General

The book John Kelly reads every time he gets a promotion to remind him of ‘the perils of hubris, the pitfalls of patriotism and duty unaccompanied by critical thinking’
The most vivid, moving – and devastating – word-portrait of a World War One British commander ever written, here re-introduced by Max Hastings.

Reviews

‘A superb novel. It blends Forester's preference for military subjects and solid unreflective characters, his irony, his grasp of history and his gift for lean, hypnotic narrative’ New York Times
‘Confirms Forester’s rightful place as one of the finest novelists of his generation’ Max Hastings
‘The most penetrating and subtle study of a Regular army officer that I have ever read’ Observer
‘A portrait for all time of an individual in his period’ H.G. Wells