And No Birds Sang

Any reader may rate a book according to their own scale; some like the writing style, others look at the content, and yet others prefer to count supposed factual errors! This WWII memoir is not the typical book written by an ex-soldier, since the author became after the war a writer, and thus the style used in this book becomes much more prominent, rich and interesting. After a short summary of his early life in Canada, the author presents his training time in Canada and the UK until becoming a Lieutenant. The reader then follows his participation first in the landing at Sicily and then in southern Italy. The book then ends after some detailed descriptions of engagements in this campaign.While the prose (and sometimes poesy) used by the author renders this memoir standing above others, some readers might find this a bit distracting of the main "content" of the book, the history of the events and actions the author was involved with. There are some very intense and overly human battle descriptions interspersed with the rather dull life "behind the frontlines" during R&R periods. However, the end of the book seems a bit abrupt, there are no further reflections or even a short chapter with his life after the last battle, and the page count is indeed rather small.Overall, this is an interesting WWII memoir of an officer during the southern Italy campaign, with a rich and vivid language and some gripping battle accounts, but that somehow falls short in terms of content (and length) - recommended.

This is a terrific first person account about the horrors and sacrifices these brave soldiers endured.

Mowat can paint a picture with words like no other. His journey and evolution is lain on the table raw for all to see. Making himself vulnerable helps us to understand, just a little bit, what our warriors have experienced and felt, and the horrible memories some must live with.This isn't an action novel, it's a requiem.

Mowat's memoir of fighting in WWII in Sicily and Italy is relentless in its depiction of the horrors of war. He pulls no punches.

so I guess that I must have thought this was another novel/memoire of his. It was a fine book -- I just don't like books about war!!

Farley Mowat is a gifted author. This, and other work by Mowat, contain an insight into each subject. WW II has often been told from the standpoint of major battles. Mowat tells the story from the viewpoint of an individual soldier. The very real frustrations that are as much a part of fighting a war as actual combat. For those that have not experienced the day to day obstacles faced by men in combat, this may be an eye opener. In addition to staying alive, the combat soldier still retains some semblance of sanity. Mowat writes about his intimate fears and hope that go beyond being a trained killing machine. If anything, the story was too short, not the complete war experiences. Maybe that wasn't necessary. Mowat's additional writing defines the combat Mowat as opposed to the naturalist Mowat. The reader gains insight into an excellent writer with a subtle sense of humor.

Farley Mowatt Thankyou for your service!

Very interesting; showed the young recruit's typical gung go reaction to going off to war; then he finds out about the horrors.

A fan of Can Lit, I’d never read Farley Mowat and had heard, in my youth, he was a fabricator and a wing bag, but, well, Canada can be pretty parochial. I’d scanned Mowat’s works in used-book stores, and thought he could write, but there was something too folksy about titles like The Boat Who Couldn’t Float and I never left the shop with one of his books. Mowat died recently, and the CBC sang his praises, so I decided to finally read him. I chose And No Birds Sang, a memoir about his time in the Canadian army in WWII. I had no idea he was such a good writer. Really, besides using the phrases “the sound and the fury” and “a ghost of a chance” three times each, a certain lack of humour (there is humour, just not enough), and something of a weak ending, I couldn’t fault this volume. The prose is so smooth, the paragraphs so original. And Mowat takes you there. The descriptions of fighting in the hills of Italy seemed almost as graphic as any modern war-movie. The theme, of course, is the horror of war. Mowat juxtaposes his enthusiasm for sticking it to the Hun with horrible descriptions of slaughter and paralyzing fear. If only Canadians had read this prior to the debacle that was the War in Afghanistan.... A fine book with incredible writing. I hope to read Farley Mowat again.Troy Parfitt is the author of Why China Will Never Rule the World

There are many (anti) war books and films, but this outshines them all. The way the youth were (are) seduced by the glory of doing what their leaders tells them they should is drip-fed to the reader to the point where you wonder how we/they got there. It is used today by different faces and different languages but the grooming and seduction and essentially the same.

We have just lost this very talented author, RIP and thanks for the many laughs over the years with The boat who wouldn't float.While this book seals with Farley's wartime experiences it contains the dry forces humour, tragedy and pain of war, a great read from a very talented author.

Starting with humour & innocence this first person account of the invasion of Italy descends into utter chaos & hell. So little has been written about this chapter of world war 2 - & this truly bares Mowat’s soul

Very good memoir, the best I have read of the Commonwealth soldiers in WW2. Mowat writes well, and his description of the travails of 1st Canadian Division in Sicily and Italy are a valuable addition to the genre.