How Many Miles to Babylon

Oh! What a surprisingly powerful novel! One of our Irish neighbors recommended it to me, saying of all the books he was forced to read for school, this was his very favorite one. And I must say, the book took me by surprise! Though truly more of a novella than novel, at only being a scant few pages over 150, it was beautifully written and so emotional! I just loved it! I do think, however, in order to truly appreciate it, you need to have some understanding of the historical and political context of the book's WWI setting. The style of the book even adds to that historical feel, because despite its 1980s publication, it definitely has the feel of a book written before WWII even. All in all, a surprisingly wonderful story and one that I am very glad that I read!

With the huge popularity of other more recent World War One literature, such as "Birdsong", "Regeneration" etc., Jennifer Johnston's wonderful story has been largely forgotten about - but not rightly so. In 'How Many Miles to Babylon' the author really gets to the heart of life for young men in the trenches of Northern France and she writes a truly mesmerising and horrifying story, with great skill and few words, which leaves you quite stunned at the end. The story centres around Alec, a boy whom we meet at a young age, growing up with Anglo-Irish parents on a country estate in Southern Ireland. Alec leads a sheltered and lonely life as a boy, and neither parent provides him with companionship, so he is delighted to find a friend in a boy from the village, Jerry. The boys keep their friendship secret as both are acutely aware of class divisions and know that neither should be seen with the other. When their friendship is discovered a few years later both boys are desolate but some bonds cannot be broken, and the boys enlist and go off to war together. Jerry is off to learn to fight so he can put his skills to use for the Irish Nationalist Cause, and Alec (who vaguely believes in Home Rule) finds himself goaded into war by his mother. Kinship survives despite further class divide in the army, but some obstacles are insurmountable and the two young men find themselves facing a greater horror than the War itself. Although there are other convincing novels that deal with trench warfare in the First World War, this one really stands out for me. You won't be disappointed.

I never read any of Jennifer Johnston novels before but I got a a chance when I did it for my leaving cert.It is a very short and impressive novel that explains about rural Ireland and the difference in the social class. The story is about a small boy-Alec growing up in Ireland in the early 1900`s.Alec is bound by social class and is not allowed to be in touch with anyone else.

I read this slim volume because it is on my sons junior cert syllabus and I wanted to be able to discuss it with him. I am extremely happy to have been introduced to Jennifer Johnston via this book, it shall not be the last book by this author that I shall read.The story is of a gentle boy growing up in austere circumstances in rural Ireland. His boy hood and youth is lonely and in many ways guilt ridden. He is educated at home and has no experience outside the very claustropobic circle of his own family. A domineering mother makes his and his fathers life hell. Alexanders only escape is through a local boy he meets when he is aged about 12 years. Jerry is a rag tag country urchin who lives life in the rural countryside to the full. The friendship by tacid agreement is kept secret, but they do make plans for the future. Naturally when Alex's mother finds out about the friendship she forbids it and takes Alex on an European trip to remove him from Jerrys influance.As the boys grow into early manhood Alex begins to take his place at his fathers side managing their estate, Jerry takes a local labouring job. Alex begins to see life through his fathers eyes and begins to sympathise with him. Mother is not pleased and finds a perfect way to seperate father and son. She insists that Alexander goes to war. Against his and fathers wishes this gently,uneducated ineffective boy/man is packed off to the British Army. Jerry due to econimic necessity also joins up. Alex is now and officer and Jerry an enlisted man. Becaus they are both in The Irish Brigade they are in the same company and so the unsuitable friendship continues,through the unmentionalbe horrors of WW1.Both boys quickly turn to men and both meet the same sad and undeserved fate, much of which is caused by the establishments inability to understand the bonds of friendship and loyalty and by the young and unexperienced mens inability to stand up for themselves. This is a wonderful book, ineffibly sad and evocative. Ms Johnston has an amazing ability to make one feel the cold, the mud, the fleas, the rats the naked fear, the utter despair.She can, with so few words, show how a superior can strip a man of his humanity, dignity and of his pride. These man are driven beyond any ability to cope, no 'normal ' terms of reference are left for them. They are quite unable to deal with what life is throwing at them and this inability leads to tragedy.Two books which spring to mind are 'On The Western Front'by an author I cant recall and 'Bird Song' by Sabastian Faulks, these books evoke the same emotions as How Many MIles to Babylon.

The book opened with a lot of imagry, and moved onto the point of the novel, relationships and war. When the two charchters enlisted in the British army,it set off the turning point of the novel, maxamising our reading. The end was emotional, but nicely written. All in all a well published, enjoyable book to read.