Author:Ford Madox Ford
The Great War changes everything. In this epic tale, spanning over a decade, war turns the world of privileged, English aristocrat Christopher Tietjens upside down. It forces him to question everything he holds dear – social order, morality, marriage and loyalty. And it rocks the very foundations of English society.
This is a powerful story about love, betrayal and disillusionment in a time of horror and confusion by one of Britain’s finest novelists.
Ford Madox Ford's monumental novel came to our screens in August 2012 as a major BBC adaptation, with a screenplay by the legendary playwright Tom Stoppard and a stellar cast that included Benedict Cumberbatch. This edition of the novel includes all four parts, originally published separately between 1924 and 1928.
The finest English novel about the Great War.
—— GuardianFans of the sword-swinging drama still mourning the end of HBO's epic Game of Thrones will find plenty to love in this uncompromising slice of historical fiction ... Breathlessly paced and packed with action, it's a mightily accomplished debut in a major new series
—— ShortListA fantastic novel ... utterly convincing ... The plot is superb, clever and as true to the sources as is possible ... a brilliant achievement
—— Dr Elisabeth van Houts, Emmauel College, CambridgeThe setting and historical detail are superb and there is more than enough excitement to keep you hooked to the final page
—— New BooksAction packed, this is the first in a promising series, set in a fascinating period
—— Mail on SundayFinely concise, tender and most painful
—— Sunday TimesI think if I had to agitate for one under-mentioned title it would probably be Reunion... Maybe readers think they have read the story before. But I urge you to give it a try; it is short, and moving. I know that’s not the same as stumbling across it somewhere in the stacks...but perhaps it can qualify as a treasure all the same
—— Paris ReviewFrom the first tingle-making line...I was mesmerised by Uhlman’s heart-breaking story
—— Daily MailAn exquisite novella such as Fred Uhlman's Reunion...is clearly worth much more than its weight or cover price and certainly more than the latest prize-winning bit of puff
—— GuardianMelancholy and elegiac with a very effective final twist of the plot
—— The TimesThe interesting question now is what is the “greatest book we’ve never heard of” (Stoner’s tag)? Fred Uhlman’s Reunion (1971), to be published in July, might follow in Stoner’s footsteps... Watch this space
—— IndependentA minor masterpiece. Uhlman succeeds in lending his narrative a musical quality which is both haunting and lyrical
—— Arthur KoestlerA profound meditation upon the nature of friendship. The first line alone is enough to send a tingle up your spine: 'He came into my life in February 1932 and never left it again'
—— GuardianA book that changed me? Reunion by Fred Uhlman. I read it 20 years ago. It changed my view on Judaism
—— Jeffrey ArcherOriginally published in 1971, apparently, Reunion passed me by then but reading it now it certainly packs a punch
—— Guy Pringle , NudgeA little masterpiece
—— Val Hennessy , Daily MailI loved the mood of the book — it’s nostalgic and wistful without being sentimental — and it’s written in a perfectly matter-of-fact way but is done so eloquently the sentences feel as if they’ve been spun from silk. It’s a quick read, too, but it’s the kind of story that stays with you
—— Reading MattersDevastating
—— Fiona Wilson , The TimesNever hits a false note
—— i (The paper for today)It’s a good novel, a short novel, quickly and easily read, but it’s a novel that demonstrates Uhlman’s great skill because when you arrive at the last sentence (the very last sentence of the novel), you see you’ve actually missed a different arc entirely. It is this twist in the tail that has you both retreating back through the book but also (curse them) recommending it to others as well
—— Book MunchExtraordinary…one of literature’s most shattering final sentences
—— New York TimesUhlman writes with a painter’s eye for the significant detail, and with the precision of someone who has learned a second language in adulthood. Every word is exactly what it must, and could only, be. Every sentence is characterized by delicacy, concision, and finesse
—— Church TimesShimmers above so much of the new fiction… Brings a lump to the throat in its final line
—— Arifa Akbar , IndependentA daring miracle of narrative simplicity, its end comes at you like a torch in a long tunnel.
—— Rachel Cooke , ObserverAs perfect as it is powerful
—— Irish TimesReunion resembles that other small masterpiece, Death in Venice, by Uhlman’s compatriot Thomas Mann. Its setting may be drastically different but, in a classic, what prevails is strength of spirit over the will to power.
—— Amanda Hopkinson , Jewish Chronicle[A] touching novel.
—— David Nicholls , Observer, Book of the YearA beautiful story
—— Jeffrey Archer , Daily Express