The Winds of War

Rating:
Summary: A Real Masterpiece
Review: This is a best novel I ever saw. The author has terrific ability to grasp the basic facts and a grand strategy panorama. You mind and sentiment will resolve into the book inconciously, however, it's a good feeling. I really admire the author Herman Wouk.

Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: When I first saw this book I thought,Whoa thats a helluva lot of pages (over 1000). As it turned out I'm glad that I geve the book a try instead of casting it off as way too long. It turned out to be an extremely exciting, if not fact filled book. Granted its going to take an extremely long time to read this book but there is nothing better than an exciting book that you cant put down for those long flights, trust me you'll be glad you brought it along! This shows how the war really was, even though it is fiction, from the American Anti-War sentiment to Mussolini's unpopularity. I'm really looking forward to reading the sequel, War and Remembrance.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliantly researched soap opera
Review: This novel is definitely a must-read for WWII buffs. Wouk's seamless interweaving of historical events, daily life and the mannerisms of major personalities and the lives of his fictional Henry and Jastrow families is a monumental achievement, and one not likely to be duplicated. I am a graduate student studying the art and mass culture of this period, and Wouk's evocation of the era is gripping and convincing. Rarely have I read an historical novel which so brilliantly draws its readers into a vanished world and reconstructs the preoccupations of that world with such skill. However, Wouk's admirable grasp of the period and the authority of his research cannot prevent the reader from ultimately realizing that this novel is nothing more than a simple melodrama once the layers of research are removed. Wouk's characterizations are uniformly cliched. The mid-life crises of Pug and Rhoda, the "Top-Gun" activities of Warren, the standard-issue coming-of-age of Byron, the dithery bookishness of Aaron Jastrow - we have seen all these people before in countless novels, films, and plays. The only unexpected character is Natalie Jastrow, who begins the book (I count this novel and its sequel as one work) as a vibrant, energetic female intellectual and tomboy, and ends her story as a conventional wife and mother. In short, the characters are utter cliches and would be boring without their setting. This is a novel of events, not of people. In this one respect, Wouk's book fails as literature. Stylistically, the book is also somewhat ponderous, but the sheer power of the events Wouk describes renders it quite readable.

Rating:
Summary: It was an unbielaveble epic
Review: This Book brought the characters to live along with historicaly following World War Two before the US entered it. But you can't read this one without reading the sequel

Rating:
Summary: An American family facing the tragedies of a world war
Review: The stunning tale by master author Herman Wouk tells of the battles an "All-American" naval family must face, and the results of their decisions. This novel takes you all over the world, from Sienna, Italy, to Japan, to the very office of the President. Combines love, truth, and a master storytellers ability into a stunning result

Rating:
Summary: A book you can put down often but will want to finish.
Review: I found this book at a USO lounge. My wife asked why I was reading an old, yellowed page paperback. But what a great find! The interesting characters and pre-WWII history make for a compelling story. What a pleasuable way to finally get a firm handle on the time line of events leading to America's entrance into WWII. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel.

Rating:
Summary: GREATEST WAR ROMANCE NOVEL EVER!!!
Review: This was a spell-binding novel from start to finish--especially if you read the sequel War and Remembrance after this. I love it so much that i rank this even BETTER than Gone with the Wind!

Rating:
Summary: I was sad to see this end.
Review: I read the sequel first, and was so enthralled I read Winds when I was done. They were a wonderful part of my life for three months of pleasure reading. A very good story that is exceptionally historically accurate.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: This book is one of the best books I have read. It gives a realistic picture of Europe before World War 2, and the struggles of a military family.

Rating:
Summary: Boringly educational
Review: I started this book with an open mind becasue I had heard it was a good book. However, after several hundred pages I was STILL waiting for something EXCITING to happen. Although it's educational and is accurate about the events of WWII, I found it unbearably boring and fell asleep everytime I read it for over 10 min. The only reason I read it was because it was assigned to me for a book report. I love to read, but this book was too long and strung out. I skipped 400 pages and still got A's on two book reports. My instructors (who both read the book) thought I read the whole thing because I gave accurate book reports without the knowledge of what happened in the middle of the book. That goes to show how eventful it is. The only reason it scored two stars with me was because it is educational and a war buff might enjoy it, but if you like "people" stories, don't bother with this book.