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Strange Meeting

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Strange Meeting

By: Susan Hill
Narrated by: Joe Jameson
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'Things like this don't happen often in a lifetime...'

John Hilliard, a young subaltern returning to the Western Front after a brief period of sick leave back in England blind to the horrors of the trenches, finds his battalion tragically altered. His commanding officer finds escape in alcohol, there is a new adjutant and even Hilliard's batman has been killed.

But there is David Barton. As yet untouched and unsullied by war, radiating charm and common sense, forever writing long letters to his family. Theirs is a strange meeting and a strange relationship: the coming together of opposites in the summer lull before the inevitable storm.

©2014 Susan Hill (P)2014 Audible Studios Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction War & Military Heartfelt Inspiring Tear-jerking Thought-Provoking
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Beautiful narration of a story that we all should listen to about the sacrifice given by a past generation for our freedoms today

Wonderful, evocative and heartbreaking

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Such a touching story and really brings home the horror and futility or war. My grandparents were of this generation that people just didn’t talk about real feelings and keeping up appearances all important so characters very real. It is written in a very subtle way which gives even more impact.

Sensitively written

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This is heartbreaking and heart warming at the same time. Had been on my wish list for a couple of years - so glad to have finally read it.

Such good story telling

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This is a favourite novel of mine, which I have read several times. It never fails to enchant me, though it is brutal to hear about the ghastly conditions in the trenches of WW1, and awful to realise it sadly wasn't the war to end all wars. At times, the loss is hard to bear, but the characters are so appealing. I thought Joe Jameson's reading brilliant.

A Perfect Novel

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I'll start with the negatives, well, there is only one really and that was the narration. I found it hard to distinguish between characters during dialogue as the narrator did not put much effort into character voices. Otherwise he was Ok.

Right, now on to the positives, for which there were plenty. This audiobook captured the chilling aspects of world war from a trench, while at the same time conveying the magic that only very few of us humans ever get the chance to experience: true friendship.

In the last place possible you would expect to see friendship blossoming, two men with completely different backgrounds came together and it reminds us all that during those harsh years that were taken up by the world wars, there must have been hundreds of men who did strike up these close relationships and comarade. Hilliard and Blake form an irrevocable friendship bond in this moving portrayal which discusses themes of terror, trauma, hardship, endurance and friendship.

I urge you to give this a try. It is a Great story.

Simultaneously heart warming and terrifyingly chilling

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