Anthime is out for a bicycle ride in the Loire region on a warm Saturday
August afternoon. When he stops to take a breather atop a hill he
sees semaphores waving in several towns, and then hears bells. It can
only mean one thing; mobilisation! Charles, a man he knows in his town
tells him the war will only last a couple of weeks.
The next day Anthime and four of his friends arrive at the barracks to
get outfitted. It isn't long before Anthime and his friends are bound
for the Ardennes. Meantime back home, Blanche goes to the doctor to get
confirmation that she is pregnant. The doctor is also someone who could
have influence and put the father of her child in a safe position
during the war.
The men marched about, with their packs, through villages, some
destroyed, and others still with people in them. Charles, it seems, has
disappeared on a top secret mission. The first battle is mind numbing,
and it isn't long before the two sides settle down into trenches facing
each other,
In this very short novel, author Jean Echinoz vividly describes the
horrors of the First World War. A quick, intense, good read.
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