A letter I sent John Boyne after finishing the Absolutist. Dear Mr Boyne, You don't know me, and you're probably thinking, hey, what's this random guy sending me a bill for. Well, John, let me break it down for you: Psychiatric evaluation 1000 Pain and suffering 2000 Undeserved mental anguish 5000 Broken heart 5000 Lost wages (because reading isn't allowed at work apparently, F**K you Tom!) 200 As you can see, John, the Absolutist has completely destroyed me. Your beautiful writing, amazing char...

The Absolutist When I finished reading this book I gave it 4 stars. I thought it was a powerful and thought provoking novel of the ugliness and the burdens of war that were placed on the young men who fought in WWI. I still think that, but I also can’t stop thinking about the personal burdens and inner struggles that they carried with them when they went to war and the added ones they came home with if they came home. I had to raise it up to five stars. “Twenty boys. And only two came back.”Tri...

okay. its official. after two back-to-back 5 star books, john boyne has now made himself right at home on my favourite authors list. i am OBSESSED with the way JB characters narrate their stories. the sincerity and certain approachability they radiate allows the reader to devour and savour their words with such ease. i dont think i have ever read anything quite like it. with ‘the absolutist,’ in particular, empathising and feeling for tristan seems second nature. stories of war make me emotional...

In order to be fashionable John Boyne was just fishing in muddy waters… The stylization is poor and The Absolutist is but a modern fake war tale – judging by the books belonging in the described period, people then had a quite dissimilar mentality and they thought differently…Launching myself out into no-man’s-land gets more terrifying every time. It’s Russian roulette: with every pull of the trigger the chances of your surviving the next shot diminish.The Great War is only a background because ...

"I think I'm just breathing, that's all. And there's a difference between breathing and being alive."With my seat in an upright position and tray table stowed, I braced myself for another adventure, courtesy of Mr. Boyne. However, as I cracked open the cover and read the first few lines, I quickly realized that no seatbelt on earth could secure me — I was in for one doozy of a ride. "Seated opposite me in the railway carriage, the elderly lady in the fox-fur shawl was recalling some of the murde...

“I think perhaps the adults we become are formed in childhood and there's no way around it.”3.5 starsDo you know what an absolutist means? It turns out that this term had a specific meaning during the First World War. People who refused to take up arms or fight were called absolutists. They were relatively few and could justify their decision not to fight using religious, ethical, or political reasons.We meet two absolutists in this book. Both struggle to defend their principles. Both face a tra...

"It would be best for all of us if the Germans shoot you dead on sight." —Tristan Sadler's father.God, I appreciate you, John Boyne; with your head as smooth as a baby's bottom, your sparkling pixie eyes and your creative bloody genius. You were my go-to author when I hit a run of lamentable reads, and you didn't let me down, you wonderful man.The story begins in 1919, post-WWI England, in my own city of Norwich (I don't actually own it, I just live here). Tristan Sadler is the custodian of l...

Phenomenal!!!!! The nitty-gritty-reality..of what frickin war can can do - and not do--
oh how I LOVE JOHN BOYNE!!! My God... I had NO IDEA what I would discover when I started reading this AMAZING NOVEL...storytelling that is sooooo good!!!-- - so much I wish to say. I'm completely SPENT....EVERY EMOTION triggered!!!! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!!

In his usual understated and deft manner, John Boyne has written a WWI story that is very different from all the others in this genre.Two young men, Sadler and Bancroft, train in the army together in England and are dispatched to the fields of Flanders in the same squad. They share a secret and taboo friendship that must remain hidden. But then a shocking case of barbarity by one of their squad finds the two friends on opposing sides of belief. One will find himself with an unthinkable task. One...

Tristan Sadler, newly 21, travels to Norwich from his London home to take care of an errand he is dreading. He has promised to deliver a sheaf of letters his friend Will Bancroft received while they fought together during World War I to Will's sister. And while this errand dredges up memories of the fighting and the deaths that Tristan would rather not remember, it also forces him to confront his feelings, his actions, and the direction the rest of his life is going to take.Spending the day with...