Sunday, August 21, 2011

Review of "The Road to Grafenwöhr" by Edward C. Patterson

This is the first novel I've read by Edward Patterson. I spent a couple years in Germany, and "The Road to Grafenwohr" captures that experience masterfully. A lot of the universal elements that make up the life of a soldier in Germany are described perfectly in this story. I love the way the German landscape is painted, and many, little bits of German culture are described precisely. The added specter of Vietnam during the era of this book gave it another layer. It is a very interesting story that I enjoyed immensely.

Edward Patterson is truly a master wordsmith. He weaves together a quite authentic, realistic plotline of a young soldier finding his way in Germany with elements of fantasy in such a way that the entire story is captivating. I couldn't wait to get to the next page. His characters are authentic and well developed. I truly cared about what was happening with each of them, and he has done a wonderful job of capturing the bond soldier's share. I really liked the way the characters matured with the plot. The ending is terrific. This is a very good book. I look forward to reading more of Mr. Patterson's work.
The Road to Grafenwohr

No comments:

Post a Comment