When it isn't prison, it's hell.

Or at least that's the heartfelt belief of conscripts Jonathan Browne and Mike 'Ginger' Brady. For this is the British Army in the days of National Service, a grimy deposit of post-war gloom. An endless round of kit layout, square-bashing, shepherd's pie 'made with real shepherds' and drills is relieved only by the occasional lecture on firearms or V.D. The reckless, impulsive Mike and the more pragmatic Jonathan adopt radically different attitudes to survive this two-year confiscation of their freedom, with dramatic consequences

A funny, shocking novel about the trials and traumas of British post-war National Service.

About the Author

David Lodge (CBE)'s novels include Changing Places, Small World and Nice Work (shortlisted for the Booker) and, most recently, A Man of Parts. He has also written plays and screenplays, and several books of literary criticism. His works have been translated into more than thirty languages.

He is Emeritus Professor of English Literature at Birmingham, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, and is a Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

Reviews
Vivid, funny, and with a compassion made all the more moving by the harshness of its military setting * Daily Telegraph *
Has the ring of complete authenticity...the mingling of horror and farce are all brilliantly evoked -- A.N. Wilson * Spectator *
Engaging slapstick...the Woody Allen of contemporary English fiction -- Jonathan Bate * Sunday Telegraph *
An authentic picture of the sordid futility of National Service... I found the total recall agreeably unnerving -- Christopher Ricks * New Statesman *
National Service has rarely been better evoked... an extremely well-told, well-organised story * Times Literary Supplement *



Book Information
ISBN 9780099554134
Author David Lodge
Format Paperback
Page Count 240
Imprint Vintage
Publisher Vintage Publishing
Weight(grams) 160g
Dimensions(mm) 196mm * 126mm * 20mm