The Virgin Soldiers
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4.3 • 16 Ratings
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- £0.99
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- £0.99
Publisher Description
'It rained a lot and steamed when the sun shone. It was always hot. But it was safe...'
One way or another the Communist guerrilla war in Malaya kept a whole British army occupied from 1948 until 1952. They were the virgin soldiers. Idle, homesick, afraid, bored, oversexed and unsatisfied.
A young virgin like Brigg had to grab his fun while and where he could - in the Liberty Club, in Juicy Lucy's flat or up in Phillipa's room - in one frantic attempt at living before he died or got demobbed...
Customer Reviews
What a Difference 50 Years Makres
I read the bok of the same title soon after it was relaesed and have just re-read this version. And what a diffeernce between this book and the one I recall reading back in the 60s! The Time and place are the same and, as far as I remember so are the main characters. But I have no recollection of aseriuos fire fight with the insurgents toawards near the end. I do very vividly remeber the pathos tinged humour, or is it the humour thinged pathos, that became a key featue of this great author’s style. What happened to the description of the open nature of the barracks and the reference the reliance on the enemy’s sense of air play to check-in at the guardroom befotre making an attack?
I enjoyed both versions equally but contrast the first being full of hilarity while this version leaves one with a greater degree of the togher times that prevbailed in that era of our colonial history.
Early classic
One of Leslie Thomas's earlier novels. Witty and easy to read yet tinged with subtle emotion in a style which he develops as his career matures. A wonderful novelist.