Michael Morpurgo conjured up the environment in a way that made it easy to imagine. Now that I have read Private Peaceful, I feel strongly about this issue. Also, so many lives are taken although there are so many peace movements and charities, and it seems that these campaigns need to be constantly active against war because there is still war now. After reading this novel I have often found myself wondering why there is war and what people try to get out of it. The way Michael Morpurgo builds up the novel is compelling and truly touching. It made me reflect on every chapter and wonder what the world would become without love and care. The more I read, the more I loved the characters, but strongly hated the existence of war. I found that each word drew me into the book and I could visualise the terrible circumstances the soldiers had to put up with. I liked that part of the novel because it demonstrated the humanity and care between two strangers surviving war. My favourite part of the novel was when a Nazi spared the life of Tommo and showed that he too, wanted peace in Europe and to befriend Tommo. Not only is the story brimming with history, it tells a story of love and loss which touches the heart of a reader. When Charlie ends up marrying and having a child with Molly, I really felt for Tommo.

I like the way Morpurgo includes a disabled person and shows that whatever skin colour, whatever nation, whether disabled or not, everyone is equal and can have their own opinion.Īlso, I noticed the relationship between the brothers and how Charlie and Tommo gave that extra bit of care that Big Joe needed.Ĭharlie and Tommo are both in love with the same childhood sweetheart, Molly. There are three brothers from the Peaceful family, the eldest is Big Joe, who has an intellectual disability, then Charlie and Tommo. By the end, the story is relayed in present tense – so it builds tension and keeps the reader gripped. Set in the fields of Devon and the WW1 battlefields of Flanders, the whole story is written as if the main character, Tommo (Thomas) is looking back at his past in his home village and the trenches.

Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo