Where Poppies Blow: The British Soldier, Nature, the Great War
By John Lewis-Stempel
The natural history of the Western Front during the First World War by the award-winning author of MeadowlandTweet
This delightful book shows the horror of WW1 trenches in a new light. In an era that followed closely on from the Victorian, where to be an amateur naturalist was common, we find many men finding comfort in the flora and fauna of the trenches. This closeness to nature gave rise to much great poetry and the great regret must be that most of these young men would not survive the conflict.
An unusual book that deservedly receives plaudit and prizes.
With so much information in each chapter this was not a light read but one that was very readable and educational. The group discovered that with nature at its centre regarding the Great War, information was seen in a new light, giving a more concentrated focus to the daily experience of the war. The chapter involving the horses was particularly interesting and heart-breaking in equal measure - what a chapter! A superb book & worthy winner of the Wainwright Prize 2017. The Preschool Parents Book Club