Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Atlantic Books (2010), 192 pages
Description
Italy, near Cassino. The terrible winter of 1944. A dismal icy rain, continuing unabated for days. Guided by a seventy-year-old Italian man in rope-soled shoes, three American soldiers are sent on a reconnaissance mission up the side of a steep hill that they discover, before very long, to be a mountain. And the old man's indeterminate loyalties only add to the terror and confusion that engulf them on that mountain, where they are confronted with the horror of their own time--and then set upon by a sniper.--From publisher description.
User reviews
LibraryThing member JanetinLondon
Italy. Late 1944. A patrol of American soldiers is searching for remnants of the retreating German army. It is cold, and pouring with rain. They come across a man with a horse and cart. A German soldier and a young woman are hiding in the cart. The German kills two of the Americans, and is killed
The rest of the book alternates between describing their climb – wet, cold, slippery and dangerous – and the various events that occur, and the musings of Robert Marson, the trio’s corporal, along the way. He thinks back to events during their training, to scenes from home, to stories other soldiers have told him from their own lives, and to the killing of the woman they have all witnessed. He and the others discuss whether or not to report the incident – was it murder, was it self defence, or was it a sensible precaution given the situation?
This book is about morality, bravery, loyalty, friendship, duty, trust, religious beliefs and normality – what do any of these mean in the middle of a war? What can they mean? Marson is clearly a very moral character, and throughout the book he tries to make the best decisions he can – how to treat their Italian “guide”, how to ensure the mission’s success and safety, and what to do about the woman’s death. At the end of the book he has to make a very clear decision – duty v. personal morality - , and once he has made it the story ends with him sitting quietly for a minute, contemplating the momentary peacefulness all around him, before he is sucked back into the madness that is any war.
The surreal nature of war is very clearly depicted in this book, and so is the importance, and the possibility, of individual morality in the midst of it. We each have a responsibility to ensure war (or any situation) doesn’t destroy everything that is human about us.
Finally, the writing is very strong, with excellent descriptions not only of people and events, but of the foul weather, the treacherous mountain and the sheer physical difficulty of their journey. Highly recommended.
Show More
in turn. Then, in a moment of panic, or perhaps just in cold blood, the patrol’s sergeant kills the young woman as well. Further along their journey, as the road starts to climb a mountain, the soldiers meet another Italian and three of them set off cross-country, with him as their guide, to check there are no enemies waiting higher up the hill. It is still raining, and they have no idea whose side the Italian is really on, or exactly how much English he understands.The rest of the book alternates between describing their climb – wet, cold, slippery and dangerous – and the various events that occur, and the musings of Robert Marson, the trio’s corporal, along the way. He thinks back to events during their training, to scenes from home, to stories other soldiers have told him from their own lives, and to the killing of the woman they have all witnessed. He and the others discuss whether or not to report the incident – was it murder, was it self defence, or was it a sensible precaution given the situation?
This book is about morality, bravery, loyalty, friendship, duty, trust, religious beliefs and normality – what do any of these mean in the middle of a war? What can they mean? Marson is clearly a very moral character, and throughout the book he tries to make the best decisions he can – how to treat their Italian “guide”, how to ensure the mission’s success and safety, and what to do about the woman’s death. At the end of the book he has to make a very clear decision – duty v. personal morality - , and once he has made it the story ends with him sitting quietly for a minute, contemplating the momentary peacefulness all around him, before he is sucked back into the madness that is any war.
The surreal nature of war is very clearly depicted in this book, and so is the importance, and the possibility, of individual morality in the midst of it. We each have a responsibility to ensure war (or any situation) doesn’t destroy everything that is human about us.
Finally, the writing is very strong, with excellent descriptions not only of people and events, but of the foul weather, the treacherous mountain and the sheer physical difficulty of their journey. Highly recommended.
Show Less
LibraryThing member sggottlieb
Very well written. Plot moves nicely. Complex characters and vivid descriptions.
LibraryThing member MissMea
The horrific and awe-inspiring details in this book were amazing. Bausch's exploration of the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual abuse soldiers at war go through in the heat of battle are extremely well depicted and realistic in this book. Quick read, great book.
LibraryThing member davedonelson
Richard Bausch's taut novel tells us what happens when civilian soldiers go to war. It's a powerfully atmospheric story about three American soldiers sent up a mountain in Italy near Cassino during the brutal winter of 1944. Their mission: see what the Germans are doing on the other side. Their
Bausch's ability to bring the reader fully into his story is well-demonstrated in this book. The tension builds page by page until the wholly satisfying climax, the niggling arguments among the men are just repetitive and just disconcerting enough to make the reader angry, and the perfectly-mounted descriptions of the cold, hard rain, the wet, view-obliterating snow make you wish (just like the soldiers) that you were somewhere else.
Ambiguity is a beautiful thing in Bausch's hands. The squad's guide, Angelo, could be a simple peasant or a German spy--or something else entirely. The protagonist, Corporal Marson, could be a baseball-playing All-American hero or a morally-bereft corporal looking for the easy way out. How these and the other sources of tension in the book are resolved propels the reader through to the end.
Show More
mental state: conflicted by the shooting of a German woman they witnessed just before they left. Was it murder? An act of war? Should they report it when they return or simply fold it into their psyches? They struggle with the moral dilemma while they slog their way up the cold, miserable mountain.Bausch's ability to bring the reader fully into his story is well-demonstrated in this book. The tension builds page by page until the wholly satisfying climax, the niggling arguments among the men are just repetitive and just disconcerting enough to make the reader angry, and the perfectly-mounted descriptions of the cold, hard rain, the wet, view-obliterating snow make you wish (just like the soldiers) that you were somewhere else.
Ambiguity is a beautiful thing in Bausch's hands. The squad's guide, Angelo, could be a simple peasant or a German spy--or something else entirely. The protagonist, Corporal Marson, could be a baseball-playing All-American hero or a morally-bereft corporal looking for the easy way out. How these and the other sources of tension in the book are resolved propels the reader through to the end.
Show Less
LibraryThing member jules72653
Gritty details keep this story moving forward. Told from Corporal Marson's POV during a frigid 2 day period in Italy in the pouring rain and snow as he and his crew witness things no one should and flashback on happier times.
LibraryThing member patrickgarson
Peace is a terrific novella, one of those books that plunges you into - not just its location, but its totality. Bausch has written one of the best "war novels" I've read in a long time, sidestepping many of the cliches of the genre, whilst making its truths feel fresh, and that they matter, and
Corporal Robert Marson has been asked to perform reconnaissance on a hill covering the German retreat in Italy. He and his companions, the acerbic Private Joyner and tortured Private Asch, are disturbed by the murder of a hapless civilian earlier in the day, and bitterly cold. Led by an old man of dubious loyalties, soaked by icy rain, injured, and terrified of the German troops that may be hiding behind each slope, by time morning arrives, the hill will become a mountain.
The immediacy of Peace is one of its most impressive aspects. The mountainous Italian countryside, the rich loamy mud, the needle-like rain; it's so tactile you can practically smell it. These quotidian concerns are expertly juxtaposed by the fears, hopes, and relationships between the soldiers. The long night is interleaved by Marson's flashbacks to his landing at Palermo and what's he's left behind. These memories contrast sharply with their immediate concerns, which scarcely extend beyond putting one foot in front of the other.
Marson himself is an entirely believable and rounded character. Uncomfortable with what he's doing, homesick, struggling to make sense of the banality of war (both as a totality and its specificity on the hill), and trying to rein in his bickering privates. The strength of Bausch's characterisation is vital to Peace because of its intimacy and short time frame, and he handles it magnificently. Marson's doubts and certainties are shared with the reader and you can feel his emotions as viscerally as the driving rain.
There is a lyricism to Peace, but it's not rhapsodic or florid. Rather, it comes through the banality, and the dignity these characters have through their - and our - common humanity. Their thoughts are only as unique as all our thoughts are; Baush's skill in showing the greatness of that wellspring in just 165 pages is formidable, and the result is a singular, touching work. Great stuff.
Show More
worth reading again. Corporal Robert Marson has been asked to perform reconnaissance on a hill covering the German retreat in Italy. He and his companions, the acerbic Private Joyner and tortured Private Asch, are disturbed by the murder of a hapless civilian earlier in the day, and bitterly cold. Led by an old man of dubious loyalties, soaked by icy rain, injured, and terrified of the German troops that may be hiding behind each slope, by time morning arrives, the hill will become a mountain.
The immediacy of Peace is one of its most impressive aspects. The mountainous Italian countryside, the rich loamy mud, the needle-like rain; it's so tactile you can practically smell it. These quotidian concerns are expertly juxtaposed by the fears, hopes, and relationships between the soldiers. The long night is interleaved by Marson's flashbacks to his landing at Palermo and what's he's left behind. These memories contrast sharply with their immediate concerns, which scarcely extend beyond putting one foot in front of the other.
Marson himself is an entirely believable and rounded character. Uncomfortable with what he's doing, homesick, struggling to make sense of the banality of war (both as a totality and its specificity on the hill), and trying to rein in his bickering privates. The strength of Bausch's characterisation is vital to Peace because of its intimacy and short time frame, and he handles it magnificently. Marson's doubts and certainties are shared with the reader and you can feel his emotions as viscerally as the driving rain.
There is a lyricism to Peace, but it's not rhapsodic or florid. Rather, it comes through the banality, and the dignity these characters have through their - and our - common humanity. Their thoughts are only as unique as all our thoughts are; Baush's skill in showing the greatness of that wellspring in just 165 pages is formidable, and the result is a singular, touching work. Great stuff.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Mary_Overton
A novella set during 1944 on the Italian front -- 3 soldiers of very different character forced by the randomness of war to rely on each other. The quality of the writing is lovely, especially passages that explore intense emotions of terror and dread.
"He had the sense, again without words, that
"He had the sense, again without words, that
Show More
life -- all life, the life he had led and the life he had come to -- had never been so suffused with clarity, a terrible inhuman clarity, made utterly out of precision, like the precision of gear and tackle in a machine. Except that he understood, in a sick wave, that this was utterly and only human." (153) Show Less
LibraryThing member blackhornet
You can feel the cold in this novel like you can feel the cold in Cormac McCarthy's 'The Road'. It terrifies you with thoughts of what the body can put up with. Like McCarthy, Bausch's language is as spare as the landscape he describes - in this case an Alpine mountain ascended through rain and
Show More
snow. Unlike McCarthy's notorious book, though, this story is not particularly original and the twist at the end insufficiently surprising to make you re-appraise what has gone before. A well-crafted read, but if you want WWII how it really was, watch Band of Brothers. Show Less
LibraryThing member martymojito
I hate to be the only negative review, even though I will rate it 3 stars, but I found the repitition very tiresome. The petty arguments between Asch and Joyner really annoyed me, but maybe that is a technique of the writer to make Joyner an unlikeable character. And the rain! My god, how many
Still, even for its faults it is an enjoyable read. I particularly like the short chapters which make it difficult to put down. You say to yourself that I'll just read one more chapter and before you know it you have read five. Speed readers will finish this in one sitting.
The characters are very strong. Three quite different types and the old man adds some nice spice to the proceedings, especially when Marson begins to distrust him.
The writer really does describe very well day to day living in war.
What is the cover about? The one with the man (boy?) carrying the jerry cans up the hill
Show More
times did we get descriptions of the rain. As for that mountain....I got the impression that it was a bit of a hill that the 3 soldiers were sent up to have a look over the top and report back. A couple of hours journey I assumed , but it seemed to take them forever. I just couldn't imagine the main party waiting at the bottom of the mountain for the other 3, they were gone so long. Still, even for its faults it is an enjoyable read. I particularly like the short chapters which make it difficult to put down. You say to yourself that I'll just read one more chapter and before you know it you have read five. Speed readers will finish this in one sitting.
The characters are very strong. Three quite different types and the old man adds some nice spice to the proceedings, especially when Marson begins to distrust him.
The writer really does describe very well day to day living in war.
What is the cover about? The one with the man (boy?) carrying the jerry cans up the hill
Show Less
LibraryThing member weeksj10
It's a trick. This book is by no means a book about Peace. It is a book about war. It's not like there is some inner peace found at war or that peace is the result it is just a sad book about war. It is very descriptive and violent. It's just all in all a bit depressing. If you like books about war
Show More
then you will probably love it, but I definitely did not love it. Show Less
LibraryThing member FeidhlimM
In Italy in 1944 it’s cold and terribly wet and a small American patrol come across a cart of hay and their commanding officer orders that it is overturned so it can be searched for contraband. As two of the men set about flipping it over a German officer who has been hiding in the hay shoots
The men are horrified but do and say nothing. When they meet up with a tank battalion Glick reports that the woman was killed in the crossfire and the men keep quiet but disgusted.
The patrol moves off again. The Germans are retreating and their job is to scout out the line of retreat; so when they come upon an old Italian man, Corporal Marson, Asch and Joyner are sent with the man as a guide to climb a mountain to see what they can see of the retreat. The men battle against the elements of the mountainous Italian winter in a seemingly endless search on an almost pointless mission.
Corporal Marson has limited command of the two men who have been his friends from the beginning and were his equals throughout most of the war so far and only reluctantly follow his orders after much bickering (To be fair the order he gives the most is “Shut up”). He’s stuck in the middle of these two and all of them cannot escape the shadow of the murder they’ve witnessed. Asch is a philosophical character who’s haunted by a hellish scene he witnessed in Africa and cannot sleep without conjuring up the image of: “a burning tank, the men in it, and the heat of the desert, the smell rising in the waves of black smoke and flames”. Marson avoids conversation with him for fear of hearing him recant this dream again yet Asch is the most moral character in the book. It is his gut reaction to report Glick’s murder as soon as they get back to the main unit and he fears that the trials they are undergoing as they climb the mountain are God’s punishment for what they’ve done. Joyner claims no such belief. To Joyner the woman who was murdered was with a German and was liable for her own death as a result nevertheless his constant nervous scratching implies that perhaps Joyner is merely trying to justify to himself what he already knows is wrong. Joyner the bigot and Asch the Jew bicker and argue and Marson finds himself in the middle tending to the old Italian who they're not sure they can trust and ensuring that they carry out their duty.
Bausch doesn’t layer language on but keeps his prose quite plain but very effective. The miserable cold, wet weather starts to plague the reader as much as the characters and his characters are so incredibly human. Marson reflects on his life as he climbs and so some small history of the other two soldiers is revealed. Of course they’re all young men plucked from normal society and thrown into the war, that’s all stuff we’ve heard before but what Bausch creates is a medley of paradoxes and conflicted characters that shows war to be merely killing, killing that is “just gonna go on for ever or until they find some way to kill everybody”. Asch’s grandfather was a German Jew who fought in the First World War for the Germans and Asch wonders what his grandfather would think of him and think of Germany now. Marson’s own father was German. They are fighting for a country that they have no real heritage in yet against a country that wishes to annihilate them despite the fact it’s were their ancestor’s came from. Joyner who has no apparent German ancestry has the most in common with the Nazis you would think given his anti-Jewish racism. The Italian in their midst is one from a nation that has changed sides during the war and they’re not sure whether they can trust him and of course how much can they trust each other. Yet here they all are fighting together in yet another war. Asch points out that in between the years 1865- 1910 there were only 11 years of peace time. These men, however, are not killing machines as they listen to the executions of the Jews in the village beneath them they all break out into their own mantras of hope, even Joyner the bigot.
It’s an engaging and very entertaining read. At 171 pages with 24 chapters it’s very quickly devoured. It’s not 100% original we’ve all seen WWII fiction were a bunch of seemingly very different men come together but Peace manages to create an overall piece that’s certainly not clichéd. I haven’t read any thing by Richard Bausch before but this a book that has left me wanting more and I would recommend it highly.
~~Most unexpected line~~
“ In the dimness, Marson saw the uncircumcised length of it.”
~~The cover~~
The cover makes no sense. It has a boy with some jerry cans on his back climbing up a dusty road. This film has no boy lugging jerry cans about in it and it’s very emphatic that it either never stops raining or snowing so they are certainly no dusty roads.
~~Shelve, Burn, Charitise~~
It shall be shelved until the ice age when I will burn it in order to survive.
~~Financialistics~~
In a fit of madness I paid £7.99 for this and I believe that’s way over priced (as are all books). I read it in two short sittings that came to about maybe an hour and fifteen minutes. So £8 for 75 minutes entertainment! No wonder people just watch TV and don’t read.
~~Written by Phelim McC. You wouldn't download a car so don't steal my review~~
Show More
them dead and is quickly dispatched by the carbine of Corporal Marson. A woman who had been hiding in the hay with the German screams uncontrollably and in a moment of cool madness the patrol’s commander, Glick, shoots her dead.The men are horrified but do and say nothing. When they meet up with a tank battalion Glick reports that the woman was killed in the crossfire and the men keep quiet but disgusted.
The patrol moves off again. The Germans are retreating and their job is to scout out the line of retreat; so when they come upon an old Italian man, Corporal Marson, Asch and Joyner are sent with the man as a guide to climb a mountain to see what they can see of the retreat. The men battle against the elements of the mountainous Italian winter in a seemingly endless search on an almost pointless mission.
Corporal Marson has limited command of the two men who have been his friends from the beginning and were his equals throughout most of the war so far and only reluctantly follow his orders after much bickering (To be fair the order he gives the most is “Shut up”). He’s stuck in the middle of these two and all of them cannot escape the shadow of the murder they’ve witnessed. Asch is a philosophical character who’s haunted by a hellish scene he witnessed in Africa and cannot sleep without conjuring up the image of: “a burning tank, the men in it, and the heat of the desert, the smell rising in the waves of black smoke and flames”. Marson avoids conversation with him for fear of hearing him recant this dream again yet Asch is the most moral character in the book. It is his gut reaction to report Glick’s murder as soon as they get back to the main unit and he fears that the trials they are undergoing as they climb the mountain are God’s punishment for what they’ve done. Joyner claims no such belief. To Joyner the woman who was murdered was with a German and was liable for her own death as a result nevertheless his constant nervous scratching implies that perhaps Joyner is merely trying to justify to himself what he already knows is wrong. Joyner the bigot and Asch the Jew bicker and argue and Marson finds himself in the middle tending to the old Italian who they're not sure they can trust and ensuring that they carry out their duty.
Bausch doesn’t layer language on but keeps his prose quite plain but very effective. The miserable cold, wet weather starts to plague the reader as much as the characters and his characters are so incredibly human. Marson reflects on his life as he climbs and so some small history of the other two soldiers is revealed. Of course they’re all young men plucked from normal society and thrown into the war, that’s all stuff we’ve heard before but what Bausch creates is a medley of paradoxes and conflicted characters that shows war to be merely killing, killing that is “just gonna go on for ever or until they find some way to kill everybody”. Asch’s grandfather was a German Jew who fought in the First World War for the Germans and Asch wonders what his grandfather would think of him and think of Germany now. Marson’s own father was German. They are fighting for a country that they have no real heritage in yet against a country that wishes to annihilate them despite the fact it’s were their ancestor’s came from. Joyner who has no apparent German ancestry has the most in common with the Nazis you would think given his anti-Jewish racism. The Italian in their midst is one from a nation that has changed sides during the war and they’re not sure whether they can trust him and of course how much can they trust each other. Yet here they all are fighting together in yet another war. Asch points out that in between the years 1865- 1910 there were only 11 years of peace time. These men, however, are not killing machines as they listen to the executions of the Jews in the village beneath them they all break out into their own mantras of hope, even Joyner the bigot.
It’s an engaging and very entertaining read. At 171 pages with 24 chapters it’s very quickly devoured. It’s not 100% original we’ve all seen WWII fiction were a bunch of seemingly very different men come together but Peace manages to create an overall piece that’s certainly not clichéd. I haven’t read any thing by Richard Bausch before but this a book that has left me wanting more and I would recommend it highly.
~~Most unexpected line~~
“ In the dimness, Marson saw the uncircumcised length of it.”
~~The cover~~
The cover makes no sense. It has a boy with some jerry cans on his back climbing up a dusty road. This film has no boy lugging jerry cans about in it and it’s very emphatic that it either never stops raining or snowing so they are certainly no dusty roads.
~~Shelve, Burn, Charitise~~
It shall be shelved until the ice age when I will burn it in order to survive.
~~Financialistics~~
In a fit of madness I paid £7.99 for this and I believe that’s way over priced (as are all books). I read it in two short sittings that came to about maybe an hour and fifteen minutes. So £8 for 75 minutes entertainment! No wonder people just watch TV and don’t read.
~~Written by Phelim McC. You wouldn't download a car so don't steal my review~~
Show Less
LibraryThing member RandyMetcalfe
The intense existential doubt precipitated by moments of life and death struggle, catastrophic moral choice, and, yes, the peace that passeth understanding meld in this frighteningly clear and poignant tale. It is 1944, the Italian campaign, and three men are tasked, along with an elderly Italian
Of course the three GIs are carrying far more than their packs. Bausch masterfully flashes back to their time before the landing, and in the case of one, Corporal Robert Marson, to his life in a suburb of Washington D.C. It is more than fear for their lives though that burdens them. An incident has occurred shortly before they are ordered out on this reconnaissance. That incident and their deliberation as to how to respond to it sets the moral choice before them. As if that weren’t enough, they find themselves encountering, from a distance, the slaughter of Jews by the retreating German forces, and on their return journey, the very real threat of death dealt by an unseen sniper.
Bausch’s writing here is so taut, so fully under control, so pitch perfect, that you will find your pace through the story to be almost breathless. This is fine writing indeed. And though it is a short novel, it feels replete. Highly recommended.
Show More
guide, to scout ahead up a low mountain in order to ascertain what forces of retreating Germans lie ahead. Go up a mountain and come back down. If that isn’t the basis of an archetypical narrative arc, I don’t know what is. Simple. But that stripped down symbolism and its corollaries reverberates throughout this haunting story.Of course the three GIs are carrying far more than their packs. Bausch masterfully flashes back to their time before the landing, and in the case of one, Corporal Robert Marson, to his life in a suburb of Washington D.C. It is more than fear for their lives though that burdens them. An incident has occurred shortly before they are ordered out on this reconnaissance. That incident and their deliberation as to how to respond to it sets the moral choice before them. As if that weren’t enough, they find themselves encountering, from a distance, the slaughter of Jews by the retreating German forces, and on their return journey, the very real threat of death dealt by an unseen sniper.
Bausch’s writing here is so taut, so fully under control, so pitch perfect, that you will find your pace through the story to be almost breathless. This is fine writing indeed. And though it is a short novel, it feels replete. Highly recommended.
Show Less
LibraryThing member trav
This quick read paints a cold reality and stark story that must mirror some of the real-life experiences of WWII combat veterans. In the story we follow a small squad of US soldiers as they push through the frozen cold on a quick recon-type mission. Outside of the harsh elements they are forced to
What was amazing to me was how quickly I felt cold, lost and anxious. It's not a big book and the author does a good job of drawing you into the setting on the cold mountain side.
I give this book 3 out of 5 and recommend to folks who are already drawn to war stories.
Show More
deal with enemy soldiers, trust issues and a "sense of purpose", both that have life and death consequences.What was amazing to me was how quickly I felt cold, lost and anxious. It's not a big book and the author does a good job of drawing you into the setting on the cold mountain side.
I give this book 3 out of 5 and recommend to folks who are already drawn to war stories.
Show Less
LibraryThing member KRaySaulis
This book had me so wrapped up that I went 45mph in a 35 and got pulled over yesterday and today I cried as I pulled into the grocery store parking lot. 4 and a half hour audio book that wrenches at your soul and repairs your heart. Beautiful, breathtaking. I picked this up completely on impulse at
Show More
the library because I was looking for a historical fiction, and I got a book I will read again and again. Show Less
LibraryThing member BooksForDinner
I got a uncorrected preview edition from the B&N I work at part time, and i thought I'd give it a whirl.
Shorty, almost a novella... maybe 175 pages... this is a wonderful book... he does such a great job with characterization, their personalities are quite vivid... it is limited omniscience, so you
Shorty, almost a novella... maybe 175 pages... this is a wonderful book... he does such a great job with characterization, their personalities are quite vivid... it is limited omniscience, so you
Show More
really only get inside the main characters head, but he has so much to say in this short book... a highly recommended book on the true horrors of war and the young men dealing with them. Definitely not a WWII glorification. Show Less
LibraryThing member chrisblocker
Though I keep saying I'm done with the European theater of World War II—and I do a fair job keeping my distance—I am clearly not entirely done. A favorite author writes a phenomenal book about the subject. A story about something unrelated suddenly “goes there.” It's unavoidable. Mix my
Peace is one of those books with a small cast of characters and an even smaller plot. Undoubtedly, some readers will dislike this story for the simple fact that “not much happens.” At 171 7”x5” pages, Peace is barely a novel, so expectations for “a lot to happen” should be relatively small.
Set in Italy in the winter of 1944, the story is largely about a group of American soldiers hiking a mountain. What makes this story spectacular is the psychology at play and the nuances of the writing. Bausch wonderfully casts a believable set of characters and right away gives each a personal demon or a quirk that plays well off of everyone else. The result is a tale where simply walking around a mountain becomes tense. Toss in the subtle haunt of the shadows across the white landscape, the dance of snowflakes in the air, the frozen remains of an abandoned soldier, and you have an intensely powerful little novel.
Despite long careers with considerable works behind them, brothers Bausch (twins Richard and Robert) remain virtually unknown to the general public. I've heard them described as “writer's writers,” and I do feel there is some truth to that. I doubt I ever would've heard of either had it not been for the recommendation of a professor and fellow writer while enrolled in an MFA program. If you're a writer and haven't yet been introduced to the Bauschs, may I introduce you. Neither is likely to become your favorite author, but you are probably going to learn a thing or two about the craft. If you're not a writer, might I suggest a Bausch short story? I think you may like the style, but starting with a relationship that requires little commitment guarantees a more amicable split if that time comes. I think you'll hit it off, though. Might I also suggest you give Peace a chance? It's short, beautiful, and haunting, and it seems to me to be a truer account of the war than most of the WWII fiction published these days.
Show More
desire to revisit the work of Richard Bausch and the promise of a quick read and, well, here we go again.Peace is one of those books with a small cast of characters and an even smaller plot. Undoubtedly, some readers will dislike this story for the simple fact that “not much happens.” At 171 7”x5” pages, Peace is barely a novel, so expectations for “a lot to happen” should be relatively small.
Set in Italy in the winter of 1944, the story is largely about a group of American soldiers hiking a mountain. What makes this story spectacular is the psychology at play and the nuances of the writing. Bausch wonderfully casts a believable set of characters and right away gives each a personal demon or a quirk that plays well off of everyone else. The result is a tale where simply walking around a mountain becomes tense. Toss in the subtle haunt of the shadows across the white landscape, the dance of snowflakes in the air, the frozen remains of an abandoned soldier, and you have an intensely powerful little novel.
Despite long careers with considerable works behind them, brothers Bausch (twins Richard and Robert) remain virtually unknown to the general public. I've heard them described as “writer's writers,” and I do feel there is some truth to that. I doubt I ever would've heard of either had it not been for the recommendation of a professor and fellow writer while enrolled in an MFA program. If you're a writer and haven't yet been introduced to the Bauschs, may I introduce you. Neither is likely to become your favorite author, but you are probably going to learn a thing or two about the craft. If you're not a writer, might I suggest a Bausch short story? I think you may like the style, but starting with a relationship that requires little commitment guarantees a more amicable split if that time comes. I think you'll hit it off, though. Might I also suggest you give Peace a chance? It's short, beautiful, and haunting, and it seems to me to be a truer account of the war than most of the WWII fiction published these days.
Show Less
LibraryThing member CarolynSchroeder
This was a wonderful yet disturbing, spare little novel (maybe technically a novella) set in the waning days of WWII as three soldiers trudge up a Northern Italian mountain, in the rain and snow, to get information about any fleeting German forces. As with the ways of war, there is confusion and
Show More
nothing is quite what it seems to be. Before they set off on the mission, the soldiers witness what may be the murder of an Italian or German civilian (prostitute) by their Sergeant. Like with life, it happened so fast, all they each have is fleeting images and what might be. So on their journey, they struggle with what they witnessed, whether to report it and how it fits in with their mission. The soldiers really don't care for each other and are suffering in their own ways, yet they must do this mission together. This is a beautifully written book, despite (or because of?) the war's last futile days. I have read many, many books about WWII and from an intimate, soldier-story level, this is one of the best. It is one of those that sticks with you. Recommended. I also want to seek out some of Bausch's other works as he is a great writer. Show Less
LibraryThing member Nanhoekstra
I read this novel the same day I read the children's novel Jimmy's Stars by Mary Ann Rodman. Both so poignant and relentless and beautiful -- the blood of the soldiers flows and flows...
LibraryThing member TimBazzett
Richard Bausch's PEACE (2008) is a novel of WWII, narrowly focused on three American soldiers, recent witnesses to the cold blooded murder of a woman, perpetrated by their sergeant. The three - Corporal Robert Marson and two Privates, Joyner and Asch - are sent on a scouting mission up the icy
While struggling up the mountain, the three argue about whether to report their sergeant, an issue which becomes less important, perhaps even moot, as they encounter signs of the retreating German Army, and come under sniper fire. Bits and pieces of the men's post-war lives emerge gradually, adding depth and meaning to their dark and dangerous trek, a kind of long day's journey into night.
I was totally absorbed, caught up, in this narrative of one infinitesimal sliver of the much larger horror of the war. I was reminded of so many other novels of war - books like William Wharton's A MIDNIGHT CLEAR, or, more recently, Nick Arvin's ARTICLES OF WAR, both set during WWII; and an early novel of Vietnam, David Halberstam's ONE VERY HOT DAY.
The three main characters here argue and fight; they discuss death and faith. Asch, a Jew, says that all religions are simply -
"... trying to explain the one thing. Why we have to die ... Every single religion. I think they all exist not necessarily because there's a God, but because there's death. They're all trying to explain that away somehow."
A slight book at under 170 pages, PEACE is nevertheless a deeply important one, in its dramatic, thoughtful treatment of the important issues of faith, mortality and fundamental human decency. My highest recommendation.
- Tim Bazzett, author of the Cold War memoir, SOLDIER BOY: AT PLAY IN THE ASA
Show More
slopes near Monte Casino, guided by an old Italian named Angelo, who, in his dark, cowled clothing, might easily be seen as the Angel of Death.While struggling up the mountain, the three argue about whether to report their sergeant, an issue which becomes less important, perhaps even moot, as they encounter signs of the retreating German Army, and come under sniper fire. Bits and pieces of the men's post-war lives emerge gradually, adding depth and meaning to their dark and dangerous trek, a kind of long day's journey into night.
I was totally absorbed, caught up, in this narrative of one infinitesimal sliver of the much larger horror of the war. I was reminded of so many other novels of war - books like William Wharton's A MIDNIGHT CLEAR, or, more recently, Nick Arvin's ARTICLES OF WAR, both set during WWII; and an early novel of Vietnam, David Halberstam's ONE VERY HOT DAY.
The three main characters here argue and fight; they discuss death and faith. Asch, a Jew, says that all religions are simply -
"... trying to explain the one thing. Why we have to die ... Every single religion. I think they all exist not necessarily because there's a God, but because there's death. They're all trying to explain that away somehow."
A slight book at under 170 pages, PEACE is nevertheless a deeply important one, in its dramatic, thoughtful treatment of the important issues of faith, mortality and fundamental human decency. My highest recommendation.
- Tim Bazzett, author of the Cold War memoir, SOLDIER BOY: AT PLAY IN THE ASA
Show Less
Awards
Dayton Literary Peace Prize (Winner — Fiction — 2009)
Notable Books List (Fiction — 2009)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2008
Physical description
192 p.; 5.04 inches
ISBN
184887085X / 9781848870857