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A review by mynameisnemo
The Longest Day: June 6th, 1944 by Cornelius Ryan
3.0
Following along with Ambrose's Band of Brothers and Citizen Soldier, I read The Longest Day. I've really been enjoying the WWII nonfiction lately.
Unfortunately, it took 2 months to finish the book, which meant that by the end I was more than a little frustrated with it. The book wasn't so much the problem as my out of prescription reading glasses were.
One of the things I really enjoyed about this book, more even than the anecdotes from veterans of the invasion, was the switching POV between the Allied and Axis sides. It gave a sense of evenness to the narrative, insight into not just what the 'good guys' were thinking and feeling but how it felt to be on the other side of the line, watching the invasion head straight at you.
I have also developed a new interest in Rommel due to this book, as he seems like a very interesting person.
One of the more difficult things about this book was that I kept expecting it to move on and get to D-Day+1, etc but of course it didn't because it is a book that is solely about D-Day. Another thing was the fact that even though a cohesive story was told, it didn't really follow a single character through the day. I prefer personal history type narratives so the fact that this dealt with only small moments from many many people meant that it didn't quite suit my personal preferences.
Despite this, Ryan did an amazing job gathering information and coalescing it into a single 275 page paperback. There is a thread throughout the entire story, even though it never follows a single character. His descriptiveness also helps, as a clear picture of the French country side, the beaches, and the battles is conveyed through his storytelling.
All in all, a good book and one I enjoyed. I do wish I had been able to finish it faster but I was glad to read it regardless.
Unfortunately, it took 2 months to finish the book, which meant that by the end I was more than a little frustrated with it. The book wasn't so much the problem as my out of prescription reading glasses were.
One of the things I really enjoyed about this book, more even than the anecdotes from veterans of the invasion, was the switching POV between the Allied and Axis sides. It gave a sense of evenness to the narrative, insight into not just what the 'good guys' were thinking and feeling but how it felt to be on the other side of the line, watching the invasion head straight at you.
I have also developed a new interest in Rommel due to this book, as he seems like a very interesting person.
One of the more difficult things about this book was that I kept expecting it to move on and get to D-Day+1, etc but of course it didn't because it is a book that is solely about D-Day. Another thing was the fact that even though a cohesive story was told, it didn't really follow a single character through the day. I prefer personal history type narratives so the fact that this dealt with only small moments from many many people meant that it didn't quite suit my personal preferences.
Despite this, Ryan did an amazing job gathering information and coalescing it into a single 275 page paperback. There is a thread throughout the entire story, even though it never follows a single character. His descriptiveness also helps, as a clear picture of the French country side, the beaches, and the battles is conveyed through his storytelling.
All in all, a good book and one I enjoyed. I do wish I had been able to finish it faster but I was glad to read it regardless.