The Return of the Soldier
About this audiobook
The Return of the Soldier is the powerful debut novel of the prolific English novelist Rebecca West. First published in 1918, the novel opens with the return of the shell-shocked Captain Chris Baldry from the trenches of the First World War, and grapples with the devastation of mental trauma from that war and its effects on families.
Recounted from the perspective of his cousin Jenny, the story examines the relationship between Chris and the three women in his life. Against the backdrop of an enclosed world roiled by public events, the novel also reveals shifts in England’s class structures at the beginning of the twentieth century.
A haunting and poignant story of love, loss and sacrifice, The Return of the Soldier has been described as one of the earliest attempts by a writer to examine the psychological effects on the soldiers who survived that monumental early 20th century conflict.
About the author
Rebecca West (1892–1983) was a British-born author, well known for her novels, journalism, literary criticism, and travel literature. She was committed to feminist and liberal principles and was one of the foremost public intellectuals of the twentieth century. She is known for her studies of the Nazi war-crimes trials at Nuremburg, for which President Harry Truman called her “the world's best reporter.” In 1959, she was made a Dame Commander of the British Empire, the female equivalent of an honorary knighthood.
Christine Rendel is a British-born audiobook narrator living in New York. Drawing on a strong stage and musical theater background, and a lifelong love of books, she has narrated nearly 100 audiobooks for major publishers as well as smaller independent houses. Her favorite genres include cozy mystery, romance, literature, historical drama, biography, and nonfiction. She also enjoys narrating how-to's and educational texts: retired for some years from an exciting and international healthcare career, Christine's always a teacher and always learning! Christine maintains a professional home studio on the end of eastern Long Island, from which she narrates and produces audiobooks, surrounded by nature, an unruly garden, and her supportive family-who also include two dogs and a lot of Koi fish. She's a proud member of PANA, SAG-AFTRA, the Audio Publishers Association, and Actors' Equity Association.
