What do readers think of Life Class by Pat Barker? Write your own review.

Woodrow Wilson’s “war to end all wars” certainly did not. At best, WWI set the stage for introspection into the consequences of unbridled cruelty in the name of peace. As Pat Barker illustrates in Life Class, artists can reflect this anomaly through their passion. Yet what they commit to sketch pad or easel might not truly reflect the artist in real life. Barker spends almost too much time with the self-indulgent life of her characters in their pre-war existence. Abruptly, reality interrupts their angst and pettiness, forever. Life Class is a relatively quick read with lingering effect. If you want to contemplate the futility of war, the meaning of love and the value of art, Life Class is a good place to start.

Pre-World War I London and rural England come vividly to life in Pat Barker's novel, Life Class. The descriptions and situations from city fairs to country bike rides appeal to the reader's every sense. Few books have transported me so completely to another time and place. If only I had felt as involved in the plot or cared about the characters, it would have been a perfect read. Still, I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction.

Being a fan of historical fiction, I enjoyed Pat Barker's novel, Life Class. She is skillfull in settiing the scenes of London, the English countryside and of war. The reader is able to experience the sights, sounds and even the smells that surround her characters. A good read and I would recommend it.

This is the first Pat Barker novel that I've read so I am unfamiliar with her style. That being said, I thought the beginning of the book was very strange and irrelevant to the main story (the war and it's effect on the characters).

I felt as though the book I was expecting to read did not start until somewhere around chapter 12. I did enjoy the novel after that and felt that seeing the war through the eyes of a Red Cross volunteer was poignant and unique.

I agree with some of the other reviews, in that there is very interesting language at times and a lot of character development, but that didn't bother me. If it weren't for the Strange Start I would have given the book a 4.

I was looking forward to reading this book by an author whose work was unfamiliar to me. And although Pat Barker is obviously an accomplished writer, with occasionally brilliant phrasing and moments of vivid insight and clarity, the book seemed to go in slow motion for me, and I had a tough time getting through it. I found the characters callow and unsympathetic, became impatient with their immaturity, and really didn't much care what became of them. So for me, Life Class was disappointing. I wouldn't recommend it to readers who like their fiction lively.

Before reading this book, I had not read any of Pat Barker's novels. If this is her "superb new novel," I am quite disappointed. This book has nothing in it to keep me engaged or interested. The characters are thin, the time line keeps jumping... and the story, for me, has no passion. Reading this novel was work.

I was sadly disappointed to find that this book was not compelling at all. While the writing style and composition were excellent, the characters were shallow and lackluster. I found I cared little what choices they were going to make, nor did I feel a sense of tragedy or horror at the atrocities of the war they were living through. The only thing that kept me reading the book was the composition and excellent descriptions from the author. This is not a book I would recommend to very many people.

I had great hope for this book given Pat Barker had won the Booker Prize and I quite enjoy works that deal with WWI. What a let down! I found Part One extremely hard to get through (and not very interesting) and the end very disappointing. The only decent part was the small middle section actually dealing with the war and it's impact on the character Paul. I did enjoy the letter writing and thought that it gave the story most of it's guts. Most of the characters were unappealing and uninteresting and the brutality of WWI and its affect on people was only delved into. I had expected so much more. I'm afraid I cannot recommend this book.