The Go-Between by L.P. Hartley

The book is a story about the loss of one boy's childish dreams and innocence. The main character is Leo Colston, a boy still full of strange ideas about how the world works. At the beginning of the book, he believes that the signs of the zodiac are real, and this is further supported (from his point of view) by the fact that a "curse" that he places on two of his schoolboy enemies appears to take effect. This sets him up as a practitioner of the Black Arts, and he makes several friends. One of these, Marcus, invites him to his Norfolk country home in the summer holidays. However, once there, he finds himself being manipulated by the adults of the house, who, in his eyes, are near-godlike beings. Marcus' older sister, Marian, although engaged to be married with a young aristocrat, is actually in love with a local farmer, Ted Burgess, and she uses Leo to deliver messages to him. When he realises the truth of the matter, he is terrified that others will find out, and devises a spell to stop it. Unfortunately, the couple are discovered, and Ted commits suicide. The entire story is recounted as if the older Leo was remembering it, as he criticises his own actions at several points.
One of the most interesting pieces in the book is Leo's description of the signs of the zodiac. This comes about through his diary, one of his most valued possessions. It has the signs inside, and he identifies with them as real creatures and people. he discusses which one he would like to be, for he is not satisfied with his true sign, the Lion. This has far-reaching effect on the rest of the book, as his belief that the other characters represent the zodiac governs his actions towards them, and means that he continues to think of them as simply misguided until the end.
The book does an excellent job of exploring the emotions and beliefs of children in the early 20th century, and the power that their parents and other adults had over them, both physical and psychological. One by one, Leo's youthful ideas about life are peeled away by the realities which face him, although even at the very end, he still insists on calling Marian and Ted by their zodiacal names, the Virgin and the Water-Carrier. Unfortunately, the book progresses at a very slow pace, making it hard to read, and several points key to the plot are only hinted at. Thus, although interesting, The Go-Between is quite hard to follow, and should be read several times.

All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Remarque

This is the story of several German boys as they progress through the Great War of 1914-18. Most of the characters come from the same class and join the army after being convinced by their teacher that it is noble and patriotic to fight in the trenches. It is made up of a collection of anecdotes, each of which reveals a little more about the boys' outlook on the war and life. The protagonist of the book is Paul Baumer, a 19-year old student. However, much of the story is told from the collective viewpoint of all the boys. As time goes on, though, this stops, for the different characters start to die. Eventually, in the last paragraph of the book, Paul is killed as well. Although there are a few mentions of such events as the Somme and the introduction of tanks, the book shows that the common soldier knew little of the positions of the opposing forces or even who had the upper hand in any given situation.
One of the best pieces of writing in the story is when Paul is sent out on a raid into enemy territory, and is cut off from his unit. He is forced to hide in a shell hole by heavy machine-gun fire, and spends several days separated from his friends. The author expertly describes the difference between normal, rational fear, and the cold dread that Baumer experiences whilst alone. A French soldier then stumbles into Paul's hole and he is forced to kill him. With impressive insight, the author then explores the morality of war, and how killing is so much easier if you think of the victim as a faceless enemy.
All Quiet on the Western Front is not a story about heroism and bravery; rather it introduces the reader to the realities of war. None of the characters die valiantly, and all are simply swept up in the tide of war. As the book progresses, the reader realises that none of the individual soldiers, or even the entire company, matter,and that they are simply trying to survive the war with their sanity intact, rather than make a difference to its outcome. the "enemy" are hardly mentioned, and the men bear no real animosity to their opponents. In fact, Baumer often implies that the war itself is what they are fighting against. Therefore, I believe that the story should be read by anyone studying the First World War, as it provides a real insight into the life of a soldier.