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Small Wars
Sadie Jones, the award-winning and internationally bestselling author of The Outcast, returns with an ambitious, richly imagined novel that confirms her place in the literary firmament.
A passionate and beautifully written tale of personal loss in the midst of war in late 1950s Cyprus, Small Wars raises important questions that are just as relevant today.
What happens when everything a man believes in — the army, his country, his marriage — begins to crumble? Hal Treherne is a young British soldier on the brink of a brilliant career. Transferred to Cyprus to defend the colony, Hal takes his wife, Clara, and their daughters with him. But Hal is pulled into atrocities that take him further from Clara, a betrayal that is only one part of a shocking personal crisis to come. Small Wars is a searing, unforgettable novel from a writer at the height of her powers.
A passionate and beautifully written tale of personal loss in the midst of war in late 1950s Cyprus, Small Wars raises important questions that are just as relevant today.
What happens when everything a man believes in — the army, his country, his marriage — begins to crumble? Hal Treherne is a young British soldier on the brink of a brilliant career. Transferred to Cyprus to defend the colony, Hal takes his wife, Clara, and their daughters with him. But Hal is pulled into atrocities that take him further from Clara, a betrayal that is only one part of a shocking personal crisis to come. Small Wars is a searing, unforgettable novel from a writer at the height of her powers.
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First published January 1, 2009
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About the author
Sadie Jones
18 books379 followers was born in London, the daughter of a poet and an actress. Her father, Evan Jones, was born in Portland, Jamaica in 1927. He grew up on a banana farm, eventually moving to the United States, and from there to England in the 1950s. His most widely acclaimed work is "The Song of the Banana Man". Sadie's mother, Joanna Jones, was featured as an extra in various television series, including "The Avengers."
As a young woman, Sadie opted out of attending university, preferring instead to work an assortment of odd jobs (video production, temping, waiting tables) and to travel. After visiting America, the Caribbean and Mexico, Sadie settled in Paris, where she taught English and wrote her first screenplay. She eventually moved to London, where she currently resides with her husband, architect Tim Boyd, and their two children.
Sadie wrote screenplays for fourteen years before producing THE OUTCAST, her first novel. Her writing credits are an eclectic mix, everything from episodes of BBC-TV shows to a feature film in 2004. Her current project is a pilot for the BBC series DISORDER.
As a young woman, Sadie opted out of attending university, preferring instead to work an assortment of odd jobs (video production, temping, waiting tables) and to travel. After visiting America, the Caribbean and Mexico, Sadie settled in Paris, where she taught English and wrote her first screenplay. She eventually moved to London, where she currently resides with her husband, architect Tim Boyd, and their two children.
Sadie wrote screenplays for fourteen years before producing THE OUTCAST, her first novel. Her writing credits are an eclectic mix, everything from episodes of BBC-TV shows to a feature film in 2004. Her current project is a pilot for the BBC series DISORDER.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 212 reviews
June 25, 2015
Small Wars by Sadie Jones is the second book within year that I have had to stop reading for a while because I’ve become upset by an event in the book. Both times the effect on me was created by the storyline and the skill of the writer. In The Aviator’s Wife by Melanie Benjamin, I had become so attached to the skilful depiction of Anne Lindburgh that I actually had to put the book aside when the kidnapping occurred. I couldn’t face what was ahead at that point in time. God knows how the real Anne Lindburgh managed.
In Small Wars I was unprepared for a shocking scene at the beach. It wasn’t gratuitous. It was essential to the plot of the British involvement in Cyprus in 1956. Clara is married to a dedicated soldier Hal Treherne. His transfer to Cyprus in 1956 is no “sunshine posting”. What I really admire in Jones’s writing is her ability to walk that very tricky tightrope of depicting historical events yet sticking closely to her characters’ sensibilities and experiences. In Small Wars there are a lot of incidents that she must negotiate with skill and yet not sound like a history book. For me, this is the author’s greatest achievement, along with (I finally realised at the end of the book) her character study of Hal.
Here she is walking the tightrope. As way of explanation, there has been an uprising and the British soldiers have cut loose from authority and been understandably overzealous in places. After a long night they must be rounded up.
“It took hours to mobilise troops and vehicles into order. Truckloads of prisoners were deposited up at Episkopi Garrison guardroom; dozens of others were taken forty miles to the prison camp, Camp K, for questioning. Then, like soldier Pied Pipers, Hal and the other officers drove through the streets, with loud-hailers and whistles, flanked by men with Stens ready, all around Cypriots melted away into their houses, and soldiers, remembering themselves, came out of bars and brothels and people’s homes. Hal found Corporal Trask, in a bar with three others, no barman to be seen, and drunk, helping themselves. He got him and the others out of the smashed-up bar by the scruffs of their necks and tore a strip off Trask, but kept his temper. Being angry with Corporal Trask would be like being angry with one animal in a stampede.”
I’ll definitely be reading more books by Sadie Jones. Highly recommended.
In Small Wars I was unprepared for a shocking scene at the beach. It wasn’t gratuitous. It was essential to the plot of the British involvement in Cyprus in 1956. Clara is married to a dedicated soldier Hal Treherne. His transfer to Cyprus in 1956 is no “sunshine posting”. What I really admire in Jones’s writing is her ability to walk that very tricky tightrope of depicting historical events yet sticking closely to her characters’ sensibilities and experiences. In Small Wars there are a lot of incidents that she must negotiate with skill and yet not sound like a history book. For me, this is the author’s greatest achievement, along with (I finally realised at the end of the book) her character study of Hal.
Here she is walking the tightrope. As way of explanation, there has been an uprising and the British soldiers have cut loose from authority and been understandably overzealous in places. After a long night they must be rounded up.
“It took hours to mobilise troops and vehicles into order. Truckloads of prisoners were deposited up at Episkopi Garrison guardroom; dozens of others were taken forty miles to the prison camp, Camp K, for questioning. Then, like soldier Pied Pipers, Hal and the other officers drove through the streets, with loud-hailers and whistles, flanked by men with Stens ready, all around Cypriots melted away into their houses, and soldiers, remembering themselves, came out of bars and brothels and people’s homes. Hal found Corporal Trask, in a bar with three others, no barman to be seen, and drunk, helping themselves. He got him and the others out of the smashed-up bar by the scruffs of their necks and tore a strip off Trask, but kept his temper. Being angry with Corporal Trask would be like being angry with one animal in a stampede.”
I’ll definitely be reading more books by Sadie Jones. Highly recommended.
April 23, 2019
This is extremely good. Carefully written but never over-done for the sake of literariness, just a nice clean style and a growing sense of menace.
March 25, 2021
Quite good but took a while to get going. About Greek/Turkish fight for Cyprus.
February 29, 2012
Major Hal Treherne first saw Clara, his friend's sister, when he was 19 and she was 17. The year was 1946. He felt overwhelmed by her and within a few years they were married. Hal came from a family where emotions were not talked about and intimacy was as close to him as a foreign language. He was not prepared for the language of closeness and love that marriage requires. During the first ten years of their marriage Clara and Hal were happy, looking forward to seeing each other, passionate and engaged. Things on the military front were quiet for Hal and this bored him as he was trained for combat. He got his chance to use his combat skills when they were transferred to Cyprus in 1956.
Cyprus was a British colony and the British were desperately trying to maintain their last stronghold in the middle east. The colony was fraught with terrorism and warfare as part of their small population was fighting a revolution against Britain and wanting to become part of Greece. Though this was a small war in comparison to major world events, Major Hal Treherne was in his element. He was trained as a warrior and he saw things in shades of black and white. Clara was a good army wife who wanted to prove to Hal that she could cope. As Clara said, "It makes all the difference in the world to have a wife who doesn't make things harder, don't you think?" A large part of Hal's job was scouting the villages and the mountains looking for insurgents and terrorists. He was responsible for the searches and for the conduct of his men.
Hal begins to see that there is not a clear black and white situation in Cyprus. Young boys who may or may not be guilty are picked up for questioning and are tortured - beaten, water boarded, made to stand in humiliating positions for hours. He is witness to events of horror involving burning flesh and people being blown up. He sees innocent horses step on mines and lose their legs. These sights, sounds, smells, and memories stay with Hal and he is no longer the same person. He can't sleep, the obtrusive thoughts are with him all the time, and he has no way of communicating his feelings to Clara. They pull further apart, victims of a small war in their own home.
Hal has a classic case of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder though there was no name for it at that time. He begins to isolate himself, spending long hours in his office away from Clara. When they are together, he is either distant or angry, acting impulsively or not responding to her needs at all. He can't understand her fears and there is no way he can find to talk to her about what she is feeling or what he has experienced.
At one point in the book, Hal is told about some heinous actions committed by his men. In his dealings with it, he realizes that the military is more interested in saving their good name than in bringing the criminals to justice. He feels betrayed and disillusioned, angry at the institution that he has idealized since childhood. In a sense, he's lost another war. Instead of valor and pride, he now feels shame and isolation. It no longer feels good to be part of this army that has betrayed its mission and broken Hal's trust. The army, in its stead, looks upon Hal with anger and loathing for having brought to their attention something they would rather not have dealt with.
There are several small wars going on in this novel: the British war against Cyprus, the war at home between Hal and Clara, and Hal's personal war with the military once his ideals are shattered. Sadie Jones writes a compelling and fascinating novel of a period in history that is not well-known. She fleshes out her characters with minimal description, relying primarily on dialogue. She does an excellent job with this. The reader 'knows' Hal and Clara and feels empathy and concern for them. We are also able to feel revulsion and disgust towards the criminals and the crimes they commit. This is a novel about war and the toll it takes at home and in the field. Though Ms. Jones refers to these wars as 'small', she tackles big issues of ethics, integrity, shame, betrayal and morality. She shows the reader the field of gray between the black and the white. This is a compelling and intelligent book, one that will keep the reader engrossed from beginning to end. (4.5)
Cyprus was a British colony and the British were desperately trying to maintain their last stronghold in the middle east. The colony was fraught with terrorism and warfare as part of their small population was fighting a revolution against Britain and wanting to become part of Greece. Though this was a small war in comparison to major world events, Major Hal Treherne was in his element. He was trained as a warrior and he saw things in shades of black and white. Clara was a good army wife who wanted to prove to Hal that she could cope. As Clara said, "It makes all the difference in the world to have a wife who doesn't make things harder, don't you think?" A large part of Hal's job was scouting the villages and the mountains looking for insurgents and terrorists. He was responsible for the searches and for the conduct of his men.
Hal begins to see that there is not a clear black and white situation in Cyprus. Young boys who may or may not be guilty are picked up for questioning and are tortured - beaten, water boarded, made to stand in humiliating positions for hours. He is witness to events of horror involving burning flesh and people being blown up. He sees innocent horses step on mines and lose their legs. These sights, sounds, smells, and memories stay with Hal and he is no longer the same person. He can't sleep, the obtrusive thoughts are with him all the time, and he has no way of communicating his feelings to Clara. They pull further apart, victims of a small war in their own home.
Hal has a classic case of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder though there was no name for it at that time. He begins to isolate himself, spending long hours in his office away from Clara. When they are together, he is either distant or angry, acting impulsively or not responding to her needs at all. He can't understand her fears and there is no way he can find to talk to her about what she is feeling or what he has experienced.
At one point in the book, Hal is told about some heinous actions committed by his men. In his dealings with it, he realizes that the military is more interested in saving their good name than in bringing the criminals to justice. He feels betrayed and disillusioned, angry at the institution that he has idealized since childhood. In a sense, he's lost another war. Instead of valor and pride, he now feels shame and isolation. It no longer feels good to be part of this army that has betrayed its mission and broken Hal's trust. The army, in its stead, looks upon Hal with anger and loathing for having brought to their attention something they would rather not have dealt with.
There are several small wars going on in this novel: the British war against Cyprus, the war at home between Hal and Clara, and Hal's personal war with the military once his ideals are shattered. Sadie Jones writes a compelling and fascinating novel of a period in history that is not well-known. She fleshes out her characters with minimal description, relying primarily on dialogue. She does an excellent job with this. The reader 'knows' Hal and Clara and feels empathy and concern for them. We are also able to feel revulsion and disgust towards the criminals and the crimes they commit. This is a novel about war and the toll it takes at home and in the field. Though Ms. Jones refers to these wars as 'small', she tackles big issues of ethics, integrity, shame, betrayal and morality. She shows the reader the field of gray between the black and the white. This is a compelling and intelligent book, one that will keep the reader engrossed from beginning to end. (4.5)
March 19, 2013
A story about wars indeed, but in no way small.
Hal is a British soldier promoted to Major posted in Cyprus to fight EOKA, a paramilitary association against the British rule of Cyprus. It's 1956 and Hal has never seen action, so he takes this post eagerly wanting to put in practise everything he's learnt in the base.
His wife Clara and their two baby daughters join him in Cyprus after two months and while she struggles to "fit in" and make a home out of this foreign place, Hal and his men start their duty searching for suspects and interrogating them trying to prevent more terrorist attacks.
As weeks go by, Hal starts to realise that what seemed to be an under control situation is in fact a constant strain between what's morally right and wrong and when he finally dares to speak about it to his superiors he is disappointed in the unfairness of the system and the detached coldness he finds in some of his men.
An escalating tension is starting to build up in him, a tension which will affect his relationship with Clara and his daughters, a small war within himself and another one with his family, and a foreboding feeling engulfs the reader as the story advances.
This is not a novel to take lightly and Sadie Jones makes an excellent job out of it. Like in her previous novel, The Outcast (which is one of my favourites ever), she manages to create real characters with human conflicts and faults and to portray convincing relationships between them without the need of excessive dialogue. In this book, the images described and the silences tell you all you need to know. No flourishing, no superfluous conversations, just raw feelings and impotence and guilt. And an important message, there are no winners in wars, and no good or bad men, only humans trying to cope with life the best they can and dealing with the consequences of their own actions. Sad, but true.
You'll find yourself swallowing compulsively while reading on and wondering how a story like this can have a happy ending.
But like life, this book is full of surprises, and not all of them sour.
If you're undecided, just pick it up and start reading, you will forget about the rest.
Hal is a British soldier promoted to Major posted in Cyprus to fight EOKA, a paramilitary association against the British rule of Cyprus. It's 1956 and Hal has never seen action, so he takes this post eagerly wanting to put in practise everything he's learnt in the base.
His wife Clara and their two baby daughters join him in Cyprus after two months and while she struggles to "fit in" and make a home out of this foreign place, Hal and his men start their duty searching for suspects and interrogating them trying to prevent more terrorist attacks.
As weeks go by, Hal starts to realise that what seemed to be an under control situation is in fact a constant strain between what's morally right and wrong and when he finally dares to speak about it to his superiors he is disappointed in the unfairness of the system and the detached coldness he finds in some of his men.
An escalating tension is starting to build up in him, a tension which will affect his relationship with Clara and his daughters, a small war within himself and another one with his family, and a foreboding feeling engulfs the reader as the story advances.
This is not a novel to take lightly and Sadie Jones makes an excellent job out of it. Like in her previous novel, The Outcast (which is one of my favourites ever), she manages to create real characters with human conflicts and faults and to portray convincing relationships between them without the need of excessive dialogue. In this book, the images described and the silences tell you all you need to know. No flourishing, no superfluous conversations, just raw feelings and impotence and guilt. And an important message, there are no winners in wars, and no good or bad men, only humans trying to cope with life the best they can and dealing with the consequences of their own actions. Sad, but true.
You'll find yourself swallowing compulsively while reading on and wondering how a story like this can have a happy ending.
But like life, this book is full of surprises, and not all of them sour.
If you're undecided, just pick it up and start reading, you will forget about the rest.
September 27, 2011
What to do with an author such as Sadie Jones. I found outcast a pleasant enough read.... enough to make me pick up small wars.
Again - all pleasant enough but is it worthy to continue dedicating precious time to slightly better than average works? There is nothing to dislike - but nothing to really recommend it.
And my list of "authors" is growing the point that I will never be able to take on new one or keep up with the ones that I have.
As with outcast, we combine a sense of time, place, politics and war with a personal story.
Hal Treherne is a generational soldier who resents his career being formed at a time when there is no real war.
At the start of the book he marries Clara and they are posted to Cyprus where the cypriots are revolting for independance.
This is war of the worst type - terrorist attack, counter attacks from the troops and the centre of the book has a shocking attack on the brits met by terrible retribution.
Hal is in the middle, as commander, and slowly his marriage distintregrates as he deals with the carnage.
The book then moves on for even greater shocks, with the family becoming even more greatly involved.
Gently understated, even with its dramatic plot points. Speedy narative. Good chance to learn about a fogotton piece of history. Just lacking slightly in the wow factor.
Again - all pleasant enough but is it worthy to continue dedicating precious time to slightly better than average works? There is nothing to dislike - but nothing to really recommend it.
And my list of "authors" is growing the point that I will never be able to take on new one or keep up with the ones that I have.
As with outcast, we combine a sense of time, place, politics and war with a personal story.
Hal Treherne is a generational soldier who resents his career being formed at a time when there is no real war.
At the start of the book he marries Clara and they are posted to Cyprus where the cypriots are revolting for independance.
This is war of the worst type - terrorist attack, counter attacks from the troops and the centre of the book has a shocking attack on the brits met by terrible retribution.
Hal is in the middle, as commander, and slowly his marriage distintregrates as he deals with the carnage.
The book then moves on for even greater shocks, with the family becoming even more greatly involved.
Gently understated, even with its dramatic plot points. Speedy narative. Good chance to learn about a fogotton piece of history. Just lacking slightly in the wow factor.
May 30, 2024
This is not the sort of book that I normally pick up or rate particularly highly but once started I could barely put it down and it’s rare that I feel quite like that about a book these days. It certainly helped that it pulled together a lot of what I had been reading during a short trip to Cyprus but frankly I think that this history is so interesting that it would appeal to anyone that way inclined..
I’m really surprised at its relatively low rating on Goodreads. My only thought is that it sits a bit too much between two styles of writing. It’s solidly written but it’s not ‘literary’ per se and it also lacks the typical romance or alternatively propulsive plot of more typical beach type reads (that’s not to say that there isn’t plenty of action - there is, but it is not necessarily the main focus). Instead what you get is a fairly conventionally written but still extremely perceptive picture of a man pushed to the edge by his experience of war and the effect that this eventually has on his marriage and family as well as an illustration of a place and time that does much to sum up Britain’s attitude towards its colonies and the crisis that it found itself after the Second World War. I also really liked how the author does not present us with any moral certainties (another issue with lots of more popular historical fiction) and has created characters who develop in different ways to what may be expected in this type of genre. Frankly, if more ‘popular’ fiction read like this I’d read a lot more of it!
I’m really surprised at its relatively low rating on Goodreads. My only thought is that it sits a bit too much between two styles of writing. It’s solidly written but it’s not ‘literary’ per se and it also lacks the typical romance or alternatively propulsive plot of more typical beach type reads (that’s not to say that there isn’t plenty of action - there is, but it is not necessarily the main focus). Instead what you get is a fairly conventionally written but still extremely perceptive picture of a man pushed to the edge by his experience of war and the effect that this eventually has on his marriage and family as well as an illustration of a place and time that does much to sum up Britain’s attitude towards its colonies and the crisis that it found itself after the Second World War. I also really liked how the author does not present us with any moral certainties (another issue with lots of more popular historical fiction) and has created characters who develop in different ways to what may be expected in this type of genre. Frankly, if more ‘popular’ fiction read like this I’d read a lot more of it!
December 9, 2021
Hallo meine Lieben,
ich habe gestern in zwei Tagen meine Sub Leiche " Kleine Kriege" Von Sadie Jones beendet". Ich bereue es sehr, dass ich es nicht früher gelesen habe.Was lest ihr denn gerade? Es kommt heute eine Rezension zu diesem schönen , emotionalen Buch hoch.
Inhalt
Henry Treherne ist ein junger, einsatzfreudiger Soldat, berufen zu einer außergewöhnlichen Karriere. Seine große Liebe Clara bestärkt ihn in dem brennenden Wunsch, etwas Bedeutendes zu leisten. Als Henrys Einheit 1956 nach Zypern verlegt wird, folgt sie ihm mit den einjährigen Zwillingen. Doch was zunächst wie ein »Sonnenschein-Kommando« aussieht, wird schnell bitterer Ernst. Die Briten verteidigen die Kronkolonie gegen die griechisch-zypriotische Untergrundorganisation, und die Gefechte sind alles andere als ruhmreich. Die Gräueltaten, in die Henry verstrickt wird, gehen nicht spurlos an ihm vorüber. Claras Angst wächst von Tag zu Tag — sie befinden sich im Krieg, und ihr Ehemann wird ihr immer fremder.
Meine Meinung zum Buch
Sadie Jones hat diesen Vorgang in ihrem Buch sehr gut beschrieben. Schritt für Schritt und eigentlich unausweichlich nähern Clara und Henry sich dem Ende ihrer Ehe, ohne wirklich etwas dagegen tun zu können. Mich hat das Buch ziemlich mitgenommen und ich habe mich dann auf ab und an aufgeregt und mich gefragt , weshalb sie nicht miteinander reden.
Natürlich erlebt man auch Henrys Einsätze mit. Mir gingen die Beschreibungen der Ereignisse sehr nahe, da sie nun mal nicht ausschließlich der Fiktion der Autorin entstammen. Man erhält zudem Einblicke in die Arbeit des Dolmetschers Davis, der direkt mit den Gefangenen und den Verhören zu tun hat. Als Leser muss man sich damit auseinandersetzen können. Auch wenn das Buch nicht zu den Genre gehört , die ich liebend gerne lese hat mir das Buch mega gut gefallen und ist ein Must Read für jeden. Es war eine sehr zerreißende Roman für mich .
ich habe gestern in zwei Tagen meine Sub Leiche " Kleine Kriege" Von Sadie Jones beendet". Ich bereue es sehr, dass ich es nicht früher gelesen habe.Was lest ihr denn gerade? Es kommt heute eine Rezension zu diesem schönen , emotionalen Buch hoch.
Inhalt
Henry Treherne ist ein junger, einsatzfreudiger Soldat, berufen zu einer außergewöhnlichen Karriere. Seine große Liebe Clara bestärkt ihn in dem brennenden Wunsch, etwas Bedeutendes zu leisten. Als Henrys Einheit 1956 nach Zypern verlegt wird, folgt sie ihm mit den einjährigen Zwillingen. Doch was zunächst wie ein »Sonnenschein-Kommando« aussieht, wird schnell bitterer Ernst. Die Briten verteidigen die Kronkolonie gegen die griechisch-zypriotische Untergrundorganisation, und die Gefechte sind alles andere als ruhmreich. Die Gräueltaten, in die Henry verstrickt wird, gehen nicht spurlos an ihm vorüber. Claras Angst wächst von Tag zu Tag — sie befinden sich im Krieg, und ihr Ehemann wird ihr immer fremder.
Meine Meinung zum Buch
Sadie Jones hat diesen Vorgang in ihrem Buch sehr gut beschrieben. Schritt für Schritt und eigentlich unausweichlich nähern Clara und Henry sich dem Ende ihrer Ehe, ohne wirklich etwas dagegen tun zu können. Mich hat das Buch ziemlich mitgenommen und ich habe mich dann auf ab und an aufgeregt und mich gefragt , weshalb sie nicht miteinander reden.
Natürlich erlebt man auch Henrys Einsätze mit. Mir gingen die Beschreibungen der Ereignisse sehr nahe, da sie nun mal nicht ausschließlich der Fiktion der Autorin entstammen. Man erhält zudem Einblicke in die Arbeit des Dolmetschers Davis, der direkt mit den Gefangenen und den Verhören zu tun hat. Als Leser muss man sich damit auseinandersetzen können. Auch wenn das Buch nicht zu den Genre gehört , die ich liebend gerne lese hat mir das Buch mega gut gefallen und ist ein Must Read für jeden. Es war eine sehr zerreißende Roman für mich .
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 23, 2010
London based author Sadie Jones won us with her critically acclaimed debut novel THE OUTCAST. She was praised for "her lush writing and tantalizing sense of setting and detail." So true, and all of this is at the fore once more with SMALL WARS, a deeply affecting story of love and loyalty.
We first meet Hal Treherne as a cadet at a Sandhurst passing-out parade in 1946. As Princess Elizabeth moves down the line during inspection Hal "knew that she was the embodiment of his country, that he was doing his best to please and that he always would."
Action segues quickly to a volatile Cyprus in 1956. Hal is now a major in the British Army, and has been dispatched here to ferret out terrorists, those who are seeking to unite with Greece. The guerrillas fight with any means - rocks, bombs, ambushes, random shootings, piano wire stretched across roads in the hope of lopping off British heads.
Early in his tenure Hal is joined by his wife, Clara, and their young twin daughters, Meg and Lottie. Initially Clara is brave, cheerful, eager to make the best of things while they're in Cyprus. As for Hal, remember how we first met him - he is a moral man, an honorable man, believing that he is serving the greater good. However, the almost daily attacks begin to take their toll on him, and he is appalled, haunted by unexpected violence on the part of his men, raping, torturing.
His state of mind, of course, affects Clara who is alone a great deal of the time with their girls in a strange, dangerous place. Their once solid marriage becomes frayed; Clara and Hal driven almost to desperation, each fighting their own private battles.
Sadie Jones has crafted a remarkable story, richly detailed, reminding us of how deeply lives are affected by war.
Highly recommended.
- Gail Cooke
We first meet Hal Treherne as a cadet at a Sandhurst passing-out parade in 1946. As Princess Elizabeth moves down the line during inspection Hal "knew that she was the embodiment of his country, that he was doing his best to please and that he always would."
Action segues quickly to a volatile Cyprus in 1956. Hal is now a major in the British Army, and has been dispatched here to ferret out terrorists, those who are seeking to unite with Greece. The guerrillas fight with any means - rocks, bombs, ambushes, random shootings, piano wire stretched across roads in the hope of lopping off British heads.
Early in his tenure Hal is joined by his wife, Clara, and their young twin daughters, Meg and Lottie. Initially Clara is brave, cheerful, eager to make the best of things while they're in Cyprus. As for Hal, remember how we first met him - he is a moral man, an honorable man, believing that he is serving the greater good. However, the almost daily attacks begin to take their toll on him, and he is appalled, haunted by unexpected violence on the part of his men, raping, torturing.
His state of mind, of course, affects Clara who is alone a great deal of the time with their girls in a strange, dangerous place. Their once solid marriage becomes frayed; Clara and Hal driven almost to desperation, each fighting their own private battles.
Sadie Jones has crafted a remarkable story, richly detailed, reminding us of how deeply lives are affected by war.
Highly recommended.
- Gail Cooke
August 7, 2014
“Small Wars” is set in Cypress in 1956 and tells the story of British Major Hal Treherne and his role in this uprising against British colonialism. Hal’s idea of war is romanticized as is his idea of marriage. Everything seems so perfect to Hal in the beginning of this conflict. But as the atrocities of war become more realistic and more violent, Hal begins to fade as a patriotic officer. This so called small war has huge consequences on his marriage to Clara. The conflicts it creates as he separates himself from his wife, the disillusionment of war and the complexities of living in a war-torn country are all clearly expressed. As I read this novel, I couldn’t help but think of all the “small wars” going on around the world and the effect they have on families on both sides of the conflict. Bombings, shootings, torture, rape and bloody fighting are not like they look on the evening news or newspaper accounts. It’s refreshing when Hal walks away from it all, despite the enormous consequences personally and professionally. Many people would not agree with his decision, but the author gives us great insight into Hal's conscience. Sadie Jones captured it so well; the things said in these conflicts and the things that are not said.
December 30, 2014
This is a wonderful book. I am SO grateful to the Christian Science Monitor book podcast for doing a review on it. I might not have picked it up otherwise.
It takes place during the Suez Crisis in England and Cyprus in 1956, but it might as well be taking place now. The relationship and love between Hal and Clara is very vivid, as is the pain and struggles they go through do to emotional and psychological damages of being at war.
Like current wars, there are insurgents and roadside bombs here, too. It was a very emotional book and made me want to revisit Clara and Hal in another 10 years time to see how they got on.
It takes place during the Suez Crisis in England and Cyprus in 1956, but it might as well be taking place now. The relationship and love between Hal and Clara is very vivid, as is the pain and struggles they go through do to emotional and psychological damages of being at war.
Like current wars, there are insurgents and roadside bombs here, too. It was a very emotional book and made me want to revisit Clara and Hal in another 10 years time to see how they got on.
September 16, 2012
I enjoyed Outcast more than this one. The story concerns Hal, his wife Clara and young twin daughters who move to Cyprus in the 1950s with Hal's job, a major in the British army.
The troubles on the island are well described as are Hal's difficulties in dealing with them. I found the book a little too dry for my liking with characters under developed, secondary storylines vague and a slightly unsatisfying ending.
The troubles on the island are well described as are Hal's difficulties in dealing with them. I found the book a little too dry for my liking with characters under developed, secondary storylines vague and a slightly unsatisfying ending.
March 8, 2010
Nowhere near as gripping as The Outcast. Really wanted to like it and had high expectations, which might not be fair, but I couldn't finish it in the end...like trying to light a fire with damp twigs and leaves, the spark just couldn't catch.
October 12, 2012
This is one of the best books I have read in a long time. Absorbing, moving, with well-drawn characters and a fascinating setting. Highly recommended. It's not a fast-paced book, but it completely pulled me in.
March 25, 2024
You either really loved this or you were bored to tears. Sadly, I'm the second option. I managed about 40% and just couldn't stand the Major. Clara was meh. Maybe it's just me. 1 ⭐
August 14, 2024
I have just finished reading Sadie Jones's ‘Small Wars’. Wow! Quite honestly, I wish that it was possible to rate a book with six stars. I have not felt so deeply moved by a novel in a long, long time. There are so many aspects here to admire – not only the tremendous amount of research that must have gone into this story in order to give it such an authentic feel, but also the very three-dimensional characters, the complex interplay of relationships, the evocative locations, the build-up of extreme tension, and the plot itself, which kept me nail-bitingly invested throughout. This was not a thriller, yet I felt as gripped at the end of each chapter as though it had been; neither was it a love story, yet I desperately rooted for Hal and Clara right until the end.
What I admired most about this novel is that it is basically about the human condition. How do we react when terrible things are happening all around us? Do we go along with them? Turn a blind eye? Be brave and not go along with things? It posits the question: are we strong enough to follow our innermost conscience, or do we allow ourselves to be press ganged by others/by convenience? Are we prepared to ignore our ‘morality triggers’, until eventually they erode our life’s path and our relationships with those closest to us? Can we be at peace with ourselves if we know that we’ve ultimately surrendered ourselves? But if we stand up to our principles, then how does this affect those around us, especially close family?
The character of Hal was undoubtedly my favourite person in Small Wars, because he was the one I most related to in his moral dilemmas (though obviously for different reasons). I also fully empathised with Clara’s increasingly untenable situation as an army officer’s wife, and felt deeply sorry for her. All other characters – army officers, soldiers, colonial wives – made an equally well depicted and living, breathing cast.
The novel also deals with the appalling abuse of Greek Cypriot suspects while under interrogation by their British army captors. I am well aware of this shameful episode in recent British history and have been researching it myself, for the purpose of a novel I am currently working on. All the situations that Sadie Jones presents us with – some of them very difficult to read - are completely plausible.
A final adendum. I myself was born in Cyprus, as the result of a tragedy. My mother’s fiancé was murdered in Kyrenia by an EOKA terrorist while he was staying with a friend; she flew out to the island to visit his grave, and ended up staying several years, eventually marrying someone else. I was brought up on stories of colonial life and the daily fear of guerilla warfare. This personal touch, together with Sadie Jones’s superb ability to evoke powerful emotions and depict utterly vivid scenes, is what made her book resonate so deeply with me. Small Wars will remain in my heart and mind for a long time to come. Thank you, Sadie, for taking me on this compelling journey.
What I admired most about this novel is that it is basically about the human condition. How do we react when terrible things are happening all around us? Do we go along with them? Turn a blind eye? Be brave and not go along with things? It posits the question: are we strong enough to follow our innermost conscience, or do we allow ourselves to be press ganged by others/by convenience? Are we prepared to ignore our ‘morality triggers’, until eventually they erode our life’s path and our relationships with those closest to us? Can we be at peace with ourselves if we know that we’ve ultimately surrendered ourselves? But if we stand up to our principles, then how does this affect those around us, especially close family?
The character of Hal was undoubtedly my favourite person in Small Wars, because he was the one I most related to in his moral dilemmas (though obviously for different reasons). I also fully empathised with Clara’s increasingly untenable situation as an army officer’s wife, and felt deeply sorry for her. All other characters – army officers, soldiers, colonial wives – made an equally well depicted and living, breathing cast.
The novel also deals with the appalling abuse of Greek Cypriot suspects while under interrogation by their British army captors. I am well aware of this shameful episode in recent British history and have been researching it myself, for the purpose of a novel I am currently working on. All the situations that Sadie Jones presents us with – some of them very difficult to read - are completely plausible.
A final adendum. I myself was born in Cyprus, as the result of a tragedy. My mother’s fiancé was murdered in Kyrenia by an EOKA terrorist while he was staying with a friend; she flew out to the island to visit his grave, and ended up staying several years, eventually marrying someone else. I was brought up on stories of colonial life and the daily fear of guerilla warfare. This personal touch, together with Sadie Jones’s superb ability to evoke powerful emotions and depict utterly vivid scenes, is what made her book resonate so deeply with me. Small Wars will remain in my heart and mind for a long time to come. Thank you, Sadie, for taking me on this compelling journey.
October 21, 2017
Beautifully written but strangely muted, this is a non-romance love story about a young British couple sent to Cyprus in 1956 when the island was run by Britain. Hal is a major whose main role is supervising the hunt for freedom fighters/terrorists to keep Cyprus stable as a base for operations in the Middle East. He has only ever been a soldier and takes his duties extremely seriously. His wife Clara has to negotiate life as an army wife, looking after her young twin girls, trying not to worry about the intermittent attacks. A series of atrocities are committed by both sides, and Hal finds his conscience conflicting with his duty, putting huge strain on the marriage.
Hard to say whether I actually liked this. I knew nothing about Cyprus, so that was interesting. I don't generally like war books, and the awful events portrayed here have done nothing to change that. The characters are hard to relate to, with their stiff-upper-lip British reserve (and I am British!) and the ending was rather flat. I don't regret reading it, but probably wouldn't read another by this author unless the subject really interested me.
Hard to say whether I actually liked this. I knew nothing about Cyprus, so that was interesting. I don't generally like war books, and the awful events portrayed here have done nothing to change that. The characters are hard to relate to, with their stiff-upper-lip British reserve (and I am British!) and the ending was rather flat. I don't regret reading it, but probably wouldn't read another by this author unless the subject really interested me.
May 21, 2015
This is a story about an honourable and upright soldier called Hal, a major whose recent years have been spent training at Sandhurst followed by a peaceful posting in Germany. We meet him in Cyprus in 1956. Cyprus is far from peaceful. Rather it is rife with dirty warfare. The Greek Cypriot organisation EOKA is determined to overthrow British control of the island – via shootings, roadside bombs and mines. Snipers pick off British soldiers, a police station is bombed, horses being given their morning exercise are exploded with mines; one of their riders being killed, the other badly wounded. Children throw stones at the soldiers. Throughout the island, the British don’t know who are their friends and who are their enemies, or where the next attack is coming from.
Into this climate of mistrust and unpredictable violence comes Clare, Hal’s wife, and their two little twin girls. They have come out from England. Initially Hal and Clare seem shy together but happy.
We then meet the British-Greek interpreter Lawrence Davis, who helps the Special Investigations Branch with their interrogations. A classics scholar before he did National Service, we see him depressed and appalled by the often brutal treatments that the SIB meet out to prisoners. Later he is witness to even further British atrocities. These occur after the attack on the horses and their riders. Everyone is badly shaken up by this event and wants retribution. The British soldiers descend upon Limassol, where a poorly organised manoeuvre quickly turns into a party bent on revenge.
“(Lieutenant Grieves) acted blindly, barely conscious of himself, but the violence and chaos of the troops, the hot current of vengeance that flowed through them began to flow through him, too. ....He allowed, encouraged, guided what became little more than a riot in places, and as the town began to look like a backdrop for chaos and calamity, so more chaos and calamity were heaped upon it. As Grieves, and others like him, lost their identity, so Limassol lost its identity, too. It wasn’t a town any more, but an assortment of places for beatings and concealment, just hundreds of windows, chairs, news-stands and shelves to be overturned and broken. It was a fast degradation. The outrage of the collective frees the individual to commit terrible acts.”
After this rampage, Davis turns to Hal, as his senior officer, and tells him of the particular atrocities he saw. Shocked and appalled Hal in turn takes the information to his colonel. But rather than being horrified by what has taken place, the colonel is simply angry that Davis has brought the incident to their attention – and he and the Special Investigations Branch people work to cover it all up. As far as they are concerned the incident would present the British Army a very bad light - at a time when their presence on the island is already highly unpopular, and the incident must therefore be hushed up.
During this time we see Hal retreat further and further into a shell of implacability that he creates for himself. He is appalled by the behaviours that he sees around him, the beating up of prisoners, and now the event in Limassol....and he copes by switching off. His wife tries to reach out to him but he cannot let her get close. She is a conduit to his feelings, and he copes by walling off his feelings. So he keeps his distance.
Clara on the other hand reacts in a way that is almost opposite to her husband’s steely denial. She gets hyper sensitive to the dangers on the island ...
“She was hot and panicking and felt imaginary Cypriot eyes upon her. She had started to feel that all the time now. When she was in her bedroom she imagined them watching her house, when she was opening her front door she imagined tripwires across it and had begun to check, without letting anyone see she was doing it. Whenever she got into the car, part of her was expecting it to blow up. Every sound she heard had both a benign and a sinister interpretation, and she would have to remind herself to keep to the real world and not be drawn into her fear completely, not let it overtake her.”
As Hal switches off, Clara switches on.
I won’t continue with the plot otherwise I will be giving away further spoilers – suffice it to say that the rest of the book is a fascinating study of ways of coping under stress, the path followed in an inhibited but loving relationship, and the strains of living with gorilla warfare. The characters of Hal and Clara are wonderfully explored and described, plus there are some other very interesting characters too. The book is beautifully written and also extremely gripping. I couldn’t put it down.
The main reason I read this book was because I recently said that books about war bored me, and Jill then recommended that I read this one. She was right to do so. I think it was excellent.
Into this climate of mistrust and unpredictable violence comes Clare, Hal’s wife, and their two little twin girls. They have come out from England. Initially Hal and Clare seem shy together but happy.
We then meet the British-Greek interpreter Lawrence Davis, who helps the Special Investigations Branch with their interrogations. A classics scholar before he did National Service, we see him depressed and appalled by the often brutal treatments that the SIB meet out to prisoners. Later he is witness to even further British atrocities. These occur after the attack on the horses and their riders. Everyone is badly shaken up by this event and wants retribution. The British soldiers descend upon Limassol, where a poorly organised manoeuvre quickly turns into a party bent on revenge.
“(Lieutenant Grieves) acted blindly, barely conscious of himself, but the violence and chaos of the troops, the hot current of vengeance that flowed through them began to flow through him, too. ....He allowed, encouraged, guided what became little more than a riot in places, and as the town began to look like a backdrop for chaos and calamity, so more chaos and calamity were heaped upon it. As Grieves, and others like him, lost their identity, so Limassol lost its identity, too. It wasn’t a town any more, but an assortment of places for beatings and concealment, just hundreds of windows, chairs, news-stands and shelves to be overturned and broken. It was a fast degradation. The outrage of the collective frees the individual to commit terrible acts.”
After this rampage, Davis turns to Hal, as his senior officer, and tells him of the particular atrocities he saw. Shocked and appalled Hal in turn takes the information to his colonel. But rather than being horrified by what has taken place, the colonel is simply angry that Davis has brought the incident to their attention – and he and the Special Investigations Branch people work to cover it all up. As far as they are concerned the incident would present the British Army a very bad light - at a time when their presence on the island is already highly unpopular, and the incident must therefore be hushed up.
During this time we see Hal retreat further and further into a shell of implacability that he creates for himself. He is appalled by the behaviours that he sees around him, the beating up of prisoners, and now the event in Limassol....and he copes by switching off. His wife tries to reach out to him but he cannot let her get close. She is a conduit to his feelings, and he copes by walling off his feelings. So he keeps his distance.
Clara on the other hand reacts in a way that is almost opposite to her husband’s steely denial. She gets hyper sensitive to the dangers on the island ...
“She was hot and panicking and felt imaginary Cypriot eyes upon her. She had started to feel that all the time now. When she was in her bedroom she imagined them watching her house, when she was opening her front door she imagined tripwires across it and had begun to check, without letting anyone see she was doing it. Whenever she got into the car, part of her was expecting it to blow up. Every sound she heard had both a benign and a sinister interpretation, and she would have to remind herself to keep to the real world and not be drawn into her fear completely, not let it overtake her.”
As Hal switches off, Clara switches on.
I won’t continue with the plot otherwise I will be giving away further spoilers – suffice it to say that the rest of the book is a fascinating study of ways of coping under stress, the path followed in an inhibited but loving relationship, and the strains of living with gorilla warfare. The characters of Hal and Clara are wonderfully explored and described, plus there are some other very interesting characters too. The book is beautifully written and also extremely gripping. I couldn’t put it down.
The main reason I read this book was because I recently said that books about war bored me, and Jill then recommended that I read this one. She was right to do so. I think it was excellent.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 10, 2020
The inexplicable innermost thoughts of a soldier. His tussle with duty and conscience.
Sadie Jones has done a remarkable job of writing with sensitivity and understanding, without getting sentimental and preachy.
Sadie Jones has done a remarkable job of writing with sensitivity and understanding, without getting sentimental and preachy.
March 10, 2023
This is a carefully and meticulously written story of a couple that go through a horrible experience of war and terrorism. It shows deep research into not only the conflict, the locations and the lives of the British post-war military. The writing is very accessible and pulled me along quickly. I read 3/4 in one sitting. Seeking more.
May 2, 2019
Denna berättelse är alltför förutsägbar för att jag ska orka ta mig igenom den trots mitt andra försök
February 14, 2020
3.5 stars
April 5, 2013
This historical novel unfolds in Cyprus in 1956, where British major Hal Treherne is stationed to quell the uprising for "enosis" (union with Greece). His wife Clara joins him with their toddling daughters. Tension builds between the Cypriot resistance and the British force, as well as between husband and wife--he, increasingly disturbed by his work and distant; she, increasingly frustrated by his distance and lonely.
Ms. Jones writes dialogue with a keen sense of Hemingway's "iceburg;" characters rarely say everything they mean. Hal often can't verbalize his feelings at all, especially as memories of land mines and prisoner interrogation pull him ever deeper into himself. Clara maintains her role as brave army wife and says she is fine, though when Hal isn't home, she checks under the couches for bombs. Each unravels bit by bit, invisibly, clinging to a persona for emotional safety. The author's skillful character rendering makes the reader ache for Hal and Clara, then despise them for hurting each other, then ache again.
The writing itself is rather shaky due to passive voice, "be" verbs, and other weak verbs. I might have been unable to enjoy a lesser story weakened by these style flaws, but the characterizations here are strong enough to transcend the prose. This is a probing, wrenching exploration of the masks people wear and the fears they hide; of trauma's affect on relationships; of duty and its limits; and of one marriage's endurance despite multiple wounds.
Ms. Jones writes dialogue with a keen sense of Hemingway's "iceburg;" characters rarely say everything they mean. Hal often can't verbalize his feelings at all, especially as memories of land mines and prisoner interrogation pull him ever deeper into himself. Clara maintains her role as brave army wife and says she is fine, though when Hal isn't home, she checks under the couches for bombs. Each unravels bit by bit, invisibly, clinging to a persona for emotional safety. The author's skillful character rendering makes the reader ache for Hal and Clara, then despise them for hurting each other, then ache again.
The writing itself is rather shaky due to passive voice, "be" verbs, and other weak verbs. I might have been unable to enjoy a lesser story weakened by these style flaws, but the characterizations here are strong enough to transcend the prose. This is a probing, wrenching exploration of the masks people wear and the fears they hide; of trauma's affect on relationships; of duty and its limits; and of one marriage's endurance despite multiple wounds.
February 12, 2017
I'm not sure what to make of this book as it wasn't what I was expecting. Although set in Cyprus at the time when the British were keeping order in the late 50s, this backdrop seems to be somewhat underdeveloped. We meet Clara & her husband Hal (Army man) and learn about their lives and the workings of the British army. This was all a bit boring. Then we witness an incident and the book takes a serious turn as it portrays the harsh reality of life under an occupation for the local population. However I became frustrated by the acceptance of such behaviour by the Army. Although I realise at this point, the central character (Hal) begins his mental deterioration, the story shifts from a drama set in war time to being an examination of mental decline. Unfortunately I just didn't enjoy the last 100 or so pages and the story fizzled to nothing. There was a lot of talking and introspective that wasn't done very well. For me it was all a bit of a confusing mix and neither a light easy read or a deep thoughtful novel. 3.5 stars maybe.
August 27, 2010
This book follows a young Major in the British Army (and his wife) stationed in Cyprus during the British Occupation in the fifties. I found his story compelling--but a little artificial--and hers irritating. Were people really so circumspect about their thoughts and feelings in the fifties? Could such a story really have ended the way it did? At the same time, I thought the writing was excellent and I felt like the picture of the British sense of honor and privilege at the tail end of the Empire rang very true. And not surprising really to see that all the behavior on the part of troops and their superiors that we find so objectionable now are nothing new. Hard to say if we've gone downhill or not.
September 18, 2009
Just finished this one and really enjoyed it. It has that same languorous and stifling atmosphere of The Outcast which is wholly in keeping with the setting and subject. The main characters and their relationship are well drawn. To say "nothing much happens" is kind of unfair of me - there are shocking incidents associated with the Cyprus conflict, and conflicts in the relationship - but that's the overall impression the book leaves. If you're looking for a rattling good and gripping read, this one's not for you - but I really enjoyed it, and some of the images from the book will stay with me a long time.
May 25, 2019
I was so looking forward to this after reading The Outcast but oh my was I in for a disappointment. It is dull and boring and slllooooowwwww. She is a good writer and you definitely get a feel for the events of the time in Cyprus but neither Hal or Clara (which should always be pronounced Cl Are A, not Cl Air) are particularly likable or even that interesting. I struggled through to the end but this one is going straight to the charity shop and I actually wish I had not wasted reading time on it.
July 11, 2011
I tried reading this book three times since it first came out. And I finally finished. I was so looking forward to reading this book when it first came I loved The Outcast so much I couldn't put that book down. And this book was disapointing. The first part of the book for me is slow and boring. In part 2 and 3 it got more interesting. But I didn't connect with the charaters Wouldn't recommend this book.
Currently reading
October 15, 2009I have only just started reading this book and was attracted to it as my dad was based in Cyprus during the Suez Canal crisis so I was intrigued to see what this book had to say about the region he stayed in for a few years before marrying my mum! I'll come back and review soon !
October 19, 2010
This book sounds like it would be interesting it's not. You think their would be some romance, but is the complete opposite. I didn't get very far in the book because I felt it was pointless. This was a complete bore. I'm glad I didn't even read half of it.
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