I have just finished 'Precipice', and enjoyed most of. WhileI understand it's fiction, and stretched to that limit here and there, I was surprised and disappointed by one aspect of the historical thread. While Haris mentions the involvement of Commonwealth Australian & New Zealand troops a number of times in regards to the Dardanelles, Harris always refers to British troops as one unit, even though Canada supplied 650,000 soldiers, beginning in 1914-15 with the 30,000 Canadian Expeditionary Force sent to France. Both my ancestral lines here in Canada are British. Harris's flagrant disregard for historical facts regarding Canada's contribution grates on Canadians in what we see as a perpetual mindset of empire and colony that persists to this day.
Like many an ignorant American I tend to think of the UK as a single monolithic entity, so I didn’t even notice the problem you mentioned.
In Harris’s defense this is primarily a novel about how powerful men can often be made foolish by their sex drives. The book focuses mainly on Asquith. I wouldn’t advise anyone to read it as a definitive guide to the battle for the Dardanelles in WWI.
The British Empire was indeed a monolithic entity. I've read much English history and am aware of PM Asquith's foibles and failures. However, if Harris wants to use historical facts as a baseline, WWI began long before the Turkish front fiasco, and Canadian troops were front and centre in the European battles. Other than my axe to grind, and the letters back and forth between Asquith & Venetia becoming mundane and predictable, it's still a good read.
Thanks for this excellent review, Kevin. I think of myself as an avid and promiscuous reader, but then I learn to my chagrin that I've never read this most celebrated author, nor your other favorite, Freddie Forsyth. This is what reviews are for, I suppose: not just providing readers with consumer advice but helping them see gaps that might pleasurably be filled. Incidentally, I'm glad you came through your recent home-invasion scare unscathed.
Thanks for the kind words, Michael. With Robert Harris I’d recommend starting with either An Officer and a Spy or Act of Oblivion. But those are both long novels steeped in historical details. For a faster, lighter read, you may want to try The Ghost (published as The Ghostwriter in America). It’s a good short thriller and was made into a decent movie by Roman Polanski.
I have just finished 'Precipice', and enjoyed most of. WhileI understand it's fiction, and stretched to that limit here and there, I was surprised and disappointed by one aspect of the historical thread. While Haris mentions the involvement of Commonwealth Australian & New Zealand troops a number of times in regards to the Dardanelles, Harris always refers to British troops as one unit, even though Canada supplied 650,000 soldiers, beginning in 1914-15 with the 30,000 Canadian Expeditionary Force sent to France. Both my ancestral lines here in Canada are British. Harris's flagrant disregard for historical facts regarding Canada's contribution grates on Canadians in what we see as a perpetual mindset of empire and colony that persists to this day.
Like many an ignorant American I tend to think of the UK as a single monolithic entity, so I didn’t even notice the problem you mentioned.
In Harris’s defense this is primarily a novel about how powerful men can often be made foolish by their sex drives. The book focuses mainly on Asquith. I wouldn’t advise anyone to read it as a definitive guide to the battle for the Dardanelles in WWI.
The British Empire was indeed a monolithic entity. I've read much English history and am aware of PM Asquith's foibles and failures. However, if Harris wants to use historical facts as a baseline, WWI began long before the Turkish front fiasco, and Canadian troops were front and centre in the European battles. Other than my axe to grind, and the letters back and forth between Asquith & Venetia becoming mundane and predictable, it's still a good read.
Thanks for this excellent review, Kevin. I think of myself as an avid and promiscuous reader, but then I learn to my chagrin that I've never read this most celebrated author, nor your other favorite, Freddie Forsyth. This is what reviews are for, I suppose: not just providing readers with consumer advice but helping them see gaps that might pleasurably be filled. Incidentally, I'm glad you came through your recent home-invasion scare unscathed.
Thanks for the kind words, Michael. With Robert Harris I’d recommend starting with either An Officer and a Spy or Act of Oblivion. But those are both long novels steeped in historical details. For a faster, lighter read, you may want to try The Ghost (published as The Ghostwriter in America). It’s a good short thriller and was made into a decent movie by Roman Polanski.