Rating: 
Summary: A let down after Winds of War
Review: "War and Remembrance" is the yet more epic (nearly 1400 pages) sequel to The Winds of War. It covers the period from shortly after Pearl Harbor in 1942 to the end of the war in 1945, again through the experiences of the members of the Henry family. I enjoyed "The Winds of War" quite a bit, but this one I thought moved too slowly and read much more as a history book than as historical fiction. There were many stretches when Wouk stopped telling the story altogether and simply described various events of the war, and he made far too much use of his device of Pug Henry's translation of a German officer's account of the war. There were, of course, many interesting events involving the characters, but they took much too long to play out and I found myself losing interest in what would happen to people. Wouk did a good job of bringing to life the horror of the Jewish concentration camps. And I got a little better idea of how the seemingly infallible German fighting machine somehow faltered, though it all seemed to come down to Hitler's egomaniacal micromanagement catching up with him, which is a little bit of a dissatisfying explanation. I still found Pug Henry and Pamela Tudsbury's characters interesting, but I was disappointed that the formerly strong and independent Natalie Jastrow became a typical fearful and cautious woman the moment she gave birth to a child. Still, I did learn quite a bit more about the war than I managed to pick up in high-school history, I just wish I could have enjoyed the read more.
Rating: 
Summary: Atrocities aren't just ancient history...
Review: ...they're recent history, too. Look at Bosnia and Kosovo. Man's capacity for deciding "those aren't people" is not to be underestimated. This book, and its prelude "Winds Of War", aren't just a great war story--they're a wake-up call that the phrase "man's inhumanity to man" is no mere cliche. And chapter 81's conversation between Natalie and Commandant Rahm should be required reading for those who think that contemporary mainstream American manhood are state-of-the-art in terms of degradation of women. Even a bona-fide "oinkmeister" would say "holy cow!" at that chapter.
Rating:
Summary: PROBABLY THE GREATEST HISTORICAL FICTION WORK EVER WRITTEN!!
Review: All at once , this book is the greatest history lesson, the most exciting drama and the most intriguing story I have ever read. The 1500 or so pages ( and of course, the prequel "Winds of War") may seem intimidating at first, but trust me, stick it out. The temptation is great to skip around in this book, especially to fictitous general Armin Von Roon's continuing analysis of the war from a German perspective, but the story should be read cover to cover to get the true flavor and development of the story. The heart rending trimphs and tragedies that strike the Henry clan in every theatre of the world make war and Rememberance an emotional thriller as well. Character development is also a Wouk strong point. Byron Henry starts Winds of war as an irresponsible loafing boy without a care in the world. By the time the novel ends, Byron has become a serious, emotional, successful naval officer with a wife that he would do anything to save and a son he'd do anything to find. The great thing is though, that Wouk does not skip a stage in Byron's development. By the time I finished reading both novels, it was hard to avoid identifying with Byron as if he were a real person. By the way, I also think that the ABC mini- series based on the book was the greatest picture to ever appear in the history of television and movies. I realize I sound a little exagerated and corny, but I simply can't believe that there has been so little attention paid to this masterpiece and the tremendous mini- series.
Rating:
Summary: PROBABLY THE GREATEST HISTORICAL FICTION WORK EVER WRITTEN!!
Review: All at once , this book is the greatest history lesson, the most exciting drama and the most intriguing story I have ever read. The 1500 or so pages ( and of course, the prequel "Winds of War") may seem intimidating at first, but trust me, stick it out. The temptation is great to skip around in this book, especially to fictitous general Armin Von Roon's continuing analysis of the war from a German perspective, but the story should be read cover to cover to get the true flavor and development of the story. The heart rending trimphs and tragedies that strike the Henry clan in every theatre of the world make war and Rememberance an emotional thriller as well. Character development is also a Wouk strong point. Byron Henry starts Winds of war as an irresponsible loafing boy without a care in the world. By the time the novel ends, Byron has become a serious, emotional, successful naval officer with a wife that he would do anything to save and a son he'd do anything to find. The great thing is though, that Wouk does not skip a stage in Byron's development. By the time I finished reading both novels, it was hard to avoid identifying with Byron as if he were a real person. By the way, I also think that the ABC mini- series based on the book was the greatest picture to ever appear in the history of television and movies. I realize I sound a little exagerated and corny, but I simply can't believe that there has been so little attention paid to this masterpiece and the tremendous mini- series.
Rating:
Summary: insightful - one of the best books I have read
Review: As a commander in the Naval Reserve, I can say this book is based on a lot of research into both politics and war by Mr. Wouk. The political discussion between the fictional German General von Roon and American Victor Henry scattered throughout the book is fasinating and thought provoking. When I was studying for graduation from the Naval War College the book was both fun and useful. I rarely read novels, but this one is well worth it. I liked it even better than Wouk's earlier Winds of War.
Rating:
Summary: great historical novel
Review: As a history major, I love this book. It is so detailed and so much in tune with what really happened in those critical days of WWII. Reflecting on what happened to those people we met in "The Winds of War" I could help feeling sentimental. All these people had their lives turned upside down due to the horrors of war. General Sherman was absolutely right in his assertion that "war is hell". Human beings are much more mature and understanding than they used to be and hopefully the nightmare will not be repeated. Salute to Herman Wouk !!
Rating:
Summary: great historical novel
Review: As a history major, I love this book. It is so detailed and so much in tune with what really happened in those critical days of WWII. Reflecting on what happened to those people we met in "The Winds of War" I could help feeling sentimental. All these people had their lives turned upside down due to the horrors of war. General Sherman was absolutely right in his assertion that "war is hell". Human beings are much more mature and understanding than they used to be and hopefully the nightmare will not be repeated. Salute to Herman Wouk !!
Rating:
Summary: great historical novel
Review: As a history major, I love this book. It is so detailed and so much in tune with what really happened in those critical days of WWII. Reflecting on what happened to those people we met in "The Winds of War" I could help feeling sentimental. All these people had their lives turned upside down due to the horrors of war. General Sherman was absolutely right in his assertion that "war is hell". Human beings are much more mature and understanding than they used to be and hopefully the nightmare will not be repeated. Salute to Herman Wouk !!
Rating:
Summary: Either War is Finished, or We Are
Review: As with any battle, it no longer has a hold on you when you look closely at downside. For an individual, a community, a nation or a world, when we look closely at the battle we see the pain that fueled the battle. And the closer we look, the more apt we are to remember that it is not a batte or a war that we want. It's belonging, peace and freedom for our highest self-expression. This story is a wonderful life journey that will free you to appreciate the basics in life.
Rating:
Summary: Making American History Fun
Review: Aside from telling a highly entertaining story, this book provides an unmatched lesson in the history of World War II. Nearly all English language fiction of World War II and most of the non-fiction consider the war almost exclusively from the point of view of the western front. Wouk's novel is more factual. The war on the western front was much smaller than the conflict between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany. The consequences of this fact for America's war strategy and post war foreign policy are not widely understood, even today. A completely satisfactory understanding of the United States war strategy can be obtained by reading this book. This is by far the least painful way to learn a complex part of our history
|
