Stay Where You Are and Then Leave

After reading <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/39999.The_Boy_in_the_Striped_Pajamas" title="The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne" rel="noopener">The Boy in the Striped Pajamas</a>, I was sold on John Boyne as well as the enjoyment of reading young adult novels.<p>In this wonderful <i>children's</i> story, Alfie's determination to locate and rescue his beloved father leads him on a heartfelt and eventful adventure. While secretly working as a shoeshine boy to help his mother put food on the table during WW1, the nine year old lad discovers an important clue regarding his father's whereabouts and plans a secret mission resulting in his first ever train ride and some pretty unnerving experiences when he arrives at his destination.</p><p>Although the mission doesn't go quite as planned, Alfie ultimately learns the definition of the traumatic condition known as "shell shock" as well as what it means to be called a "conchie" (conscientious objector) during wartime and receiving the dreaded white feather in public.</p><p>Great little novel filled with love and friendships.</p>

"It has to end one day. Wars always do. The new ones can't<br /> start if the old ones don't end."<br /><br /><br />I don't read children's literature much these days but this book, <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/18104749.Stay_Where_You_Are_and_Then_Leave" title="Stay Where You Are and Then Leave by John Boyne" rel="noopener">Stay Where You Are and Then Leave</a> by John Boyne caught my eye. I loved John Boyne's adult novel about the Great War, <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/13414716.The_Absolutist" title="The Absolutist by John Boyne" rel="noopener">The Absolutist</a> and I was curious about how he would handle this subject in a book especially for children. As it turns out, John Boyne has written an honest but sensitive book about what it was like to be a child during World War I.<br /><br />We meet the protagonist of this story, Alfie Summerfield, on his fifth birthday. Alfie lives with his parents, Georgie and Margie, in the house in which he was born; lives across the street from his grandmother; and has a best friend named Kalena Janacek who also lives in his neighborhood and who is determined to one day, become the Prime Minister of England. Alfie's entire secure world is found on the street on which he lives. Alfie is a joyous and inquisitive boy who loves nothing better than visiting Mr. Janacek's sweet shop. At his fifth birthday party, there is a sense of anticipation and fear in the air among the grownups in his life, which worries him. Although Alfie doesn't yet understand, the fear and anxiety he senses are due to the Great War which is about to begin. Although Georgie promises his family that night that he will not enlist and go off to war, he breaks his promise the very next day when he returns home, dressed in uniform and proudly proclaiming he is "ready to do his bit" for his country.<br /><br />The story moves forward four years and Alfie is 9 years-old. Despite the constant assurances that the war would be "over by Christmas" (but WHICH Christmas?), the war drags on. Georgie is still away from his family; Margie has been forced to take a job working long hours as a nurse and Alfie has taken the idea that he is the man of the house seriously and has set up a shoe shine stand in King's Cross Station, secretly giving most of what he earned to his mother. There is a new air of maturity around Alfie and although he is not as joyous as he had been, there are still glimpses of his ever-present inquisitiveness. <br /><br />The Great War has not been kind to the people anxiously waiting at home.. many people are impoverished; goods needed for daily life are scarce and there is an atmosphere of suspicion and malice hanging over not only Alfie's neighborhood, but the whole country. To Alfie's horror and confusion, Mr. Janacek and Kalena are arrested and taken away to prison because they are suspected of being spies (because Mr. Janacek is an immigrant from Prague). Georgie's best childhood friend, Joe Patience (who also lives in the neighborhood), has become a pariah because he is a conscientious objector.. a 'conchie'. And on top of all of these bewildering developments, Georgie has stopped writing letters to Margie and Alfie. In fact, Alfie is startled to realize that it has been a year since he and his mother have received a letter; and the last letter Margie received seemed to be filled with gibberish and nonsensical rantings... "Stay where you are and then leave.". Alfie is confused and worried, but obtaining information from Margie is impossible. She insists that Georgie cannot write letters to them because he is on a secret mission which will end the war. Of course, the problem is that Margie can't seem to meet Alfie's eyes while she is making those assurances. <br /><br />Alfie's confusion and hope that his father will return home soon are at war with his growing certainty that his father is dead... until one day in King's Cross Station , while shining the shoes of a military doctor. Alfie discovered the first real clue about what had REALLY happened to Georgie, and this discovery made his heart soar and sent him on a truly wondrous mission of his own to find his father. <br /><br />I was so impressed by John Boyne's handling of the subject of war in this story for children. This is a heartwarming story but is never overly sentimental; nor does it glorify war. Mr. Boyne discusses war and its complexities but never in a way that seems heavy handed for children. He introduces com complicated concepts ... such as what it means to be a conscientious objector, without moralizing the issue. He presents both the person who chooses to fight in the war and the person who objects to war as possessing equally valid, strongly-held beliefs. He also introduces the condition of shell shock (which we now refer to as PTSD) with sensitivity and at the same time acknowledges how the scrambled brain of a person with this condition can be quite alarming to children. And most of all, through the eyes of his delightful protagonist, Alfie Summerfield, he allows adults to see that although we sometimes forget, children are often very perceptive and can see what we often miss.... that the act of war is truly absurd. <br /><br />Although I'm not an expert on rating children's literature, I would say that this book would be appropriate for most children over the age of 8. If you have a child in your life and you wish to introduce him/her to the idea of war in general or World War I in particular, I highly recommend this book.

Dies ist mein 2. Buch von John Boyne und diesmal ein Jugendbuch,welches im 1. Weltkrieg spielt. John Boyne schafft es hier auf wenigen Seiten eine Intensität der dramatischen Ereignisse im 1 Weltkrieg zu transportieren,das man wie gebannt den Hauptprotagonisten Alfie folgt. Er ist gerade Mal 5 Jahre alt,als sein Vater Georgi in den Krieg zieht und wie schnell muss er nun erwachsen werden. Man ist so bei den Protas,ob Alfie ,Margie die Mutter oder Georg,man fühlt und leidet mit. Ein sehr gelungenes Buch über eine ernste und nicht zu vergessene Zeitepoche. Das Ende hat mir auch sehr gut gefallen, bis auf eine Kleinigkeit,auf die ich nur schwer eingehen kann ohne zu spoilern. Aber es gibt in dem Buch 2 Protas,die am Anfang und ganz knapp am Ende auftauchen die meines Erachtens mehr Beachtung verdient hätten. Trotzdem eine echte Leseempfehlung für Jugendliche aber auch für grosse Leute wie mich.?

Superb writing!<br />Terrific storyteller.<br />This was a nice story about a boy facing the changes during WWI.<br />Some parts were very touching.<br />It did bring back memories of my early life, when I was younger than 11, my mom taking me to visit a relative at a retirement home. I was so scared and uncomfortable at that place, and afraid of ageing. <br />Anyways, I was engaged from the beginning and I was so glad that this was free of sentimentalism.<br />It was a great break from reading crime fiction.

Meu primeiro John Boyne já começou muito bem! Livro de criança na guerra sempre funciona muito bem. Eu tenho uma quedinha por coisa que passa em alguma época histórica.<br /><br />Eu fiquei super preso na história até o fim. As páginas voavam. Mega recomendo e fiquei com muita vontade de ler mais do autor!

Tengo tantos sentimientos encontrados con <i> Quédense en la trinchera y luego corran </i> que no pude ponerle más de dos estrellas después de tratar de ordenarlos. Por una parte, siento que la historia que Boyne quiso contar es respetable. Por otro lado, siento que falló en la forma de hacerlo. No he leído otros libros del autor como para saber si algunas cosas que hallé aquí se repiten indefectiblemente en su narrativa o si sólo dio la casualidad de que empecé a leerlo por uno de los peores libros que escribió. Puede que sea la opción B y el cincuenta por ciento de la calificación sea mi culpa. <br /><br />Alfie Summerfield es un niño de cinco años que vive en Londres cuando estalla la Primera Guerra Mundial, justo el día de su cumpleaños. Su padre (Georgie) se alista en el ejército y pasarán cuatro años hasta que reciba noticias de él, ya que su madre (Margie) es reacia a dárselas. En ese período de tiempo la situación económica se endurece y Alfie sale a trabajar como limpiabotas en King´s Cross, a escondidas de Margie. Y justo gracias a eso se enterará del verdadero destino del padre. <br /><br /><i> Quédense en… </i> es una promesa, una gran promesa sobre una historia conmovedora que te hará llorar hasta el hartazgo por las desgracias que pasa el niño. Alfie es lo suficientemente simpático y rebelde como para que una lo adopte en seguida pero el desarrollo de los acontecimientos no lo ayuda a tener un giro, no lo complementa. Alfie es un personaje que queda flotando en una marea de texto que pretende reflejar su inocente perspectiva y lo hace débilmente y a medias. Hay algo artificial en la construcción del drama. Sí, pensé “pobrecito” muchas veces, poniéndome en la piel de un/a hijo/a que debe convivir con la idea de que el padre puede morir en el frente en cualquier segundo, y así y todo las lágrimas se quedaron en mis ojos. Las escenas que deberían tener mayor carga dramática no están muy bien desarrolladas y carecen de sentimientos. Para colmo, durante buena parte del libro no pasa nada relevante. Falta el impacto, una vuelta de tuerca que extraiga el acartonamiento de la narración, la cual es excesivamente sencilla para mi gusto, aun entendiendo que la perspectiva es la de un chico. Lamentablemente, esto se traslada a los diálogos y, cuando les toca hablar a los personajes, lo hacen con una cadencia extraña. Parecen caricaturas rellenas de discursos arquetípicos. La abuela que dice que están “todos acabados”, la madre que sólo grita y anuncia que están al borde de la indigencia (sabe contar dinero pero es incapaz de explicarle al niño por qué las mujeres no podían votar), el extranjero al que se lo llevan por si las moscas y se ofende, el objetor de conciencia socialista, todos suenan mal. Lo peor de todo es que el padre, que tiene la parte más difícil de los diálogos por el trastorno que padece, tampoco sale airoso. <br /><br />Otra cosa que no me gustó: los personajes femeninos son <i> pésimos. </i> No porque sean malas personas y estén bien construidas, no. Según mi punto de vista, son horribles a propósito, porque cuando se las pone en la balanza con los personajes masculinos (comentario al pasar: todos dicen algo malo sobre las mujeres en algún momento) pierden. Las mujeres que se quedan en la casa no hacen más que quejarse (como Margie) o marcar de la cobardía ajena (como la abuela de Alfie). A pesar de que ambos géneros no puedan escapar de lo arquetípico que ya señalé, algunos indicios en la narración me llevan a pensar que está decidido de antemano a quién le tengo que ofrecer mi absoluta consideración y a quién no. Los personajes masculinos tienen tiempo para hablar de los traumas y de los padecimientos (me parece perfecto que se resalte esto, pero no "en detrimento de"), sean soldados o no, mientras que a los personajes femeninos les falta vida interior. Margie se desgasta por sostener el hogar, pero más allá de que ella misma cree que es una inútil, no sé nada de ella. Podría decir un par de cosas más pero me las reservo porque no es mi intención polemizar. <br /><br />No todo es malo en el libro. Creo que tiene una buena construcción histórica que da un panorama muy general de la guerra y de lo que se vivía en Londres en particular. El escepticismo de la gente ante la neurosis de guerra, la propaganda para reclutar hombres, el padecimiento de la gente en el hospital, las plumas blancas y humillantes, el movimiento sufragista… Eso está bien y hasta aprendí mucho sobre el contexto. Tal vez le falta insertarse de un modo natural y no con un personaje que lo saque a colación (como Joe o las personas que van a lustrarse los zapatos). Me gustó mucho también el atrevimiento de Alfie, que a los nueve años decide por sí mismo y tiene determinación (obviamente, no estoy de acuerdo con el trabajo infantil o lo que hace en el hospital, pero me refiero a la convicción de <i> hacer algo </i> y preguntar por el padre aunque la madre no responda). Alfie enfrenta la realidad sin chistar.<br /><br />Así que esta es mi impresión sobre <i> Quédense en…, </i> un libro que empecé con mucho entusiasmo por el tema que trataba y terminé con un gusto amargo. No me convenció debido a sus constantes desaciertos y hasta me encontré haciendo muecas frente a hechos inverosímiles <input type="checkbox" class="spoiler__control" aria-label="The following text has been marked spoiler. Toggle checkbox to reveal or hide." onchange="this.labels[0].setAttribute('aria-hidden', !this.checked);" id="3aecac8a-8014-41b3-979c-4ef1c2614167" /><label aria-hidden="true" class="spoiler" for="3aecac8a-8014-41b3-979c-4ef1c2614167"> (como el de un Primer Ministro lustrándose los zapatos tranquilamente mientras habla con el niño o el de una madre distraída que no reconoce a su hijo cuando está agachado y no se da cuenta, para colmo, que hay días que falta a la escuela) </label>. Me encantaría leer <i> El niño con el pijama de rayas </i> para saber si estos problemas son constantes. Y si es así, John Boyne definitivamente no es para mí.<br /><br /><i>Reseña en <a href="http://desarmandoclasicos.blogspot.com.ar/2018/05/quedense-en-la-trinchera-y-luego-corran.html" rel="nofollow noopener">Clásico desorden</a></i>

Because of Alfie, this gets 5 stars. This is the 3rd book by this author that I've read. I didn't love his 'The Boy in the Striped Pajamas'...it was only 3 stars for me. 'The Absolutist' got 4 stars. I love this author's writing. His prose is absolutely beautiful. So many times, I felt wowed. He has a gift with words. <br /><br />I loved the story too. Alfie was such a sweet and endearing character. He also felt like a real child who had to grow up too fast. I was sad to see this book end. I think I'm still in mourning. I love when that happens.

When WWI changed the lives of not only those who went to war, but also those who stayed behind, what must it have been like for a five year old child whose loving Father is suddenly no longer there.....<br />Alfie’s Dad had always been a Dad who was very much part of his son’s life, and the little boy is bereft when his adored parent marches off to do his bit in France. <br />As the months turn into years, and eventually even his Dads letters stop coming, Alfie, growing up, and realising his Mum is struggling, decides to do his bit too, and earn a little money to try and help out.<br />This leads to a startling discovery, and starts Alfie on a secret quest to solve a mystery, and bring about a miracle of sorts.<br /><br />The horrors of the trenches, the constant bombardment, the death all around, the squalor and deprivation, and, most probably, the growing feelings of futility that so little was being gained at such a huge human cost, brought about the new phenomenon of shell shock, a condition we recognise now as PTSD.<br />Back in the days of WWI though, it was looked upon as being something shameful, and the powers that be of the time thought of it as soldiers shirking their duty. These men were often sent back to fight much too quickly, others were left to suffer a lifetime of psychological damage, the lucky few benefited from a few forward thinking doctors who realised that there were methods of helping these men return to a normal life.<br />This book looks at these, and other issues that affected people thrown into being at war, economically, physically, mentally, and morally, through the eyes of a child, a young boy who stole my heart as I read about his bravery and determination, and his quest to try to set things right.<br />John Boyne does it again.......

<i>Thanks to Netgalley and Henry Holt and Company for the advanced copy</i><br /><br />Alfie Summerfield discovers on his fifth birthday that his father is going off to war, World War I to be exact, and will return when the war is over, before Christmas. That time before Christmas lasts for more than four years. He was told by his mother that the reason why letters didn't come in through the mail was because he was on a secret mission, but to Alfie, all he could translate this to was that he was dead.<br /><br />It wasn't until a chance meeting, while he was shining the shoes of a doctor, that he came to learn that his father was very much alive and was in a hospital that was just a train ride away. Now nine, Alfie has grown to be quite clever and finds his way to his father's hospital room, but the man he finds there doesn't seem like his father at all.<br /><br />When I realized that this book was written by the same author of "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas", I knew that I was in for a treat. I was definitely not let down.<br /><br />I thought that everything about this book was excellent: the prose, the layout, the story, how it came together, etc. It is not a very long book, but rather gets to the heart of the story, which I appreciate from an author. I felt very connected to Alfie and his determination to get his family back together.<br /><br />I would highly recommend this book to everyone.

Ein wunderbares Jugendbuch, das viele wichtige Themen altersgerecht anreißt! Die Geschichte und die Thematik selbst sind wirklich berührend, man fiebert mit bis zum Schluss.