One thing that really struck me about this book was that Robert J Fanshawe has a wonderful way with words. His writing is brilliantly descriptive and every sentence is encapsulating.

I enjoy reading books about the war, especially those that focus on the struggles of soldiers and everyday people affected by the impact of war. However, I would say that this book was slightly out of my comfort zone in an attempt to broaden my horizons a little.

I really enjoyed the story and I thought it was one that did a wonderful job in humanising soldiers. I think it is often hard to envisage the men that gave up everything to go and fight for our freedom. They were just ordinary men (and often young lads), thrown very much into the deepest ends with little or no preparation.

I loved how the main character, Cello, was a musician before he was sent to war, and he tries his very hardest to remember his 'real' life back home. I was rooting for Cello all the way through the book and his, is a story that demonstrates just how brave these men had to be at times.

These men were cast into the midst of war and told to kill the 'enemy' without much explanation. It was men killing men. So I think Robert J Fanshawe does a wonderful job in highlighting that there were soldiers who didn't know/understand what they were fighting for, as well as others who were caught in between what is expected of them and what is right. So it is extremely interesting to read a book about a soldier who was prepared to abandon his weapons to save an injured man at any cost.

Some of the language and terminology was unknown to me so it took a while for me to understand what different phrases meant, but I soon acclimatised to the language and was able to settle into the story properly.

I read this book at a time when we as a country were celebrating the 75th anniversary of VE Day, so it was extremely relevant and still is to this day. For anyone looking for an alternative soldier narrative, I would highly recommend The Cellist Solider.