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A review by ssindc
The Longest Day: June 6th, 1944 by Cornelius Ryan
5.0
Great stuff! Not quite the epic - in terms of length or scope - as Ryan's The Last Battle, but every bit as gratifying.
D-Day - 24 hours. Tick, tock... The agony and the ecstasy - the glory and the ignominy - inspired decisions and catastrophic mistakes - bravery and cowardice - cost and carnage - luck and fate - sacrifice, death, destruction, and liberation - steaming (and sinking), flying (and crashing), jumping, swimming, wading, running, walking, crawling, climbing, and, yes, fighting - moments of grace.... Tick, tock... The beginning of the end.... Tick, tock... Quite a day, and one not soon to be forgotten. ... Tick, tock...
Ryan crafts a strange but effective, accessible, and moving brand of history. The most grand of events through the most personal of lenses. A world-changing event through the eyes of individuals of all types - generals, soldiers, sailors, pilots, civilians - American, British, French, German, Russian - each experiences their own day, and Ryan weaves their recollections seamlessly together.
I'm glad I wasn't there. But I'm glad I read the book.
D-Day - 24 hours. Tick, tock... The agony and the ecstasy - the glory and the ignominy - inspired decisions and catastrophic mistakes - bravery and cowardice - cost and carnage - luck and fate - sacrifice, death, destruction, and liberation - steaming (and sinking), flying (and crashing), jumping, swimming, wading, running, walking, crawling, climbing, and, yes, fighting - moments of grace.... Tick, tock... The beginning of the end.... Tick, tock... Quite a day, and one not soon to be forgotten. ... Tick, tock...
Ryan crafts a strange but effective, accessible, and moving brand of history. The most grand of events through the most personal of lenses. A world-changing event through the eyes of individuals of all types - generals, soldiers, sailors, pilots, civilians - American, British, French, German, Russian - each experiences their own day, and Ryan weaves their recollections seamlessly together.
I'm glad I wasn't there. But I'm glad I read the book.