Project Gutenberg 2019-08-24 Public domain in the USA. 267 Berger, Marcel 1885 1966 Curtis, Cecil, Mrs. 17026261 The Ordeal by Fire By a Sergeant in the French Army Brian Coe, Graeme Mackreth, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by Internet Archive (https://archive.org) "The Ordeal by Fire" by Marcel Berger is a historical novel written in the early 20th century, shortly before World War I. The story introduces readers to Michel Dreher, a young man whose life is interrupted by the impending war, capturing the complicated emotions of youth, personal relationships, and the looming specter of conflict. The narrative unfolds against the backdrop of a rapidly changing European landscape, as characters navigate their lives with the shadow of war hanging above them. The opening of the book establishes a vivid scene at Vallorbe Station, where Michel interacts with the Landry family, notably the spirited and enigmatic Jeannine Landry. Their playful banter reveals a budding friendship, characterized by intellectual debates and romantic undertones. As tensions rise in Europe, Michel grapples with his thoughts on love, life, and duty. The narrative sets a reflective tone as he confronts the political climate, underscoring his skepticism about warfare and the responsibilities that come with patriotism. Through his relationship with the Landrys and his musings on humanity, Berger captures the essence of a generation caught between desire and duty, laying the groundwork for the unfolding tragedy of war. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 85.1 (6th grade). Easy to read. en Soldiers -- Fiction World War, 1914-1918 -- France -- Fiction PQ Text Category: Historical Novels Category: Novels Category: French Literature 841443 2025-07-24T05:20:02.139780 text/html 836011 2024-10-17T13:38:06 text/html 376459 2025-07-24T05:20:15.369668 application/epub+zip 387462 2025-07-24T05:20:04.253740 application/epub+zip 387462 2025-07-24T05:20:03.189694 application/epub+zip 649863 2025-07-24T05:20:23.303659 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 595189 2025-07-24T05:20:14.125672 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 573132 2022-09-27T07:22:10.195806 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 758393 2025-07-24T05:19:58.665725 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 738487 2024-10-17T13:38:06 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 16983 2025-07-24T05:20:23.460598 application/rdf+xml 13145 2025-07-24T05:20:03.346717 image/jpeg 2549 2025-07-24T05:20:03.253714 image/jpeg 347784 2025-07-24T05:20:02.205728 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia