Fields of Glory

By Jean Rouaud,

Book cover of Fields of Glory: A Novel Fields of Glory

Book description

Through a family chronicle - some three generations of a middle-class family living on the French Atlantic coast - Rouaud evokes the lingering heartache of a whole nation: the period is the interval between the two wars, but the slaughter of World War I dominates. Winner of the Prix Goncourt.

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked Fields of Glory as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This is the first book of a fictionalized family history, starting with the omniscient narrator’s maternal grandparents and paternal aunt, who are all born in the late 1880s: the World War I generation. The story takes place near Nantes, which until 1956 was part of Brittany, but then was administratively moved to a new department, the Loire Atlantic—though most people in Nantes and Brittany continue to believe the Nantois are Breton. As with many things French, the issue is far from settled.

Rouaud creates character through vignettes—and they’re wonderful: grandpa smoking; grandpa driving; grandma complaining about grandpa smoking and driving;…

From Mark's list on the magic of Brittany France.

Want books like Fields of Glory?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Fields of Glory.

Browse books like Fields of Glory

Book cover of A Gift from Brittany: A Memoir of Love and Loss in the French Countryside
Book cover of The Price of Water in Finistère
Book cover of Memoirs of a Breton Peasant

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,355

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in France, family, and Brittany France?

France 944 books
Family 4,131 books
Brittany France 14 books