'Ford may have used a wealthy US Quaker as his narrator because such a man could find himself caught up in these events while still being able to observe them.' Photo: Detail of bookcover for The Good Soldier, by Ford Madox Ford
The Good Soldier, by Ford Madox Ford
Author: Ford Madox Ford. Review by Simon Webb.
The Good Soldier (1915) is routinely included in lists of the best novels written in English. John Dowell, its narrator, is a Quaker from an old Pennsylvania family. He is one of those unreliable narrators, far from disinterested. He is one of the four main characters in the novel – the quartet comprises two wealthy couples; two US citizens and two Brits – who drift around the world staying at exclusive spas, because two of them are supposed to have heart problems. Between them, the four have two dreadful marriages and a tortured adulterous relationship. A fifth character, the fragile Nancy, makes the picture even darker.