World War I - Fiction
"Losing Julia" by Jonathan Hull 
A moving and profound book. The author has
insights to life that seem omniscient. This is more than a story of war,
friendship, love, and lost love. This is a book of life, loving, growing old,
and dying. The book begins at a memorial dedication in France ten years after
the end of World War I. There Patrick Delaney meets Julia, the love of his
best friend. The book then moves back ten years to two friends serving in the
trenches and all the horrors and depravations they suffered. The two share their
hopes, dreams, and life experiences. This is where Patrick falls in love with
Julia without ever having met her. The rest of the book tracks Patrick over the
years up until he is in a nursing home and nearing the end of life. In the
nursing home, Patrick reflects back over his life and discovers many self
truths.
A phenomenal book. I can't understand why it was not on the best seller
lists. Highly recommended adult (not pornography) entertainment.
Reviewed by Kenneth S. Smith 2/14/2000
Available from:
Island Books
Bantam Dell Publishing
A Division of Random House
1540 Broadway
New York, NY 10036
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