Book Opinion: The Storm of War (Update)

So I recommended The Storm of War to my brother "Matt," who knows everything—and I mean everything—about World War II.

His thoughts, which I thought worth sharing:

"I am about 3/4 of the way through The Storm of War and, honestly, I am disappointed.  It is a pretty good narrative and, for someone who is unfamiliar with the subject, it is pretty good as a general history of the war.  But, there is very little new in it.  And, what little new stuff there is is all referenced from secondary sources (other books already written).  He takes quite a bit of information from guys like Richard Overy, Rick Atkinson, Ian Kershaw, Christopher Browning, and John Keegan. If you haven't read any of the books by those guys about the war, then it's worth it.  But, if you have the time and interest, I think you'd get a better picture by reading the six or seven books from which he synthesized his book.  If you're interested here's the list of books I would suggest as (if you read all of them) an alternative to reading this one.  I think it would give you a much better version of events.

Richard Overy:  Russia's War and Why the Allies Won.

Rick Atkinson: An Army at Dawn and The Day of Battle (He's writing another to complete the trilogy and they deal with, specifically, the American Army's experience of the war in Europe).

Ian Kershaw: Hitler:Hubris and Hitler: Nemesis.  Two of the best books about WWII that I've ever read.

Christopher Browning: Ordinary Men (About a German Special Police Battalion that participated in the extermination of Polish Jews)

John Keegan: The Second World War (a shorter, and better, one volume history of WWII) and Five Armies in Normandy.

John Dower: War Without Mercy (about race and brutality in the Pacific war).

Eugene Sledge: With the Old Breed (a first person account of Guadalcanal and Pelilu by a Marine who survived both)"

Matt is the father of this darling little girl.

Book Opinion: The Storm of War

Please note: my posts on what I think about books are merely reflections of my opinion. I don't fact-check because I am lazy, but I do my best to write accurately.

I just finished the mammoth The Storm of War by Andrew Roberts. Roberts is a British historian, and this book covers the Second World War. I've read several books on WWII, as well as books covering other wars, but I'm no historical expert. Still, I give this book a very enthusiastic cheer. As many reviews have noted before this, Roberts has the uncanny ability to present the "telling detail" and his depictions of battles are often riveting. In some respects, this history does remind me of the gripping Stalingrad and The Fall of Berlin: 1945, both excellent, and both by Antony Beevor.

Roberts takes the whole of WWII, unlike the Beevor books, which makes it all the more difficult to keep context and defray reader fatigue. But Roberts does both. His grip on the Soviet side of the war is the best I've seen in a book of this type. His take on the war in the Pacific is a bit less comprehensive, but still solid. His bias as a Brit—which may perhaps explain his lesser interest in actions in the Pacific—are generally obvious and therefore serve to make the book more interesting rather than irritating.

A big book and a good book to curl up around on a cold night with a fire going.

Book Opinion: Wolf Hall

So I took the opportunity this rainy weekend to pretend it was winter and sit in for the better part of both days and finish Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. Sometimes, when I like a book, I stretch out the ending. I should just finish it off, cut the chord! But sometimes it's hard. Especially when it's good shit like this.

I liked this book, even though it brought with it some challenges. Some background: the action takes place in Henry VIII's court during the time King Henry is trying to wrangle an annulment out of the Pope. He wants his marriage to Katherine nullified so he is free to marry Anne Boelyn. We see all the action through the eyes of Thomas Cromwell.

The challenge in this book is primarily one of provenance. First of all, there were WAY too many Thomas's back in the day, leading me to often wonder, "well, NOW who's talking?" Second of all, there are WAY too many people floating around Henry's court, leading me to often wonder, "who's this? What's he got to do with anything?" And finally, are the characters even talking when I think they are? Or are they just thinking these things? The writing style doesn't always make this clear. Even so, my friends, EVEN SO, this is some good, atmospheric shit. Vastly different characters are presented in a pretty singular way, so keeping track of exactly which Duke is which isn't a preoccupation. I really felt the fullness of flavor (if you will) of the times.

By the by, I picked this book up at Powell's bookstore in Portland, Oregon, when I was there visiting my beautiful friend and her family. I'm not sure I would have picked it up here, where I live, because part of the reason I chose it was because I knew it would take me to another world--funny how often when I'm traveling that feeling of wanting more travel seizes me.

Book Opinion: Just Kids

I just finished reading Just Kids by Patti Smith. The book is about her coming-of-age through the prism of the symbiotic relationship she shared with Robert Mapplethorpe. I don’t have anything like the same acuity for art that Smith does. But her sense of art--almost as if she is the medium--is mesmerizing to take in, and she writes in a way that's completely accessible.

And it's a ripping good yarn.

Book Opinion: Freedom, by Jonathan Franzen

Please note: my posts on what I think about books are merely reflections of my opinion. I don't fact-check, because I am lazy, but I do my best to write accurately about what happens in a book ; what I like about it, and what I don't. I also freely refer to plot points, so if you're afraid I will spoil something for you, don't read this until after you've read the book.

Like a lot of people, I read Franzen's break-out (and perhaps first?) novel, The Corrections (TC). Diving into Freedom was a lot like the experiences I had when reading TC: one minute I was bending over a book, and the next thing I knew, I was staggering out, not sure where I was in "real life." Franzen has a wonderful ability to get a reader "right there" from the beginning. I really felt as if I were of (but not in) the action and that it was all playing out in front of me.

And, like TC, I couldn't wait to get back to the story between reading sessions. Until…about midway through the book. At that point, my desire to firmly grasp each character by the shoulders and shout, "stop doing that!" into his/her face overrode my desire to see what would happen next. Soon enough, I had that same feeling of finding myself a rather unwilling participant in a horrible crime people were perpetrating on themselves and others. I let time lag between reading sessions. I became a little anxious.

When I finished TC, I felt jilted. The book ended and the characters went blithely on, with all their suffering unredeemed, all my adjuration to "stop doing that!" unheard. At about the mid-way point of Freedom, I suspected the same fate would befall my beloved Patty, Walter, Joey, and the daughter. So, you can imagine how very pleased and happy to see I was to see the climax turn into the most satisfying dénouement I have read in a long, long time.

(And yes, I did find Patty and Walter's reuniting completely believable.)

All the characters were well-rounded, with the exception of Patty and Walter's daughter, whose name I can't even remember. If I have a criticism of the book, it is this glaring omission. Don’t get me wrong, this book is like a five-course meal, but without a well-rounded daughter, it's a bit like no one thought about the dessert and handed you a thin mint as an after-thought. And when I think of what hay Franzen could have made with a nuanced and "real" daughter, I think he missed an opportunity.

This omission is especially unfortunate given that each character stood up so well as a reflection (or reflections) of so many qualities we Americans are in an almost-constant discourse with, and about: independence, reinvention, depravity, resentment, lust, greed, redemption. Franzen is particularly skilled, I think, at weaving each character's storyline into the overarching themes and events of contemporary American culture.

How all this plays out is quite amazing. Even with my caveat over the missing daughter, I recommend this book, and I think it deserving of all the kudos it received.

In my humble opinion, of course.