Songs of the Other Man

Fiction & Literature, Action Suspense, Literary
Cover of the book Songs of the Other Man by Greg Billington, Greg Billington
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Greg Billington ISBN: 1230001811469
Publisher: Greg Billington Publication: July 23, 2017
Imprint: Language: English
Author: Greg Billington
ISBN: 1230001811469
Publisher: Greg Billington
Publication: July 23, 2017
Imprint:
Language: English

This is the story of a most musical boy called Jem, who becomes a most unlikely and ferocious soldier. He works farms in the rugged Wairarapa hills of New Zealand, near to the coast that is the graveyard of many ships; devoted to the sounds he elicits from his cherished flute; and imagining all the while that he will one day take the form of the albatross he believes himself to be; to soar over the wild Southern Ocean in the direction of mysterious Antarctica. But as the year 1939 comes to a close, a storm of a different kind looms ominously, and many young men depart for war. At first, Jem gathers the red agar seaweed that he delivers to the Maori, Mack Reedy, that will become the jelly in the cans of bully beef sent to the troops on far-off battlefields. He is entranced by Lily, who shares his love of music but who will devastate him by marrying a farmer. Then, Jem too is drawn into a world violent beyond any nightmare; fighting with the New Zealand Second Division the length of Italy. But when the war is ended, in Trieste, he is involved in the killing of a civilian, he is accused of murder. 

Jem Reedy is an uncomplicated boy who lives for music, but who is almost irredeemably altered by a war he barely understands. But it is music that will save him. 'Songs of the Other Man' is an authentic description of rural New Zealand before the Second World War; of the role of New Zealanders in the bloody Italian Campaign; and of the universal suffering experienced by soldiers long after the conflict is over.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

This is the story of a most musical boy called Jem, who becomes a most unlikely and ferocious soldier. He works farms in the rugged Wairarapa hills of New Zealand, near to the coast that is the graveyard of many ships; devoted to the sounds he elicits from his cherished flute; and imagining all the while that he will one day take the form of the albatross he believes himself to be; to soar over the wild Southern Ocean in the direction of mysterious Antarctica. But as the year 1939 comes to a close, a storm of a different kind looms ominously, and many young men depart for war. At first, Jem gathers the red agar seaweed that he delivers to the Maori, Mack Reedy, that will become the jelly in the cans of bully beef sent to the troops on far-off battlefields. He is entranced by Lily, who shares his love of music but who will devastate him by marrying a farmer. Then, Jem too is drawn into a world violent beyond any nightmare; fighting with the New Zealand Second Division the length of Italy. But when the war is ended, in Trieste, he is involved in the killing of a civilian, he is accused of murder. 

Jem Reedy is an uncomplicated boy who lives for music, but who is almost irredeemably altered by a war he barely understands. But it is music that will save him. 'Songs of the Other Man' is an authentic description of rural New Zealand before the Second World War; of the role of New Zealanders in the bloody Italian Campaign; and of the universal suffering experienced by soldiers long after the conflict is over.

More books from Literary

Cover of the book Les secrets de Monsieur Synthèse by Greg Billington
Cover of the book Tibetaanse perziken by Greg Billington
Cover of the book Bill of Billabong by Greg Billington
Cover of the book Stanoli by Greg Billington
Cover of the book Le Papa de Simon de Guy de Maupassant (Analyse de l'oeuvre) by Greg Billington
Cover of the book El bolso de Blixen by Greg Billington
Cover of the book Impressions de voyage en Suisse - Tome I by Greg Billington
Cover of the book 張愛玲的傳奇文學與流言人生 by Greg Billington
Cover of the book El camino en la sombra by Greg Billington
Cover of the book Aventures d'un prisonnier français en Angleterre by Greg Billington
Cover of the book Miss New India by Greg Billington
Cover of the book John Bull and the Continent by Greg Billington
Cover of the book Cadillac Cathedral by Greg Billington
Cover of the book Les Précurseurs by Greg Billington
Cover of the book Silenzi di sabbia by Greg Billington
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy