The tragedy of man is what dies inside himself while he still lives." - Albert Schweitzer
Patrick Delaney is an 81-year-old living in a nursing home and he is also a veteran of World War I. During that war he listened to his friend and comrade in arms, Daniel, talk about his fiance, Julia.
Ten years after the war, when Patrick is married and Daniel dead, Patrick meets Julia in France and the two have a brief but intense love affair. Their relationship is more than just an affair, but Patrick returns home to his family and Julia eventually sends him a letter that she is married.
The books is more than this because it is also Patrick's philosophical reflections on his life and what really matters. He comes to the conclusion the striving and awards given for work is a shadow of what matters. The most important is how deeply and honestly we can love our families, our friends and our lives.
As he thinks in one passage: "What wretches we are! Congenital narcissists who cling like drowning rats to the notion of a self that is fixed and strong and permanent, a delusion defended by material possessions and job titles and diplomas and bolstered by drugs and therapy and social convention. (Ironically, the more effective our false selves, the more we compromise our deeper selves.)"
You cannot read this book without being touched by man's inability to get life completely right. It is easy to sympathize with Patrick and his struggle to come to terms with aging. This is a story which, as the old cliche says, will stay with you long after you have read it and begs a revisit.
Quote: "The tragedy of man is what dies inside himself while he still lives." - Albert Schweitzer
January 10, 2015
This book was completely absorbing and I enjoyed it thoroughly. The intertwining of the different stages of Patrick Delaney's life was well done and very convincing. The writing style allowed you to actually be able to sympathize, even empathize, with the emotions the characters were going through. The book was definitely one to pull at the heart strings.
I was surprised that the heaviness of the WWI inclusion did not bother me more as I generally avoid such movies and books. However, it was written with no sugarcoating and with bare emotions--and ended up completely sucking me in. For some reason I kept picturing Saving Private Ryan, even though it was the wrong World War.
I preferred the old Patrick Delaney--his humor and insights were both entertaining and thought provoking. I may never see a person in this stage of their life the same again. I found his own quote to be fitting for his character: "I am, essentially, a horny eighteen-year-old trapped in the carcass of an Egyptian mummy."
I think a fitting summary of the book comes on page 111:
"Well, after all these years, after everything you've seen, do you still think life is a tragedy?
Oh yes, Julia, I do. But there are some very funny moments."
There were quite a few poignant quotes about love, but this was one of my favorites:
"The magic of love is not that it contains all the answers, it's that it eliminates the need for so many pressing questions."
The relationship between Patrick and Julia is definitely memorable and nothing short of heartbreaking.
All I can say is that the book rings very true--like Hull had lived this life and put it down on paper, or found Delaney's journal and turned it into a novel. Not many books feel as authentic as Losing Julia did to me.
I was surprised that the heaviness of the WWI inclusion did not bother me more as I generally avoid such movies and books. However, it was written with no sugarcoating and with bare emotions--and ended up completely sucking me in. For some reason I kept picturing Saving Private Ryan, even though it was the wrong World War.
I preferred the old Patrick Delaney--his humor and insights were both entertaining and thought provoking. I may never see a person in this stage of their life the same again. I found his own quote to be fitting for his character: "I am, essentially, a horny eighteen-year-old trapped in the carcass of an Egyptian mummy."
I think a fitting summary of the book comes on page 111:
"Well, after all these years, after everything you've seen, do you still think life is a tragedy?
Oh yes, Julia, I do. But there are some very funny moments."
There were quite a few poignant quotes about love, but this was one of my favorites:
"The magic of love is not that it contains all the answers, it's that it eliminates the need for so many pressing questions."
The relationship between Patrick and Julia is definitely memorable and nothing short of heartbreaking.
All I can say is that the book rings very true--like Hull had lived this life and put it down on paper, or found Delaney's journal and turned it into a novel. Not many books feel as authentic as Losing Julia did to me.
December 4, 2013
I pretty much enjoyed it. I found the romance with Julia, actually, the least engaging part and then the conclusion where the narrator meets the grand daughter a bit of a stretch. There just wasn't enough about Julia to make me honestly care for her. His hero Daniel didn't ring true to me either.
I did like the other soldiers who were together with Patrick & Daniel in the trenches. The descriptions of the war were understated but conveyed the boredom punctuated with intense fear very aptly.
Patrick's old age was the best part. I loved his mischievous character and his open heartedness. He was a kind roommate to Martin, his last buddy whom he encouraged to connect with the girl that he let away. And I like the elaborate lengths that he went to in his relationship with the caregiver (Sarah) at the seniors' home--the letters, the flowers. The disorientation that he experienced when he gave the talk at her son's school was very poignant. There are lots of things about Patrick in his old age that made him a credible role model for old age in my eyes: checking out the motor cycles (and settling on a scooter), his pursuit of drawing, his helpfulness, wisdom and good humour.
It was the big heartedness of this book that kept me at it. I'm glad I read it.
I did like the other soldiers who were together with Patrick & Daniel in the trenches. The descriptions of the war were understated but conveyed the boredom punctuated with intense fear very aptly.
Patrick's old age was the best part. I loved his mischievous character and his open heartedness. He was a kind roommate to Martin, his last buddy whom he encouraged to connect with the girl that he let away. And I like the elaborate lengths that he went to in his relationship with the caregiver (Sarah) at the seniors' home--the letters, the flowers. The disorientation that he experienced when he gave the talk at her son's school was very poignant. There are lots of things about Patrick in his old age that made him a credible role model for old age in my eyes: checking out the motor cycles (and settling on a scooter), his pursuit of drawing, his helpfulness, wisdom and good humour.
It was the big heartedness of this book that kept me at it. I'm glad I read it.
July 20, 2014
Wow - a thoroughly enjoyable read. And while I liked the storyline, I truly savored the perspectives on life. Really incredible. Joanthan Hull makes such poignant statements, grants perspectives you may or may not have ever contemplated, and often follows them with witty or sarcastic comments that fully capture the irony of life. This book will make you think, but not without bringing a heartwarming sense of humor to human emotions. I love Patrick Delaney and loved reading about his deepest thoughts and feelings. And I really appreciated his sense of humor about all of it. This is a book that anyone can read (avid readers and nonreaders, and without ever having to consult a dictionary). And this is a book that everyone can relate to. Losing Julia is one of the few books that I could read over and over. It's delightful, easy, AND insightful. A rare combination in my experience.
P.S. I read the Nook edition of this book.
Note to Goodreads (now owned by Amazon): I don't appreciate the fact that you list Kindle as the only possible e-book for this volume. Denying the existence of other options indicates narcissism. You don't own the world. Yet.
P.S. I read the Nook edition of this book.
Note to Goodreads (now owned by Amazon): I don't appreciate the fact that you list Kindle as the only possible e-book for this volume. Denying the existence of other options indicates narcissism. You don't own the world. Yet.
July 24, 2012
This book haunted me - it haunted my thoughts and my dreams with its description of war and growing old. The book is about war, love and old age. The author's description of WWI and trench warfare were heartbreaking. It's also a book of how fast time flies and how fast we grow old. The main character narrates the book and it's about his life - starting from WWI and ending at the age of 80 in a nursing home. It's also a love story and the powerful attraction of that "one" person who makes your whole world begin and end with their love - and how that love can also be destructive because it's so consuming. The ending was too coincidental but I guess that's the beauty of fiction, you can make things end the way you want them to.
February 1, 2016
I've read a lot of books--fiction and nonfiction--set during World War Two recently. I'm currently reading another. I'm writing still another. But stories set during the First World War have mostly eluded me. I'm happy this one didn't. It's a story of war, with many of the experiences and awakenings and conflict and trauma and pointlessness and heartbreak common to any war, but it's also a story of love and yearning and missteps and regret and loss and remembrance. The characters are engaging. You care about them. If you're looking for a strong story largely set in a time that is now nearly a hundred years in the past, during a war with causes and results more ambiguous than the one that created "the greatest generation," I'd recommend this one.
August 12, 2008
This is the best historical romance novel I’ve read. The story is narrated by Patrick Delaney, a veteran of WWI who lives in a nursing home; he's in his eighties and slowly dying of stomach cancer. He knows he’s old but doesn’t feel that way. Most of Patrick’s memories focus on a woman named Julia, the fiancé of his war buddy, Daniel. Part of the story is about the Great War, and how he came to lose his friend Daniel; the other part of the story is about Patrick finally meeting Julia at a war memorial service, and how he fell in love with her. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a bittersweet love story.
October 16, 2008
From the battlefields of World War I to a present day nursing home, Patrick Delaney describes his longtime love for Julia, the wife of his best friend, Daniel, as he meets her as a young widow at a memorial service at Verdun, France, through their brief time together to their ultimate separation and its impact on his life.
Group rated this high a 5
Several people needed time to process this book after they finished reading it. They loved the authors writing style, his insight of WWI and the humor he put in to his book.
They cared about Patrick Delaney and Daniel. The author doesn't tell us enough about Julia.
Group rated this high a 5
Several people needed time to process this book after they finished reading it. They loved the authors writing style, his insight of WWI and the humor he put in to his book.
They cared about Patrick Delaney and Daniel. The author doesn't tell us enough about Julia.
February 22, 2014
I loved this book! I didn't really read the book as much as I inhaled it. From the very first paragraphs, I was hooked and could barely put it down. I am a slow, methodical reader and am frustrated by editing mistakes and poor grammar, but found none. What I did find was that I had to read over sentences and sometimes whole paragraphs because they were so beautifully written, I needed to disect and digest them. I read the book in just 5 days. I would have finished it sooner but it was during the Olympics and I restricted my reading time each day. I finished the book this morning and have no idea what I will choose to read next. What could possibly compare?
June 17, 2016
This book was devastatingly hard to read! Graphic descriptions of World War I from the first person point of view of the main character were scattered throughout, and though necessary to the story, were brutal to read.
The book also forces an inner dialogue about how we treat our elderly population in this country. As the daughter of an 83 year old father in good health, this book challenged me to find ways to continue connecting to him and seeing him as he sees himself rather than just an old man.
Well worth reading, a beautiful love story with lasting impressions.
The book also forces an inner dialogue about how we treat our elderly population in this country. As the daughter of an 83 year old father in good health, this book challenged me to find ways to continue connecting to him and seeing him as he sees himself rather than just an old man.
Well worth reading, a beautiful love story with lasting impressions.
March 24, 2009
I'm a sucker for love stories, and when set in Paris, it just gets better. But this is more than a love story: it's also a story of war (WWI), growing old, and coming to terms with death. The story is told in three time settings: the French battlegrounds during WWI, Paris 10 years later, and then a nursing home some 60 plus years hence when Patrick, dying of stomach cancer, contemplates his life and his long lost love. A tearjerker.
March 19, 2017
I was enjoying this book to begin with, especially the parts from the MC's standpoint as an old man. But then I ran into two big problems: one, the narrative tripped through time every few paragraphs and it became jarring and disjointed. Second, and the biggest problem of all, the MC was married to someone else during his affair with Julia. Some things I can put up with, but adultery is not one of them, even in a book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 10, 2008
One of the best novels I've ever read in my life. It's a love story about an old man reminiscing about the woman he loved long ago. I was completely captivated by it that I sobbed at the end. I remember WHERE I finished reading it - on the beach in Malibu California - which is why I know when I read it.
September 15, 2010
Engrossing, well-written but uneven. The author was good at describing war scenes and the angst of the elderly. But I never was able to connect with the love story or the wonder that was Daniel or Julia. He also stooped to the use of cliche that I took exception too. As a book about the first world war it was excellent. As a love story, less so.
January 12, 2015
This was a tragically beautiful love story set throughout the span of WWI through 1980. I very much enjoyed the author's style of writing although it does jump around instead of progressing sequentially. There are many words of wisdom in the story, and the characters' ponderings and conclusions are full of universal truths for all humans. I really enjoyed this book.
February 23, 2015
I loved this book and didn't want it to finish. I really liked Patrick - his memories of his life and his present life were poignant, funny, sad but always with hope.
December 1, 2018
It’s a good tale of love and war but a bit monotonously introspective. A sadly accurate yet moving commentary on aging.
October 12, 2018
Philosophically romantic
Such an enthralling love story but more importantly the importance of living life to the fullest. How do we look back near death and review our life?
Such an enthralling love story but more importantly the importance of living life to the fullest. How do we look back near death and review our life?
February 12, 2023
This was an amazing story. A story of war, love, and aging. The war scenes were some of the most realistic I have ever read. Highly recommend.
October 21, 2018
The book starts in the present with Patrick, a WWI veteran, in the nursing home reviewing his life. He’s a funny old man and his insights at this stage were some of my favorite parts of the story.
”Too bad I can’t attend my own funeral. What better way to see who really gave a shit? Take comfort, my friends, it’s not too late to appreciate me! To apologize! For Patrick”
”The very young and the very old are under enormous pressure to eat.”
You know by the title that this is in part a romance, but the book isn’t completely drowned in a love story. I liked that because I’m not always up for a love story but mostly because the rest of the story was even more impactful. I still wonder if the depth of his love for Julia had everything to do with her. My thoughts kept going to the question, would Julia have meant as much had he not known her through Daniel first, whom he idolized. Through the perspective of the bonds of war....For me the most impactful part of this story was the perspective from the front during WWI. It was brutal reading about the battles and injuries, and yet it happened then as it happens still today.
”LAST NIGHT I dreamed that I met a young boy who told me with the saddest eyes that he was never born and I asked how could that be and he explained very slowly and quietly that his father had died at the front. And then I looked behind the boy and I saw hundreds of thousands of
children, just standing there. Infinitely mute.”
I wondered, if women ruled the world would we so casually send others sons to war thinking it was the right thing to do?
”As I reached the station I had decided that never again was not nearly enough. Even if it was the best we could do it was not adequate at all; not even if not another single drop of human blood is spilled again in anger. And as I stood watching the train approaching, I thought that maybe the real horror is not what happened at Dachau but what didn’t happen after Dachau.”
”Too bad I can’t attend my own funeral. What better way to see who really gave a shit? Take comfort, my friends, it’s not too late to appreciate me! To apologize! For Patrick”
”The very young and the very old are under enormous pressure to eat.”
You know by the title that this is in part a romance, but the book isn’t completely drowned in a love story. I liked that because I’m not always up for a love story but mostly because the rest of the story was even more impactful. I still wonder if the depth of his love for Julia had everything to do with her. My thoughts kept going to the question, would Julia have meant as much had he not known her through Daniel first, whom he idolized. Through the perspective of the bonds of war....For me the most impactful part of this story was the perspective from the front during WWI. It was brutal reading about the battles and injuries, and yet it happened then as it happens still today.
”LAST NIGHT I dreamed that I met a young boy who told me with the saddest eyes that he was never born and I asked how could that be and he explained very slowly and quietly that his father had died at the front. And then I looked behind the boy and I saw hundreds of thousands of
children, just standing there. Infinitely mute.”
I wondered, if women ruled the world would we so casually send others sons to war thinking it was the right thing to do?
”As I reached the station I had decided that never again was not nearly enough. Even if it was the best we could do it was not adequate at all; not even if not another single drop of human blood is spilled again in anger. And as I stood watching the train approaching, I thought that maybe the real horror is not what happened at Dachau but what didn’t happen after Dachau.”
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