The Four Feathers (Barnes & Noble Classics Series) (Barnes & Noble Classics)

Still, I think readers will be in for a bit of a disappointment here. Not for the book itself which is a sublime piece of writing, a work typical ot the pathos of the time, but because of the lack of action contained therein. This is a pyschological and emotional work. The main charcters have many inner feelings to deal with. The plot moves slowly at times, building to a gradual crescendo typical of Victorian novels of the day before it resolves itself in rapid sequences.

The film versions convey the general impression of the book, but there are not big clamatic battles of Omdurman or prison breaks which made the Korda movie such a rousing epic. Here Harry Faversham is very much on his own to resolve his fears and inner emotions, as are his friends. Its good to see a book like this revived, but readers who come to it from the movie theater or video are apt to be suprised at what they find here. Lets hope the find the suprise a pleasant and interesting one. I know I did.


One of the Greatest Book Forgotten and Misunderstood   December 14, 2001
Tsuyoshi
29 out of 32 found this review helpful

The front cover of the book might lead you to misunderstanding that "Four Feathers" is a book about war; actually, though it deals with the war in the Sudan in late 19th century, the book consists of superb descriptions of complicated psychology found in the hero, the heroine and their mutual friend. "Four Feathers" as a whole is not a book like "She" or "Beau Geste," but it is rather a special kind of romance which could be found only in this era.

To disprove his disgrace, the hero Harry Feversham, who quit his regiment just before being sent to the Sudan, decides to go to Africa, disguising himself as a Greek, and firmly is determined to give back three white feathers sent to him as a symbol of his being a coward. One clever touch is given here; his fiancee also added one feather to them, and rejected him in the face before their marriage. Now you think Harry must prove that he does not deserve such an act. And probably, you expect the book to draw you into the world full of adventure. No, you're wrong.

There are certainly descriptions of adventure under the sizzling sun of Africa, but you must wait. Before they come, we are introduced to the complex relationship between Harry and other characters that are involved in his action. Various feelings of love, regret, courage, and suspicion, all caused as aftermath of the crucial action of sending white feathers, follow with a surprisingly and deeply psychological insight. Though the story is, as you expect, very melodramatic and sentimental, the characters are well-drawn and convincing, and if not as insightful as Henry James, surely deserves much serious attention.

The adventure scenes come in the last third of the book, but the suspense is a little diminished due to the rather hasty ending of the book. (If you want to read a book full of adventure in Africa, I recommend P. C. Wren's "Beau Geste," which I found a gripping tale, too.) Still, the descriptions of the House of Stone, concentration camp of POW, (where the author himself visited after the war ended) are still realistic and shocking, and will haunt your mind after reading, and as an adeventure story too, you won't be disappointed. In short, "Four Feathers" is one of the greatest forgotten bestsellers in the English literature.


butchered version of a great classic   November 4, 1999
Michael A. Kalm (Salt Lake City, Utah, UT USA)
28 out of 31 found this review helpful

This book is NOT Four Feathers. It may be Two and one half feathers. It is mercilessly abridged, but if you haven't seen the original, you won't know how you are being cheated. Be warned and stay away.


Wonderful read   July 3, 2002
Editrix (Emerald City, WA)
26 out of 27 found this review helpful

I read this book in anticipation of the Sept. 2002 Shekar Kapur movie of the same title.
I found The Four Feathers to be an engrossing character examination, with a bit of action as the background. The romance at the center was a bonus, as was the detailed glimpse of life in Britain at that time, the expectations that men and women held for one another and themselves.
I was, however, disappointed by the inaccuracy in the synopsis on the book's back cover and repeated on this website which states that Harry Faversham saves the lives of the three men who gave him the white feathers in order to be redemeed.
I'm not sure where the writer of the synopsis came by that idea but it sure doesn't happen like that in the book. Not to spoil the story for you, but Harry proves his bravery in rather more complex ways.
I also was pleasantly surprised that much of the book is told from the perspective of Ethne, Harry's beloved. Her struggle to "do the right thing" is just as compelling as Harry's struggle to make up for the one time he didn't.


Clean,exciting and romantic..   May 2, 2004
M.L.Christensen (PSL,FL)
8 out of 8 found this review helpful

My mother bought this book for me when I was a young girl-tomorrow I'll be 66 yrs old..I remember reading it over and over and even though I knew the ending, I'll could sabor the whole story like the first time--Now I'm buying for my grandchildren and hoping that they will enjoy it as much as I did.