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Summary: Best Ryan Book
Review: Ryan's book is a great view of the failed Market-Garden Operation. He especially captures the plight, and bravery, of the doomed British 1st A/B. I would definitely recommend it to any WWII reader.
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Summary: The best war epic of recent times
Review: Only the phenomenal new WWII novel, The Triumph and the Glory can rival this magnificent book from Cornelius Ryan as a tribute to courage and dedication to a great cause. A Bridge Too Far is a tale of matchless courage and excruciating suspense, the best book written by Cornelius Ryan, and that's saying something. The movie was terrific but the novel is even better.
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Summary: Not as I expected
Review: This book was obviously extremely well documented, however, it failed to connect with me emotionally. Despite the numerous individual accounts found throughout the text, its tone was somewhat impersonal.
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Summary: Ryan is peerless and this book may be his best
Review: Few authors of military hostory can touch Cornelius Ryan and this is probably his magnum opus. It focuses on Operation Market Garden, the unsuccessful allied attempt to capture a foothold across the Rine with airborne forces. As always, he delivers a vivid account of the drama and tragedy, as well as the lighter side of combat. Ryan tends to focus on the tactical and operational aspects of war, but this book also gives an excellent account of the conception and planning that led up to the operation and the grand strategy that revolved around it.
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Summary: Excellent Account Of Lesser-Known Battle
Review: Operation Market-Garden was the largest airborne offensive of WWII. However, it's not particularily well known for two reasons: One, it was a major defeat that likely prolonged the war for several months. Two, the American forces, while engaged in a major way, did not suffer the brunt of the losses.Ryan does an excellent job of setting the stage and goes into great detail as to why Eisenhower and Monty pushed for this particular attack over other options (most notably Patton's thrust at the Saar). He also brings the story alive through his use of 1st person accounts by the people who actually fought the battle. This was a hugely complex military operation, and Ryan presents the story in a very clear way. I ticked the rating down just a bit for a few reasons. The maps that Ryan provides, while excellent, are too few. For instance, maps that detailed the postions around the Arnhem and Nijemgen bidges are not presented; they would have been a huge help in understanding two of the key battles. Also, maps detailing the drop zones and relative positions of the British and German forces each day would have been most useful. It became a bit difficult to understand what was happening around Arnhem in the final two days of the battle, and maps would have helped. My other gripe is that Ryan occasionally looses people in the story. For instance, I was a bit unsure what General Browning (The British commander) was up to for most of the battle. Pictures of some of the equipment (like gliders and such) would have also been fun. However, perhaps this would be a bit too Tom Clancyish... Those minor points aside, the book is excellent. I thought it better presented than "The Longest Day"
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Summary: This story of heroism is unmatched in other WWII literature.
Review: After reading all three of Ryan's classic accounts of World War Two there is no question that this is his best work. "A Bride Too Far" has the same gripping writing style as "The Longest Day" and "The Last Battle" but it is vastly more exciting and awe inspiring. The heroic story of the British Airborne and the American 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions is an account of extreme bravery and sacrifice. To read this story is to understand the horror of war and the bravery of the Allies. An over-ambitious mission traps British Airborne troops deep in enemy territory and the story of their fight against unbeleivable odds is the most exciting part of the novel. Everyone who reads this story will have a greater appreciation for those who fought and died in Europe.
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Summary: Ryan makes history come alive
Review: In the story of the most devastating battle of world war2 Ryan makes Market-Garden alive. I great book of world war two literature.
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Summary: A excellent account
Review: A good telling of the battle of Arnhem. This viewpoint is written by a journalist as opposed to a historian and it definitely shows in the writing. Ryan occasionally describes the atmosphere as if he was there when it is clearly his journalistic interpretation of how it probably was. I found this didn't take away from the overall story or facts.
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Summary: Outstanding!
Review: I usually have to force myself to read military history. Not this time! I never felt like combat tactics were explained, yet when I finsished the book I felt as if I had a greater understanding of the overall relationship between infantry, armor, and airborne forces. As for the portrait of characters Mr. Ryan develops, I can summarize in one word: COURAGE.
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Summary: Excellent !
Review: After I finished this book , I immediately ordered more titles regarding the Arnhem operation; just hope and pray that they will be as good as Mr. Ryan's one. Great reading, which stopped my any other activities for a two days.
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