Birdsong

Sebastian Faulks' epic love story, set against a backdrop of the First World War, became a modern classic when it was published in 1993. Shifting in time between 1910 and 1916, "Birdsong" is the story of Stephen Wraysford, a young Englishman who arrives in Amiens in Northern France to stay with the Azaire family and falls desperately in love with Isabelle Azaire. They begin an all-consuming affair, but the relationship falters. Years later, Stephen finds himself serving on the Western Front. As he battles amidst the blood and gore of the trenches he meets Jack Firebrace, a tunneller who unexpectedly helps him endure the ravages of war and enables him to make peace with his feelings for Isabelle.