The Good Soldier Paperback - 2010

The Good Solider: A Tale of Passion by Ford Madox Hueffer (later, Ford Madox Ford) is set just before World War I. The “good solider” of the title is Captain Edward Ashburnman, a retired Indian army veteran, who — along with his wife Leonora — from relationships with two Americans, John and Florence Dowell. The novel follows the unraveling of Ashburman’s and Dowell’s marriages through a series of flashbacks and deals with issues, such as adultery, betrayal, and moral confusion, which often go unmentioned in polite society.

The Good Soldier was originally titled The Saddest Story, a reference to the first line: “This is the saddest story I have ever heard.” However, with the onset of the war, the publisher requested a title revision. Ford sarcastically suggested The Good Soldier, as he himself had already enlisted in the war, and the name stuck. Ford left to serve in World War I as an infantry solider later on in 1915, the same year the book was published. The Good Solider is ranked 30th on Modern Library’s list of “100 Best” English-language novels of the 20th century.

Details

• Title The Good Soldier
• Author Ford Madox Ford; Introduction by Zoe Heller
• Binding Paperback
• Pages 239
• Volumes 1
• Language ENG
• Publisher Vintage Books USA, London
• Date 2010-04-05
• ISBN 9780099540670 / 0099540673
• Weight 0.4 lbs (0.18 kg)
• Dimensions 7.7 x 5 x 0.9 in (19.56 x 12.70 x 2.29 cm)
• Reading level 1040
• Themes
  • Cultural Region: Central Europe
  • Cultural Region: Germany
  • Religious Orientation: Christian
  • Topical: Country/Cowboy
  • Topical: Family
• Library of Congress subjects Domestic fiction, Friendship
• Library of Congress Catalog Number 2011380190
• Dewey Decimal Code FIC