Gone to Soldiers

A Novel

by Marge Piercy

This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.

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Pub Date Apr 12 2016 | Archive Date Jun 28 2016

Description

Ten characters, from occupied France to the Pacific Theater and from the frontlines to the home front, are profoundly changed by the events of World War II in this New York Times bestseller

Epic in scope, Marge Piercy’s sweeping novel encompasses the wide range of people and places marked by the Second World War. Each of her ten narrators has a unique and compelling story that powerfully depicts his or her personality, desires, and fears. Special attention is given to the women of the war effort, like Bernice, who rebels against her domineering father to become a fighter pilot, and Naomi, a Parisian Jew sent to live with relatives in Detroit, whose twin sister, Jacqueline—still in France—joins the resistance against Nazi rule.

The horrors of the concentration camps; the heroism of soldiers on the beaches of Okinawa, the skies above London, and the seas of the Mediterranean; the brilliance of code breakers; and the resilience of families waiting for the return of sons, brothers, and fathers are all conveyed through powerful, poignant prose that resonates beyond the page. Gone to Soldiers is a testament to the ordinary people, with their flaws and inner strife, who rose to defend liberty during the most extraordinary times.

Advance Praise

“This book deserves to have an entire book written about it. . . . A landmark piece of literary prose . . . The most thorough and most captivating, most engrossing novel ever written about World War II.” —Los Angeles Times

“A compelling chronicle of humans in conflict with inhuman events, Gone to Soldiers is an unforgettable reading experience and a stirring tribute to the remarkable survival of the human spirit.” —The Philadelphia Inquirer

“Piercy has mastered a huge subject, dismantled a centuries-old sex barrier, and widened our perceptions of both war and literature.” —Newsweek

“A literary triumph for Marge Piercy and a landmark volume in the literature of war.” —USA Today

Praise for Marge Piercy

“Here is somebody with the guts to go into the deepest core of herself, her time, her history, and risk more than anybody else has so far, just out of a love for the truth and a need to tell it. It’s about time.” —Thomas Pynchon on Dance the Eagle to Sleep

“One of the most important writers of our time.” —Erica Jong

“A sensitive champion of woman’s issues.” —The Charlotte Observer

“Marge Piercy is a raw, tough, willful, magnificent novelist.” —The Christian Science Monitor

“Reading a book by Marge Piercy is like sitting around a warm inviting fire with old friends: You know you will be entertained, hopefully you will be amused, and if you dare to invest in yourself, you will certainly learn something.” —The Indianapolis Star