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4.29 AVERAGE
4.29 AVERAGE
As an insightful and moving look at World War II, War and Remembrance is effective. As a novel, however, War and Remembrance suffers from a few minor flaws. The historical perspective of the German von Roon, although helpful for describing the war, tends to interrupt the flow of the fictional story. The ending, likewise, draws us out of the story, unnecessarily making a point of the fact that the characters, who seem so real to us, are fictional. Finally, the novel is made less interesting (as a fictional novel, though not as a historical treatise) by its excessive length.
War and Remembrance was even more depressing than Winds of War, and could temporarily devastate an emotional reader. Of course, one must expect war to be depressing, but for me, War and Remembrance had a negative emotional power that went far beyond the effect of most other books I have read, including many on the holocaust. I think this stems from the fact that the characters' personal lives--and not just the war--are steeped in betrayal and tragedy, so that there is no relief from the constant negativity.
War and Remembrance was even more depressing than Winds of War, and could temporarily devastate an emotional reader. Of course, one must expect war to be depressing, but for me, War and Remembrance had a negative emotional power that went far beyond the effect of most other books I have read, including many on the holocaust. I think this stems from the fact that the characters' personal lives--and not just the war--are steeped in betrayal and tragedy, so that there is no relief from the constant negativity.
audiobook
Holy crap I cannot believe I am done with this. I hated all of the women in this series. They appeared flighty and made horrible choices. Uncle Jastro I would have ditched YEARS before.
On paper this book is MY JAM - historical fiction, WW2, multiple narrators. But the military science and Uncle Jastros monologues and books. Kill me now.
Holy crap I cannot believe I am done with this. I hated all of the women in this series. They appeared flighty and made horrible choices. Uncle Jastro I would have ditched YEARS before.
On paper this book is MY JAM - historical fiction, WW2, multiple narrators. But the military science and Uncle Jastros monologues and books. Kill me now.
"The Winds of War and War and Remembrance. These books were impossible to put down. The story of the lead-up to WWII told primarily through the lens of the American Henry family, The Winds of War gives a comprehensive background on the military and political situation in a much more engaging way than a non-fiction book could." Ditto.
I'm on a WWII binge. Follett's Century Trilogy reminded me of Wouk's The Winds of War and War and Remembrance, so I reread these two favorites of my teenage years. Wouk is amazing.
Man, what a tale. This book (along with Winds of War) is on the must-read list for - yes - everyone. The other reviews here will give you a plot summary, but I'll summarize by calling this pair of books the quintessential historical fiction. Seriously. WWII is so fascinating, in so many ways...and Wouk captures its essence in a way that will have you hitting Wikipedia for even more backup.
The slow parts of this book are slower than those in Winds of War, but the faster parts are much faster. It's a pretty beefy book, but there's a ton of material here.
I cannot recommend this book enough...though it needs to be read after Winds of War for full effect.
The slow parts of this book are slower than those in Winds of War, but the faster parts are much faster. It's a pretty beefy book, but there's a ton of material here.
I cannot recommend this book enough...though it needs to be read after Winds of War for full effect.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is incredible. It took me almost a month to finish, but it was worth every moment. I devoured Winds of War and then this too. 100 hours between the two, on audio, wasn’t too much. The historical accuracy, the phenomenal character development, the scope, it’s just astonishing how good this book is. Wow.
"In the great Western Desert of Africa, the bodies, numerous as they are, strike the eye less than the blasted and burned-out tanks that dot this weirdly beautiful wasteland, these squat hulks with their long guns, casting elongated blue shadows on the pastel greys, browns, and pinks of the far-stretching sands. [...] How far they came to perish here, these soldiers and these machines! What bizarre train of events brought youngsters from the Rhineland and Prussia, from the Scottish Highlands and London, from Australia and New Zealand, to butt at each other to the death with flame-spitting machinery in faraway Africa, in a setting as dry and lonesome as the moon? But that is the hallmark of this war. No other war has ever been like it. This war rings the world. Men fight as far from home as they can be transported, with courage and endurance that makes one proud of the human race, in horrible contrivances that make one ashamed of the human race."
"The list of Japanese conquests is Kiplingesque. The photographs of defeated and captured white men look like the end of civilisation. Dejected British prisoners in Singapore squat on the ground as far as the camera can focus; and on palm-lined Philippine roads, columns of unshaven, ragged, bowed Americans march to captivity from Bataan. [...] The lesson was writ plain by Thucydides centuries before Christ was born. Democracy satisfies best the human thirst for freedom; yet, being undisciplined, turbulent, and luxury-seeking, it falls time and again to austere single-minded despotism."
"He asks me to picture the Ku Klux Klan seizing power in the United States. This is what has happened to Germany, he says. The Nazi Party is an enormous German Ku Klux Klan. [...] Extremism, he says, is the universal tuberculosis of modern society: a word infection of resentment and hatred generated by rapid change and the breakdown of old values. In the stabler nations, the tubercles are sealed off in scar tissue, and these are the harmless lunatic movements. In times of social disorder, depression, war, or revolution, the germs can break forth and infect the nation. This has happened in Germany. It could happen anywhere, even in the United States."
"The list of Japanese conquests is Kiplingesque. The photographs of defeated and captured white men look like the end of civilisation. Dejected British prisoners in Singapore squat on the ground as far as the camera can focus; and on palm-lined Philippine roads, columns of unshaven, ragged, bowed Americans march to captivity from Bataan. [...] The lesson was writ plain by Thucydides centuries before Christ was born. Democracy satisfies best the human thirst for freedom; yet, being undisciplined, turbulent, and luxury-seeking, it falls time and again to austere single-minded despotism."
"He asks me to picture the Ku Klux Klan seizing power in the United States. This is what has happened to Germany, he says. The Nazi Party is an enormous German Ku Klux Klan. [...] Extremism, he says, is the universal tuberculosis of modern society: a word infection of resentment and hatred generated by rapid change and the breakdown of old values. In the stabler nations, the tubercles are sealed off in scar tissue, and these are the harmless lunatic movements. In times of social disorder, depression, war, or revolution, the germs can break forth and infect the nation. This has happened in Germany. It could happen anywhere, even in the United States."
adventurous
emotional
relaxing
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No