The Autumn of the Ace
- Downloads：1134
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-11-09 00:16:02
- Update Date：2025-09-23
- Status：finish
- Author：Louis de Bernières
- ISBN：1529110750
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
'De Bernieres is a singular， cherishable voice' Mail on Sunday
From the master of historical fiction， this book follows an unforgettable family after the Second World War。
Some bonds are hard to break。。。
Daniel Pitt was an RAF fighter in the First World War and an espionage agent for the SOE in the Second。 Now the conflicts he faces are closer to home。
Daniel's marriage has fractured beyond repair and Daniel's relationship with his son， Bertie， has been a failure since Bertie was a small boy。
But after his brother Archie's death， Daniel is keen for new perspectives。 He first travels to Peshawar to bury Archie in the place he loved best， and then finds himself in Canada， avoiding his family and friends back in England。 Daniel and Bertie's different experiences of war， although devastating， also bring with them the opportunity for the two to reconnect。
If only they can find a way to move on from the past。。。
From the master of historical fiction， this book follows an unforgettable family after the Second World War。
Some bonds are hard to break。。。
Daniel Pitt was an RAF fighter in the First World War and an espionage agent for the SOE in the Second。 Now the conflicts he faces are closer to home。
Daniel's marriage has fractured beyond repair and Daniel's relationship with his son， Bertie， has been a failure since Bertie was a small boy。
But after his brother Archie's death， Daniel is keen for new perspectives。 He first travels to Peshawar to bury Archie in the place he loved best， and then finds himself in Canada， avoiding his family and friends back in England。 Daniel and Bertie's different experiences of war， although devastating， also bring with them the opportunity for the two to reconnect。
If only they can find a way to move on from the past。。。
Reviews
Emma Craddock
，
This is the final book of one of the best trilogies I have ever read。 The characters are so well developed and they are as brilliant as they are flawed。 I would highly recommend anyone to read it。
Abigail Smith
，
Might just be one of my new favorite authors。
Kate
，
I was over half way through this before I realised it was the final book in a trilogy。 Maybe that meant I missed out a bit on some character backgrounds but I still found the book to be a totally engrossing tale of of families， relationships and ageing。 I may go back and read the first two books to find out how these wonderful people started their lives。 An enjoyable story。
Susan Zinner
，
I really love this series that follows the children of several English families from childhood where they meet as neighbors growing up together （The Dust that Falls from Dreams--a GREAT title！） to young adulthood （So Much Life Left Over） to here where old age and death inevitably occur （The Autumn of the Ace）。 WWI and WWII have played huge roles in their lives， along with important loves among several of the children/adults。 While the first one remains my favorite， this is nonetheless a touching I really love this series that follows the children of several English families from childhood where they meet as neighbors growing up together （The Dust that Falls from Dreams--a GREAT title！） to young adulthood （So Much Life Left Over） to here where old age and death inevitably occur （The Autumn of the Ace）。 WWI and WWII have played huge roles in their lives， along with important loves among several of the children/adults。 While the first one remains my favorite， this is nonetheless a touching and sweet series that I highly recommend as it encompasses English history and is written with a sentimentality that is quite touching。 。。。more
Christine
，
Last of the trilogy。 Follows the main protagonists from their youth， in Edwardian England to 1980s。 A slow and engaging read。 I felt the author wrote in such a way that encouraged empathy with the characters who had their flaws but also lived and done great things。 Having finished I think it’s one of those books where you miss the characters you read about！
Ross MacNicol
，
Such an engrossing， richly rewarding read- Yes my sympathies are with Daniel - without going into the sad detail- the marriage did not work linked mainly to the death of Rosie's first。。and only。。love。 This was a 'good enough' marriage for Rosie and I will read books 1 and 2 。。the menopause drama is unnecessary - but I do remember the 'time of change' my mother went through。 Liked the novel very much- at 65 having had 2 children 'late' my wife and me still together- mostly happily in a rural para Such an engrossing， richly rewarding read- Yes my sympathies are with Daniel - without going into the sad detail- the marriage did not work linked mainly to the death of Rosie's first。。and only。。love。 This was a 'good enough' marriage for Rosie and I will read books 1 and 2 。。the menopause drama is unnecessary - but I do remember the 'time of change' my mother went through。 Liked the novel very much- at 65 having had 2 children 'late' my wife and me still together- mostly happily in a rural paradise。 Retired teachers- old dog- firewood important and heartwarming。 Survivors of cancer brushes- no grandkids 。。yet haha- My Dad was a returned WW2 serviceman as was father in law- pleased to get a chance at family and life。 This book helps show the way a little- 。。。more
Jennifer
，
I absolutely love Louis' work。 His style of writing is delightful， as are his characters。 Christabel and Gaskell sound such fun， Daniel a bit of a rascal， and the rest of them simply wonderful。 The story is beautiful， funny and sad。 But always thoroughly absorbing， and I found it hard to put down。 I absolutely love Louis' work。 His style of writing is delightful， as are his characters。 Christabel and Gaskell sound such fun， Daniel a bit of a rascal， and the rest of them simply wonderful。 The story is beautiful， funny and sad。 But always thoroughly absorbing， and I found it hard to put down。 。。。more
Aisling Doonan
，
The ending had me in pieces。 I followed this journey along from the first book， which I adored， to the second， which left me feeling so unsatisfied because I wanted more of the story。 This book delivered with an emotional punch。 Loved it。
John Newcomb
，
This has been a very entertaining trilogy， supposidly based on the authors own family heritage。 I have never not enjoyed a Louis de Bernieres novel they are always beautifully written。 This one features the twilight years of Daniel Pitt having come out of two world wars a hero， he has to make his own adventures。
Peggy
，
This is the third of a trilogy centred around Daniel Pitt， a WWI pilot and WWII Special Operations agent。 This one is not really a novel， although of course it's fictional。 It's more like a series of vignettes about all the characters who were introduced in the preceding two volumes。 It covers the years 1945-1988。 Helpfully， there's a list of "Dramatis Personae" at the beginning， which gives all the names and a brief description of the characters。 Interesting people， interesting stories。 This is the third of a trilogy centred around Daniel Pitt， a WWI pilot and WWII Special Operations agent。 This one is not really a novel， although of course it's fictional。 It's more like a series of vignettes about all the characters who were introduced in the preceding two volumes。 It covers the years 1945-1988。 Helpfully， there's a list of "Dramatis Personae" at the beginning， which gives all the names and a brief description of the characters。 Interesting people， interesting stories。 。。。more
Joe
，
The final book of this trilogy was an entertaining and worthy effort。 Although some parts seemed disconnected or slightly distracting from the overall story， the author tied it together well in the end to make for an enjoyable read。
Booksnaps
，
This novel picks up Daniel Pitt's story where So Much Life Left Over leaves it， as he reaches the autumn of his life in the aftermath of the Second World War。 To me， the first part of the book seemed a bit "mechanical" in its style， explanations being used to fill the reader in on the story from the previous books in this trilogy。 However， the rest of the book flowed seamlessly， and I was absorbed in the rest of Daniel's story， and those of his family。 In particular， I felt that the events relat This novel picks up Daniel Pitt's story where So Much Life Left Over leaves it， as he reaches the autumn of his life in the aftermath of the Second World War。 To me， the first part of the book seemed a bit "mechanical" in its style， explanations being used to fill the reader in on the story from the previous books in this trilogy。 However， the rest of the book flowed seamlessly， and I was absorbed in the rest of Daniel's story， and those of his family。 In particular， I felt that the events related to the deaths of friends and family were portrayed superbly。 。。。more
Neil
，
An enjoyable conclusion to the Daniel Pitt series。 Time passed a lot more quickly in this book but did diminish the characters’ stories or integrity to the narrative。 It was wonderful to follow the whole journey and the links to his other books were welcome Easter Eggs :）
Dijana Šabić
，
Damn you， Louis， for making me care about fictional characters so much！
Francisco Leonardo
，
This author is exceptionaly great。
Gillian
，
“But life is a system of ladders; you climb up them， then you kick them away， or they are removed by someone else， and then you can’t go back。”A life well lived despite having fought in two world wars。
Jim Sarjeant
，
Really enjoyed it and now I find out it’s part 3 of a trilogy so I better look for the other ones。
Leonard Entwistle
，
Excellent superb story。 Unwittingly I picked the 3rd in a trilogy but looking forward to reading 1 and 2 😊
Robert Bland
，
Louis de Berniers does quirky well and this book engaged and delighted me。 A central character， Daniel， is a hero and veteran of two World Wars。 He's known the glamour and glory of being a fighter pilot and a spy， but a lover as well as a fighter。 The relationships among the three generations of his family are set in the context of Imperial Britain， an empire in decline， with all the eccentricities of the well-to-do， even a （literal） menagerie a trois （think two lesbians and a lion！）。 Beyond the Louis de Berniers does quirky well and this book engaged and delighted me。 A central character， Daniel， is a hero and veteran of two World Wars。 He's known the glamour and glory of being a fighter pilot and a spy， but a lover as well as a fighter。 The relationships among the three generations of his family are set in the context of Imperial Britain， an empire in decline， with all the eccentricities of the well-to-do， even a （literal） menagerie a trois （think two lesbians and a lion！）。 Beyond the quirky though is the human struggle to find meaning in relationships with lovers， friends and children。 Bernieres is kind to his frail characters and I liked them too。 Daniel's journey to Islamabad to bury the bones of his brother and the road trip across North America on an old motor bike with a friend， give us a respect and regard for a man who has failed to love well his wife and children。 Daniel's struggle to turn things around in his autumn years makes for a great story well told。 。。。more
Jane Stewart
，
In my review of "The Dust that Falls from Dreams" I said that I hoped there would be a sequel and with more about Christabel。 This is primarily about Daniel Pitt and did not disappoint me at all。 A calming book with a strong story line and character development。 The boring parts of life are acknowledged but not dwelled on。 I'm hoping for another one but feeling like it may be unlikely。 In my review of "The Dust that Falls from Dreams" I said that I hoped there would be a sequel and with more about Christabel。 This is primarily about Daniel Pitt and did not disappoint me at all。 A calming book with a strong story line and character development。 The boring parts of life are acknowledged but not dwelled on。 I'm hoping for another one but feeling like it may be unlikely。 。。。more
Margaret Fullarton
，
wonderful
Emme
，
Took me a while to work through as it has quite a slow pace， but its character development is so beautifully done that you become truly connected to each person。
Steve
，
Completely enthralling。
Theresa Southam
，
Reading The Autumn of the Ace was distracting at first。 So many strong characters to track！ However eventually Daniel becomes the glue that holds everything together。 Although the wars are not pretty， nor are some of Daniel’s exploits there are bursts of beauty from all of the characters that jarred me out of my daily existence to contemplate my life choices。 Rosie， Daniel’s first wife， says just before dying looking into the mirror and pointing her finger at herself: “You stupid woman，” … conte Reading The Autumn of the Ace was distracting at first。 So many strong characters to track！ However eventually Daniel becomes the glue that holds everything together。 Although the wars are not pretty， nor are some of Daniel’s exploits there are bursts of beauty from all of the characters that jarred me out of my daily existence to contemplate my life choices。 Rosie， Daniel’s first wife， says just before dying looking into the mirror and pointing her finger at herself: “You stupid woman，” … contemptuously。 ‘Look at you。 You were going to be a poet” （p。 60）。Daniel himself， in his eulogy to his war veteran brother Archie， who commits suicide， says of him: “It was not the kind of courage that comes from bravado or from being unimaginative， which is perhaps the most common kind of courage。 It was the courage which comes naturally from greatness of soul， the courage that comes from selflessness。 It was also a philosophical courage， or – may I say ？ – a religious courage， that understands that one’s own life is a very。 Little and unimportant thing， but that the lives of others have supreme value。” （p。 51）。The book also holds so many insights about growing old well， because its then that Daniel gets a lot of things right。 I’ve tried to abridge two sections here but you really must get the book and read these pages in their entirety。 “In the last summers of his life Daniel still dressed in the manner of the North-West Frontier， in loose trousers and jacket of plain white linen， and more often than not without anything at all on his feet。 He liked to sleeping the garden inn a deckchair， with his face to the。 Sun so that he felt he was absorbing the essence of life itself。 He dreamed of curious things…It occurred to him that sleeping and dreaming were， as a matter of course， how one travelled in time。 More often than not， he was disappointed to have to return to the present when he woke up。 ‘When I’m asleep I become a Time Lord， ‘ he liked to say…As he grew ever older， even the events of his early old age receded into the distance and became more beautiful。” （p。 287）“After his grandchildren had left home， Daniel understood that the last and most golden era of his life had passed， and that the remainder of his time was to be spent thinking about its meaning。 He lived in the manner of one who is getting ready to leave。 He was content with this。 He was tired now， and expended a great deal of time dozing in his armchair with his mouth open， the upper row of his false teeth falling askew onto the lower， adrift in dreams wherein he was still young and strong， in places bright wit novelty and wonder…He carried a pink plastic hearing …when the batteries ran out he would be enveloped in a strange， muffled semi-silence that in truth he quite enjoyed。 He would listen to the inconsequential babble of his own thoughts， and wonder if he was losing his sanity or， indeed， whether he had ever been sane at all…Now he was in a waiting room， which was pleasant enough， and the past was his equivalent of a waiting room’s untidy stacks of anachronistic magazines。 （p。 298）This is a fabulous book for those who are exploring how to live more meaningfully！ 。。。more
S。P。 Moss
，
“The Autumn of the Ace” is the last book in the trilogy about Daniel Pitt and his friends and family， in a life spanning the most part of the 20th century。 This final book covers the post-2nd WW period and has a similar feel in terms of subject and period to Kate Atkinson’s “A God in Ruins”， another book that I enjoyed immensely。This is a tremendously well-written book。 In covering a longer time period than the two previous novels， yet in a similar reading length， this cleverly conveys the sense “The Autumn of the Ace” is the last book in the trilogy about Daniel Pitt and his friends and family， in a life spanning the most part of the 20th century。 This final book covers the post-2nd WW period and has a similar feel in terms of subject and period to Kate Atkinson’s “A God in Ruins”， another book that I enjoyed immensely。This is a tremendously well-written book。 In covering a longer time period than the two previous novels， yet in a similar reading length， this cleverly conveys the sense of time running out as Daniel lives out the second half of his long life: “He felt a mild sense of panic that， whereas in 1919 he had wondered what he would do with so much life left over， now there may not be enough。”I became completely immersed in the story， which is told， like the other books， in episodes from various points of view， letters and - unlike the other books - in gravestones and inscriptions。 It’s a bit of a catalogue of deaths and funerals， yet this all underlines the inevitability that we all have to leave this earth somehow。 Even the family home， “The Grampians” falls into desuetude （great word！）， which is poignantly described。The chapters are by turn wistful， or full of pathos， or matter-of-fact， or infused with gentle humour， or philosophising on “what happens to yesterday’s dreams”， adding up to a picture of the glorious muddle of life， which will never follow a set course。 Although much of the story is set in the Home Counties， there’s a round the world element， too， with journeys to Peshwar， Sri Lanka， France， South Africa， South America and the Okanagan Valley， British Columbia （which happens to be where my aunt and cousins live）。With so much death and endings， the book could have been dreary， but instead it is both comforting and ultimately hopeful: “For this he was thankful to whatever inscrutable force it is that manoeuvres us into making a hash of our lives and then， as if in afterthought， gives us a shot at redemption。”I’m now tempted to start at the beginning again with “The Dust that Falls from Dreams。" 。。。more
Claire
，
Very good。
John Newton
，
I am generally a great fan of Louis de Bernières， my first experience of his writing having been the superb Captain Corelli’s Mandolin。 Five years ago I was captivated by The Dust That Falls from Dreams， as much by its charming and sometimes quirky characters as by its plot line， and much the same went for its sequel So Much Life Left Over。 And while I greatly enjoyed The Autumn of the Ace， I had the feeling that at times it was all getting rather tired （which I suppose is natural when one ages！ I am generally a great fan of Louis de Bernières， my first experience of his writing having been the superb Captain Corelli’s Mandolin。 Five years ago I was captivated by The Dust That Falls from Dreams， as much by its charming and sometimes quirky characters as by its plot line， and much the same went for its sequel So Much Life Left Over。 And while I greatly enjoyed The Autumn of the Ace， I had the feeling that at times it was all getting rather tired （which I suppose is natural when one ages！） and sometimes unrealistic。 This was most so （for me） in Daniel’s renewed relationship with his son Bertie and his grandchildren。 Also the occasional references to the fads of particular decades seemed somewhat forced and unnecessary。 Nevertheless， in spite of these flaws， the book was overall an enjoyable read and a very satisfactory conclusion to the lives of the characters I had come to love in the first volume。 。。。more
Ann
，
Autumn of the Ace is the conclusion of a wonderful trilogy （it is preceded by The Dust that Falls from Dreams and So Much Life Left Over） written by one of my favorite authors。 I would not recommend this if you have not read the two preceding novels， because it is truly a conclusion。 That said， following the characters we have grown to know and love to the end of their lives is very satisfying。 As always， the writing is excellent。 However， for me （since everyone says I am now officially "old"） d Autumn of the Ace is the conclusion of a wonderful trilogy （it is preceded by The Dust that Falls from Dreams and So Much Life Left Over） written by one of my favorite authors。 I would not recommend this if you have not read the two preceding novels， because it is truly a conclusion。 That said， following the characters we have grown to know and love to the end of their lives is very satisfying。 As always， the writing is excellent。 However， for me （since everyone says I am now officially "old"） de Bernieres' writing about facing the end of life and death was some of the very best I have ever read。 There were many passages that I thought perfectly described the way we feel as we age - the looking back on past experiences and relationships， attempts to achieve reconciliation （sometimes possible and sometimes not possible） and how we face our final years and death。 For that side of the novel， I give it six stars！ 。。。more
Bethny Uptegrove
，
Overall I enjoyed it。 De Bernières’s writing is reliably a joy for me。 I love his whimsicality， portrayal of connection or lack thereof， his insights into the different stages of life， the descriptions of the locations and lifestyles。 He appeals to all the senses。 However。。。While I loved unconditionally the trilogy’s previous two books， this one felt a bit like a series of short stories connected by Daniel’s need to settle his ghosts。 Another way I thought of it was that LdB had several plot lin Overall I enjoyed it。 De Bernières’s writing is reliably a joy for me。 I love his whimsicality， portrayal of connection or lack thereof， his insights into the different stages of life， the descriptions of the locations and lifestyles。 He appeals to all the senses。 However。。。While I loved unconditionally the trilogy’s previous two books， this one felt a bit like a series of short stories connected by Daniel’s need to settle his ghosts。 Another way I thought of it was that LdB had several plot lines in mind and sewed them all together to create a novel and to finish the trilogy。 Sort of like a recipe - a little of this， a little of that， but where the chemistry isn't quite generated because of interruptions in the cooking。 （view spoiler）[For instance， after a consistent energy， the final third of the book， like Daniel， fades away， then comes to a sweet bracing ending。 Does that work？ Yeah， nah。 But I get it。 （hide spoiler）] I do think I would have engaged more with fewer plot lines and a more connected story。If the theme asks whether it's ever too late to change your story， I'm not sure that was clear， as several options were portrayed。 And is it ever fair to ask if it was balanced from a gender point of view？ All that said， a pleasure to read for the richness of his writing and imagination。 。。。more
William Gubbins
，
Boomer fiction， but well tied together by notions of frailty and what one extracts from life。 Predictable characters in a comforting way。 Nostalgia and evocative scenes of early 20th century life were enjoyable for someone who’s never experienced me with anything before the 90s。 Some of the views of marriage and infidelity are frustrating and jaded and the character arc is pretty planar。 Overall， enjoyable ‘check down’ style read。 De Bernière spans the globe in an enjoyable way。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Autumn of the Ace
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Autumn of the Ace&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Autumn of the Ace&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0