This is the third time I've read this book. I didn't remember reading it at all and half way through I remembered having read it. This last time I remembered that I read it but couldn't recall the plot -- which is ironic since it is about a man who suffered amnesia. This time I have been thinking about the story and can't decide if the elements of the plot work. However it did cause me to ponder about the nature of self and perception of the loved one.

I found this slow and boring and difficult to put together, though the prose is outstanding, and I'm still not sure about the "leading ladies." I have never seen the movie, but it has to be better, which one rarely finds. I wasn't sure who was narrating, where the setting was in time, or if they were even involved personally in the war. Having read rave reviews, I'm tempted to reread it. But not THAT tempted!

An old-fashioned, complicated story, peopled with unique realistic characters, staged in detailed locations and with a satisfying twist at the end, like an O. Henry short story, but fully fleshed out in a novel. It was written in 1941, 80 years ago, but it was modern then, with lots of then-current "British-isms" that I thought I understood from context but looked up to verify anyway. I wonder which of our novels written in 2021 will be as satisfying and detailed to readers in 2101.

This book followed the story of a young man who suffered a traumatic injury in WWI and had amnesia. He spent years living his life without any knowledge of his past and they suddenly regained his memory of his name and where he lived. He reunited with his family but the time spent from his injury till he regained his past memory was lost to him. He had no idea how/where he lived between the time of his injury in battle until years later when he remembered his identity. Throughout the book he speculates what transpired in this time and gets glimmers of clues in various places. While the story is intriguing, I found this book a bit slow and the motivation of the characters a bit confusing. An interesting premise that didn't deliver as expected.