Life Class Audiobook

" Extremely well written, although the characters and settings seemed to be richer when the author was on her favoured First World War territory. Made for a good book group discussion. "

" A very well-written and evocative book that does a better job of painting a word picture of the time and places of pre- and World-War I England/France than it does in moving along a plot. The characters are well-drawn, if not always likeable. "

" Barker's take on the impact of WWI on the British social structure and her exploration of the subject of "shell shock" is outstanding. I look forward to reading her other books in this trilogy. "

" eh. 2 art students during the war. the dialogue about art is interesting. i kept expecting someone to be killed by a bomb, but in the end, it's just life that goes on. "

" Such a disappointing book. Obviously, the author did a lot of good research on the period, but this was a *novel* and lacked any of what makes fiction enjoyable. I just keep shaking my head and wondering why it won the Booker Prize. If you'd like to read a really good novel about the WWI period in England, read Atonement. "

" I remember really liking Barker's Regeneration trilogy when I was in college, and was hoping I would really like this book as well. Unfortunately, it fell a little flat for me. There is some good historical tidbits, but generally the characters seem a bit wishy-washy, and for most of the book I wasnt really sure where we were going or why. It was, however, a quick and easy read, so I trundled along until the end. It made me wonder if Regeneration was as good as I remember, or if it was just my first book on WWI that caught my imagination at 18 or 19. "

" Pat Barker writes so beautifully that I would probably be gripped by her shopping list, and this book is no exception. I think if I'd read this before reading the Regeneration trilogy, which is so brilliant that anything else is pale in comparison, I'd have liked it a bit more. But having read the Regeneration trilogy, this was a bit... flat, I guess. I found the differences in outlook on the war between the protagonists too black-and-white and I couldn't get properly interested in the female lead. "

" Strong writing. But half of the story is set in Ypres - in Flanders fields. So why do all the locals have French names & speak French? "

" This book kept my attention, moving around from character to character, subplot to subplot in a very effective manner. The end began to drag a bit, but all in all I was satisfied with it and would recommend it to others who enjoy well-researched novels based around WWI. "

" Had a horrible ending... Didn't wrap anything up to me in my mind... Made me wonder what the point of the book was... Just got really depressing at the end and no light at the end of the tunnel. Expected something more. "

" I am not sure what the focus of this book was supposed to be. The setting seemed quite promising but there was something off about the characters - I didn't really care in the end what happened to them. Oddly unsatisfying. "

" Begins in 1917 (WWI). Great description. "

" enjoyable but not her best work. "

" Niet van hetzelfde niveau als Barkers "Regeneration Trilogy" maar toch graag gelezen. "

" Not in the same class as "Ghost Road". A slow moving love affair set during the early stages of WWI with an unsatisfying but too real ending. "

" without the history behind the real life character Tonks, I doubt this book wuould have made it - but still, interesting yet frustrating read "

" A rare combination of a compelling narrative, great character development, and poetic, atmospheric writing. I feel the atmosphere of WW I Europe clinging to me days after finishing this novel. A+++. "

" I liked the story but expected more to happen with it. It ended abruptly and felt unfinished. "

" Barker is a brilliant writer. Clear, fluid prose. Understated. Unsentimental. No false reconciliation or resolution of things that just can't be reconciled, resolved. Very real. "

" UGH-only made it thru 1st cd "

" While I found the history WW 1 interesting and thought that this is a topic I would like to read more on, I found the female character (Elinor) completely self centered and limited emotionallly. She ruined the book for me. "

" Pat Barker's subject is World War I and the terrible damage it inflicted. She skillfully blends real people with fictional characters. Much of the book is in the form of letters between the two main characters, and their conscious masking of emotion - the horrors of trench warfare - is effective. "

" good to see barker back in wwI territory. but the set up is too long and the pay off not as compelling as expected. she was clearly going for something more subtle, more interior, more personal here. perhaps a bit too much so. "

" On the brink of the Great War, a group of art students gather in a life-drawing class. As the war progresses, they turn to each other for comfort, companionship, and love. War affects each student's art in unique ways, and leaves them with a strong anti-war conviction. "

" Taught, evocative writing, but felt like I'd read it before "

" Well read/produced audio book but I ultimately wanted more from the story. I must say that the author captured the spirit and tone of the WWI lost genration perfectly. "

" Pat Barker is always interesting to read and I found this story about artists before and during the First World War extremely well written and good at evoking the period. "

" Atonement, set in the First World War. <br/> <br/>Poignant and moving story of how normal life was destroyed by the war, let down only by laughably cringeworthy, ahem, “romantic” scenes. <br/> "

" This prose in this book slips by so quickly I would finish several chapters almost without noticing. The characters move from the life of art school, mundane in retrospect, to the horrors of WWI. Barker's scene-setting and subtle attention to detail really make the book. "

" UGH-only made it thru 1st cd "