Rating: 
Summary: Misplaced Death
Review: Andrew Mendelson's review mentions a "misplaced death". He misses the point it was as un-necessary and as useless as many in the war - and that is one of the points of this classic war novel. Monserrat writes well about the sea because he was at sea and this story is one of his strongest because he tells it from the point of view of someone who witnessed it for real.The Cruel Sea is an extensive fictionalising, reworking and fleshing out of his wartime short stories "HM Corvette, East Coast Corvette, Corvette Command", published during the war when it was quite clear he did not expect to survive the Battle of the Atlantic on which the bulk of the Cruel Sea is based. The Cruel Sea is taughtly drawn, superbly observed and records the transition from amateur civilians into trained professional killers with all the physical, and emotional casualites that were incurred along the way. The 1953 movie (also available on Amazon) is also a good adaption of the tale.
Rating:
Summary: A tense ,spare ,reflective war movie
Review: I admit to being a male caucasian baby boomer when it comes to movies and books of WWII. We were raised on them, feel completely at home with them and duck into them--sometimes with guilt--with intensity at period after period in our lives. I enjoy John Wayne in those prototypical period pieces of his. Lee Marvin, another viscerally felt hero( and a true Marine buried at Arlington)is also someone I can't get enough of. It just goes on and on in every format. I have not yet read the Novel The Cruel Sea but I just found an old 2s/6d British copy of it and will sooner than later. But this movie I do know and have seen it many times and it really is one of the very few true classic war movies that I would give 5 stars to.
Warren Lewis (the brother of C S Lewis-A major in the British army, WWI vet and grad of Sandhurst) once said that the thing which astonished him about War and Peace was that Tolstoy got something very few writers did and that was the feel of war. Its atmosphere. And that is just what this movie too accomplishes. The tired depressing business of it all. Yet too it's inevitability and the hoary fact that it must be seen through live or die.
The performances are universally accomplished with the standouts naturally being Jack Hawkins(never better) and Donald Sinden.
I love the film and only one or two others rank this high for me. Twelve O'clock High (another tired bit of grand business)
and Das Boot(again dreary honor and survival).
I feel like watching it right now.
Rating: 
Summary: Sobering
Review: I was probably born in at the wrong time. I've been working my way thru everything I can find about the 40s: books, movies, and historical accounts. Tonight, I finished "The Cruel Sea" by Nicholas Monsarrat - an excellent WW2 novel about a British Royal Navy crew working convoy duty in the Atlantic. Very enjoyable, taken from real stories. I'm now looking at other books by this same author.
If you like books of this genre, you'll also like "Sink the Bismark" - as well as (of course) the entire Hornblower series (also by by C.S. Forrester).
Rating:
Summary: Authentic WWII Sea Salt
Review: If I were asked to recommend three great movies about any Allied or Axis army, navy and air force in World War II, they would be "The Desert Fox", "The Cruel Sea" and "Twelve O'Clock High". All three were made in black and white soon after the war, and all have the unmistakable realism of true accounts.
"The Cruel Sea", based on the famous Nicholas Monsarrat novel of the same title, lend its story beautifully to the stark contrasts and subtle mid-tones of black and white film (you don't get all those mid-tones of grey in color film). The story is grippingly personal, tragic and redeeming, gradually and painfully building the intense bond of camaraderie that seems to be particularly strong among navy people - probably because the sea can be the loneliest and most unforgiving place on earth (hence the title). Recalling the names Compass Rose and Saltash Castle, you'll taste the freezing brine of the North Atlantic, smell the mix of diesel fuel, blood and cordite, and hear the cries of your mates drowning in your wake. The real deal in black and white.
Rating:
Summary: Misplaced Death
Review: Andrew Mendelson's review mentions a "misplaced death". He misses the point it was as un-necessary and as useless as many in the war - and that is one of the points of this classic war novel. Monserrat writes well about the sea because he was at sea and this story is one of his strongest because he tells it from the point of view of someone who witnessed it for real. The Cruel Sea is an extensive fictionalising, reworking and fleshing out of his wartime short stories "HM Corvette, East Coast Corvette, Corvette Command", published during the war when it was quite clear he did not expect to survive the Battle of the Atlantic on which the bulk of the Cruel Sea is based. The Cruel Sea is taughtly drawn, superbly observed and records the transition from amateur civilians into trained professional killers with all the physical, and emotional casualites that were incurred along the way. The 1953 movie (also available on Amazon) is also a good adaption of the tale.
Rating:
Summary: The Cruel Sea
Review: Mosarrat shows us that there is no glory in war, but much honor attached to the men and women of the armed forces. The Cruel Sea tells us how to behave during a conflict - be loyal, resilient, and have faith in ourselves and our comrades
I re-read this book every few years and each time I am impressed with the characters, settings, and the lessons that Erickson and Lockhart teach us. And each time I feel better about people and their potentials. This book stays in the current section of my bookshelf.
Rating:
Summary: Wavy Navy
Review: SUPERB BOOK, a Classic I use this title because the story is written from the viewpoint of a RNVR Officer (a prewar voluntary reserve officer, background and qualifications yachtsman). I mention this because having a father that served on USN convoy duty before the war started (USS Jacob Jones), and having lived in the UK amongst many who also served in the war, I realize now that the book and the film provide an accurate and vividly emotional portrayal of what it was like. Also, add to list of why "There will always be an England"
Rating:
Summary: A Perfect Slice of History
Review: I found this book purely by accident, thanks to a recommendation by another book review. I think this is perhaps one of the finest novels about combat, certainly about naval combat, that I have ever read. Every word rings with a sense of authenticity and drama that is all too often missing from modern literature.
I'm loathe to give away any plot detail; the story builds slowly like a fine meal. In short, the book concerns itself with two warships during escort duty during the whole of British involvement in WWII. The first ship, a Corvette, is small and perhaps a bit amateurish to begin with. Its history, and the relations of its crew are treated in intricate detail. The second ship, a Frigate, is larger, less personal and much like the war more mechanized and colder; its is more effective, to be true, and a step closer to victory but also represents a loss of humanity.
Monsarrat weaves these two stories into a seamless whole - the bood deserves to be called an epic, and at times I almost felt like I was watching an old British war film, like Sink the Bismarck: every word rang true. I had one small complaint, and that involves either a misplaced death near the end of the novel. Again, I don't want to give anything away but it just felt unnecessary.
Please, read the book. If you are at interested in Naval history, or just want a good read, you won't be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Yes, it is
Review: the best drama-at-sea novel of WWII, really, and stylishly written, by a professional writer who served as a naval officer. You not only believe he was there, you believe you are there. After reading it, one feels the weariness of war.
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