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Submitted by Connie Griffiths 
(Jun 19, 2005)

This book is one of the most amazing pieces of literature that I have ever had the privilege of reading. When I finished I couldn't move I just lay there over come with emotion, it is the only book which has ever stirred me so. The depth of the characters, the love, passion and roar humanity of this book makes it so powerful. There is no need to read it all at once, savour and enjoy it. Birdsong is the deepest, and most amazing book I have ever read and I hope to read more of Sebastian Faulks’ works in the future.

Birdsong is only one of two books that I have ever felt compelled to read twice. I found every part of the book totally enthralling. The characters are thoroughly believable and, as is human nature, we discover new aspects to them, the better we get to know them. Faulks' (sometimes understated) descriptions completely drew me in, to the point that I felt short of breath when reading the passages where Stephen and Firebrace were trapped underground. Although, I wasn't too sure about being dragged into the 1970s, the story actually inspired me to find out more about my own grandfather who 'went over the top' on the first day of the Somme. It also inspired me to visit the battlefields around the Somme. No other book has ever had such an impact on me.

This was definitely the best book I have ever read. I had to read it for an English project at school and I thought the way Sebastian Faulks wrote the novel was fantastic. My favourite part was the trench scenes because the scenery was depicted so clearly that I felt I was really there. The beginning was slightly hard to get into at first but once I was over the initial introduction of the characters, I really got into it. The only thing I didn't like as much as I had hoped was when Sebastian Faulks kept jumping through time. I would give this book 5 out of 5 for originality and entertainment and I will definitely be looking out for more by the same author.

Hmm. I had to read this book for my A-Level English Literature Coursework unit, so it was not out of choice. To be totally honest, the start bored me senseless, and I began to resent my teacher for choosing it. After agonizing over the slow tempo, I skipped the rest of part one and moved on to part two. From then I was hooked. The war chapters are incredible, and to be honest Sebastian, I think you should have just written the novel within a war scenario, and revealed Stephen's past through his memory. Then there are the 1970's sections, oh dear. After all Stephen has been put through and the journey that we have experienced with him, we end the book with a random called Elizabeth. What's up with that? A strange book, painted with brilliance but hindered by the author's desire to complete the story for us, I would have preferred an open ending, leaving us to wonder what happened to him. Peace.

This was the first book by this author that I read, and afterwards I went out and got the other two in the trillogy. I too struggled with his style of jumping back and forth between stories initially, but as I got into the book I found I enjoyed it more because of it. I began to feel as though I was reading more than one book, and I developed deep interest in all of the characters. And I must say that when you get to the end of one of his novels, you are totaly blown away by the beautiful and intricate way the characters and events come together. His writing is so descriptive, but doesn't go overboard or become boring like many authors who attempt this level of complexity. He hooked me early in the book and didn't let me go until the very last word! I loved it.