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The Henry Family #2
War and Remembrance
War and Remembrance is a historical romance. The subject is World War II, the viewpoint American. A prologue, The Winds of War, published in 1971, set the historical frame for this work by picturing the events leading up to Pearl Harbor. This is a novel of America at war, from Pearl Harbor to Hiroshima.
1042 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1978
1760 people are currently reading
14930 people want to read
About the author
Herman Wouk
161 books1,399 followersHerman Wouk was a bestselling, Pulitzer Prize-winning Jewish American author with a number of notable novels to his credit, including The Caine Mutiny, The Winds of War, and War and Remembrance.
Herman Wouk was born in New York City into a Jewish family that had emigrated from Russia. After a childhood and adolescence in the Bronx and a high school diploma from Townsend Harris High School, he earned a B.A. from Columbia University in 1934, where he was a member of the Pi Lambda Phi fraternity and studied under philosopher Irwin Edman. Soon thereafter, he became a radio dramatist, working in David Freedman's "Joke Factory" and later with Fred Allen for five years and then, in 1941, for the United States government, writing radio spots to sell war bonds. He lived a fairly secular lifestyle in his early 20s before deciding to return to a more traditional Jewish way of life, modeled after that of his grandfather, in his mid-20s.
Wouk joined the United States Navy and served in the Pacific Theater, an experience he later characterized as educational; "I learned about machinery, I learned how men behaved under pressure, and I learned about Americans." Wouk served as an officer aboard two destroyer minesweepers (DMS), the USS Zane and USS Southard, becoming executive officer of the latter. He started writing a novel, Aurora Dawn, during off-duty hours aboard ship. Wouk sent a copy of the opening chapters to Irwin Edman who quoted a few pages verbatim to a New York editor. The result was a publisher's contract sent to Wouk's ship, then off the coast of Okinawa. The novel was published in 1947 and became a Book of the Month Club main selection. His second novel, City Boy, proved to be a commercial disappointment at the time of its initial publication in 1948.
While writing his next novel, Wouk read each chapter as it was completed to his wife, who remarked at one point that if they didn't like this one, he'd better take up another line of work (a line he would give to the character of the editor Jeannie Fry in his 1962 novel Youngblood Hawke). The novel, The Caine Mutiny (1951), went on to win the Pulitzer Prize. A huge best-seller, drawing from his wartime experiences aboard minesweepers during World War II, The Caine Mutiny was adapted by the author into a Broadway play called The Caine Mutiny Court Martial, and was later made into a film, with Humphrey Bogart portraying Lt. Commander Philip Francis Queeg, captain of the fictional USS Caine. Some Navy personnel complained at the time that Wouk had taken every twitch of every commanding officer in the Navy and put them all into one character, but Captain Queeg has endured as one of the great characters in American fiction.
He married Betty Sarah Brown in 1945, with whom he had three sons: Abraham, Nathanial, and Joseph. He became a fulltime writer in 1946 to support his growing family. His first-born son, Abraham Isaac Wouk, died in a tragic accident as a child; Wouk later dedicated War and Remembrance (1978) to him with the Biblical words, "He will destroy death forever."
In 1998, Wouk received the Guardian of Zion Award.
Herman Wouk died in his sleep in his home in Palm Springs, California, on May 17, 2019, at the age of 103, ten days before his 104th birthday.
Herman Wouk was born in New York City into a Jewish family that had emigrated from Russia. After a childhood and adolescence in the Bronx and a high school diploma from Townsend Harris High School, he earned a B.A. from Columbia University in 1934, where he was a member of the Pi Lambda Phi fraternity and studied under philosopher Irwin Edman. Soon thereafter, he became a radio dramatist, working in David Freedman's "Joke Factory" and later with Fred Allen for five years and then, in 1941, for the United States government, writing radio spots to sell war bonds. He lived a fairly secular lifestyle in his early 20s before deciding to return to a more traditional Jewish way of life, modeled after that of his grandfather, in his mid-20s.
Wouk joined the United States Navy and served in the Pacific Theater, an experience he later characterized as educational; "I learned about machinery, I learned how men behaved under pressure, and I learned about Americans." Wouk served as an officer aboard two destroyer minesweepers (DMS), the USS Zane and USS Southard, becoming executive officer of the latter. He started writing a novel, Aurora Dawn, during off-duty hours aboard ship. Wouk sent a copy of the opening chapters to Irwin Edman who quoted a few pages verbatim to a New York editor. The result was a publisher's contract sent to Wouk's ship, then off the coast of Okinawa. The novel was published in 1947 and became a Book of the Month Club main selection. His second novel, City Boy, proved to be a commercial disappointment at the time of its initial publication in 1948.
While writing his next novel, Wouk read each chapter as it was completed to his wife, who remarked at one point that if they didn't like this one, he'd better take up another line of work (a line he would give to the character of the editor Jeannie Fry in his 1962 novel Youngblood Hawke). The novel, The Caine Mutiny (1951), went on to win the Pulitzer Prize. A huge best-seller, drawing from his wartime experiences aboard minesweepers during World War II, The Caine Mutiny was adapted by the author into a Broadway play called The Caine Mutiny Court Martial, and was later made into a film, with Humphrey Bogart portraying Lt. Commander Philip Francis Queeg, captain of the fictional USS Caine. Some Navy personnel complained at the time that Wouk had taken every twitch of every commanding officer in the Navy and put them all into one character, but Captain Queeg has endured as one of the great characters in American fiction.
He married Betty Sarah Brown in 1945, with whom he had three sons: Abraham, Nathanial, and Joseph. He became a fulltime writer in 1946 to support his growing family. His first-born son, Abraham Isaac Wouk, died in a tragic accident as a child; Wouk later dedicated War and Remembrance (1978) to him with the Biblical words, "He will destroy death forever."
In 1998, Wouk received the Guardian of Zion Award.
Herman Wouk died in his sleep in his home in Palm Springs, California, on May 17, 2019, at the age of 103, ten days before his 104th birthday.
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March 29, 2023
“[W]hat a target, that mess of airplanes [on the Japanese aircraft carrier] rushing up at him now in the telescopic sight, so clear that he could see white numbers on the fuselages…No other this yet; he’d go. Now his heart was racing, his mouth was parched, and his ears seemed about to burst. He yanked the bomb release, felt the jolt of lightness as the missile flew clear, remembered to keep going to make sure he didn’t throw the bomb, and he pulled up…His body sagged to the seat, his head swam, his stomach seemed to plop against his backbone, the gray mist came and went; he kicked the plane’s tail and glanced backward…A sheet of white fire was climbing out of those airplanes, billowing black smoke; and even as he looked, the fire spread and exploded along the deck and arched into the air in beautiful colors, red, yellow, purple, pink, with varicolored smoke towering into the sky. What a terrific change in a second or two! Debris was flying in every direction, pieces of airplanes, pieces of the deck, whole human bodies tumbling upward like tossed rag dolls; what a horrible unbelievable magnificent sight! The whole wild holocaust of fire and smoke went roaring skyward and streaming astern, for the stricken carrier was still rushing at full speed into the wind…”
- Herman Wouk, War and Remembrance
"He will destroy death forever..."
- The Book of Isaiah 25:8
How do you follow up an epic masterpiece like The Wind of War?
For Herman Wouk, the solution is rather easy: Write an even better book.
In The Winds of War, Wouk told the story of the world’s descent into World War II through dozens of characters, most of them centered around the American Naval family of Victor “Pug” Henry. By the end of that brick-sized tome, Wouk had arranged all his pieces on a global chessboard, leaving the actual war itself for the sequel.
In War and Remembrance, Wouk plunges all those characters into the maelstrom, where some will live, some will die, and all will be changed forever.
Pug, the hub of the wheel, serves as the commander of a heavy cruiser, then is sent to the U.S.S.R. to analyze Lend Lease, and later finds himself at the Teheran Conference. One of his sons, Warren, is a naval aviator, who participates in the tide-turning battle of Midway. Meanwhile, his other son, Byron, serves on several different submarines while desperately trying to secure the safety of his wife, Natalie, a Jew caught on a Continent that has been swallowed by Hitler. Natalie, along with her uncle, Aaron Jastrow, serve as twin Virgils, leading us into the twisted machinery of the Holocaust.
As in the first book, Wouk uses the device of book excerpts from a fictional book (World Holocaust) written by a fictional German general (Armin von Roon) and translated by the also fictional Pug Henry. In The Winds of War, I found these sections distracting, serving mainly to keep me from the storylines I cared about. Here, however, I started to see the utility. Anyone who has ever read historical fiction knows how groaningly bad the expositional dialogue between characters can get. It is difficult to tell a propulsive human story while also smoothly providing the real-life context in which things are taking place.
Wouk solves this problem in typically blunt fashion by interspersing the narrative with periodic lectures on the progress of worldwide events. It is not necessarily an elegant solution, but these sections do a lot of heavy lifting, which allows the characters to focus on their individual experiences, without having to explain them to the audience.
Perhaps the oddest thing about these excerpts, though, is that Wouk chooses a German to deliver them. The result is a jarring pro-Wehrmacht point-of-view, in which Hitler’s greatest sin is stupidity coupled with overzealousness, and in which most Germans were good and honorable. It is a perspective, unfortunately, that seems to be gaining traction on the fringes of society today, and it is a strange authorial choice on Wouk’s part. Of course, everything that von Roon writes is belied by the events happening elsewhere in the novel. It’s as though Wouk is attempting to work a very subtle meta-critique of the “Good German” theory of World War II. If so, I think Wouk was too clever by half.
One of the things I noted about The Winds of War is its somewhat incongruous marriage of low, soap operatic drama, with its high-minded historic verisimilitude. That marriage continues in this follow-up, making it one of the few marriages to survive a Herman Wouk novel. Pug continues his romance of the Englishwoman Pamela Tudsbury. Meanwhile, his estranged wife Rhoda moves from affair to affair, though giving her whole heart mainly to alcohol. Madeline Henry, Pug’s daughter, cannot necessarily carry on the family tradition of joining the Navy; she can, however, have her own affair, this time with radio personality Hugh Cleveland. The strange thing about all these couplings and uncouplings is how chaste they are. There is very little cursing or kissing and we are firmly in PG-rated territory.
Wouk’s descriptions of war and suffering, on the other hand, are extremely grim. While the violence is not as graphic or gratuitous as what you might find in more modern publications, War and Remembrance is harrowing in its depiction of a world convulsed by hatred.
Wouk has an incredible and vivid sense of place. In The Winds of War, we visited prewar Europe, and saw places that were on the verge of cataclysmic transformation. In War and Remembrance, we see the end results. For instance, Pug visits a post-siege Stalingrad:
Wouk is expansive enough to acknowledge that the Germans and the Japanese, for all the horrors they inflicted, did not have monopoly rights on cruelty. There is a scene with Byron, for instance, witnessing his submarine commander order the massacre of Japanese castaways.
Nothing compares, however, to Wouk’s descriptions of the Holocaust. He takes us deep into the camps, right into the gas chambers themselves. Few works of fiction have gone this far, have been this precise in imagining the unimaginable. It is unforgettable.
War and Remembrance seldom gets mentioned in short lists of the greatest war novels of all time, or even great World War II novels. It lacks the polemical force and easily graspable antiwar message of All Quiet on the Western Front. It does not have the absurdities and cynicism that mark critical favorites such as Catch-22 and The Naked and the Dead. Rather, War and Remembrance is doggedly straightforward and old fashioned in its celebration of military service and patriotism (though Wouk, as he showed with The Caine Mutiny, is not shy about critiquing the moribund bureaucracy and systemic inefficiencies built into every service branch).
These 1,000-plus pages can barely contain Wouk’s vast ambitions. While many of the plot mechanics center on characters making questionable romantic choices, Wouk’s overarching intent is to capture the essence of the World War II experience in all its forms. It is an attempt at swallowing the world, and Wouk gives it his all. Many of his techniques are about as subtle as a sledgehammer striking a bell (one character’s death, for instance, is intercut with King David’s lament for the death of his son Absalom). These techniques are also incredibly effective, with real emotional resonance. When Wouk reminds you that his characters are not real, it is a bit jarring, because they certainly feel real.
Wouk intended War and Remembrance to be a monument. That objective is built into the title. He succeeds dramatically. Yet this is not a memorial of marble or bronze, but of collective experiences. Somehow, it feels more enduring than any statue or cenotaph.
Herman Wouk never received the acclaim he deserved, his Pulitzer notwithstanding. That does not matter to me. For my money, you can keep War and Peace, because this might be the great war epic of all time.
- Herman Wouk, War and Remembrance
"He will destroy death forever..."
- The Book of Isaiah 25:8
How do you follow up an epic masterpiece like The Wind of War?
For Herman Wouk, the solution is rather easy: Write an even better book.
In The Winds of War, Wouk told the story of the world’s descent into World War II through dozens of characters, most of them centered around the American Naval family of Victor “Pug” Henry. By the end of that brick-sized tome, Wouk had arranged all his pieces on a global chessboard, leaving the actual war itself for the sequel.
In War and Remembrance, Wouk plunges all those characters into the maelstrom, where some will live, some will die, and all will be changed forever.
Pug, the hub of the wheel, serves as the commander of a heavy cruiser, then is sent to the U.S.S.R. to analyze Lend Lease, and later finds himself at the Teheran Conference. One of his sons, Warren, is a naval aviator, who participates in the tide-turning battle of Midway. Meanwhile, his other son, Byron, serves on several different submarines while desperately trying to secure the safety of his wife, Natalie, a Jew caught on a Continent that has been swallowed by Hitler. Natalie, along with her uncle, Aaron Jastrow, serve as twin Virgils, leading us into the twisted machinery of the Holocaust.
As in the first book, Wouk uses the device of book excerpts from a fictional book (World Holocaust) written by a fictional German general (Armin von Roon) and translated by the also fictional Pug Henry. In The Winds of War, I found these sections distracting, serving mainly to keep me from the storylines I cared about. Here, however, I started to see the utility. Anyone who has ever read historical fiction knows how groaningly bad the expositional dialogue between characters can get. It is difficult to tell a propulsive human story while also smoothly providing the real-life context in which things are taking place.
Wouk solves this problem in typically blunt fashion by interspersing the narrative with periodic lectures on the progress of worldwide events. It is not necessarily an elegant solution, but these sections do a lot of heavy lifting, which allows the characters to focus on their individual experiences, without having to explain them to the audience.
Perhaps the oddest thing about these excerpts, though, is that Wouk chooses a German to deliver them. The result is a jarring pro-Wehrmacht point-of-view, in which Hitler’s greatest sin is stupidity coupled with overzealousness, and in which most Germans were good and honorable. It is a perspective, unfortunately, that seems to be gaining traction on the fringes of society today, and it is a strange authorial choice on Wouk’s part. Of course, everything that von Roon writes is belied by the events happening elsewhere in the novel. It’s as though Wouk is attempting to work a very subtle meta-critique of the “Good German” theory of World War II. If so, I think Wouk was too clever by half.
One of the things I noted about The Winds of War is its somewhat incongruous marriage of low, soap operatic drama, with its high-minded historic verisimilitude. That marriage continues in this follow-up, making it one of the few marriages to survive a Herman Wouk novel. Pug continues his romance of the Englishwoman Pamela Tudsbury. Meanwhile, his estranged wife Rhoda moves from affair to affair, though giving her whole heart mainly to alcohol. Madeline Henry, Pug’s daughter, cannot necessarily carry on the family tradition of joining the Navy; she can, however, have her own affair, this time with radio personality Hugh Cleveland. The strange thing about all these couplings and uncouplings is how chaste they are. There is very little cursing or kissing and we are firmly in PG-rated territory.
Wouk’s descriptions of war and suffering, on the other hand, are extremely grim. While the violence is not as graphic or gratuitous as what you might find in more modern publications, War and Remembrance is harrowing in its depiction of a world convulsed by hatred.
Wouk has an incredible and vivid sense of place. In The Winds of War, we visited prewar Europe, and saw places that were on the verge of cataclysmic transformation. In War and Remembrance, we see the end results. For instance, Pug visits a post-siege Stalingrad:
From the air, the approaches to Stalingrad were a moonscape. Giant bomb craters, pustular rings by the thousands, scarred a snowy earth littered with machines. Stalingrad itself, straggling along a black broad river flecked with floating ice, had the roofless broke look of a dug-up ancient city.
Wouk is expansive enough to acknowledge that the Germans and the Japanese, for all the horrors they inflicted, did not have monopoly rights on cruelty. There is a scene with Byron, for instance, witnessing his submarine commander order the massacre of Japanese castaways.
On the instant every gun barrel on the Moray was spitting yellow fire and white smoke…The Japanese were leaping frantically off the boats and rafts. The four-inch gun was methodically picking off boats, and at this point-blank range they were flying apart one by one. Soon the rafts and launches were empty, the troops were all in the water, and some were shucking their life jackets to dive deep. Machine gun bullets were drilling rows of white spurts in the water. Byron saw heads bursting redly open like dropped melons.
Nothing compares, however, to Wouk’s descriptions of the Holocaust. He takes us deep into the camps, right into the gas chambers themselves. Few works of fiction have gone this far, have been this precise in imagining the unimaginable. It is unforgettable.
War and Remembrance seldom gets mentioned in short lists of the greatest war novels of all time, or even great World War II novels. It lacks the polemical force and easily graspable antiwar message of All Quiet on the Western Front. It does not have the absurdities and cynicism that mark critical favorites such as Catch-22 and The Naked and the Dead. Rather, War and Remembrance is doggedly straightforward and old fashioned in its celebration of military service and patriotism (though Wouk, as he showed with The Caine Mutiny, is not shy about critiquing the moribund bureaucracy and systemic inefficiencies built into every service branch).
These 1,000-plus pages can barely contain Wouk’s vast ambitions. While many of the plot mechanics center on characters making questionable romantic choices, Wouk’s overarching intent is to capture the essence of the World War II experience in all its forms. It is an attempt at swallowing the world, and Wouk gives it his all. Many of his techniques are about as subtle as a sledgehammer striking a bell (one character’s death, for instance, is intercut with King David’s lament for the death of his son Absalom). These techniques are also incredibly effective, with real emotional resonance. When Wouk reminds you that his characters are not real, it is a bit jarring, because they certainly feel real.
Wouk intended War and Remembrance to be a monument. That objective is built into the title. He succeeds dramatically. Yet this is not a memorial of marble or bronze, but of collective experiences. Somehow, it feels more enduring than any statue or cenotaph.
Herman Wouk never received the acclaim he deserved, his Pulitzer notwithstanding. That does not matter to me. For my money, you can keep War and Peace, because this might be the great war epic of all time.
March 3, 2007
This review covers both books in this story of World War II, The Winds of War and War and Remembrance. Together they follow the experience and growth of Victor Henry, a U.S. Navy Officer, his family, and the many people they meet (American and otherwise) in the great events of that global conflict. As with all great novels, these books are not meant merely to entertain, but to teach and communicate something of the human condition. Here, the auther attempts to reveal the depth of human goodness and evil; to document the human ability to strive, to suffer, to hurt, and to love; and to show the final virtue in individual goodness. I sometimes feel like placid, comfortable lives tend to obscure humanity: there is no need for greatness and no opportunity. This is also dealt with in the story, for though the events of this story take place during a world war, a relatively small part of the book takes place during actual combat. All in all, this is a masterful work, equally attractive to those who enjoy romance and those who enjoy battle. In my mind it stands with War and Peace as one of the greatest novels of all time.
September 19, 2020
I do not think I would be able to review this wonderful book.
The book details the History of the Second World War in all its intricacy, but without the statistics, which is fine for me.
Somehow, I can make the time to understand the statistics but the human History is important to me. Whenever I read about World War II I want to know what happened to the people, what did they go through, how did they cope with this tremendous impact to their lives, how is that they did not go mad, or commit suicide in droves.
That tremendous resilience is what I want to understand.
But my source for anything to do with Second World War, is Wouk. What is amazing is that he gives the German point of view too. The History of the War is laid out simply so that even a person who knows nothing and wants to understand the trajectory the War can begin with Wouk.
Then move on to the more detailed statistics, but Wouk is great to start with.
The book details the History of the Second World War in all its intricacy, but without the statistics, which is fine for me.
Somehow, I can make the time to understand the statistics but the human History is important to me. Whenever I read about World War II I want to know what happened to the people, what did they go through, how did they cope with this tremendous impact to their lives, how is that they did not go mad, or commit suicide in droves.
That tremendous resilience is what I want to understand.
But my source for anything to do with Second World War, is Wouk. What is amazing is that he gives the German point of view too. The History of the War is laid out simply so that even a person who knows nothing and wants to understand the trajectory the War can begin with Wouk.
Then move on to the more detailed statistics, but Wouk is great to start with.
November 6, 2011
“War and Remembrance” is a legitimate 5 STAR book if there ever was one! It is, along with The Winds of War, the Gold Standard of historical fiction for World War II.
Readers should seriously consider reading The Winds of War before reading this book for two reasons. One, the first book in the dualology is a prequel and the understanding the story and the characters makes reading the second book that much more enjoyable.
The second reason is to be sure you like how Herman Wouk writes and treats history. Most people do but if you’re one of those ultra-picky readers, you may find his canvas too broad, his characters too perfect and his treatment of historical figures too narrow. If that’s the case, you need not waste your time reading the second book.
For me, however, Wouk is a master storyteller and these two books are fantastic. They deal with a period of history that is my passion and I certainly tip my hat to Wouk for his thoughtful and thorough research. For wonderful thought-provoking entertainment and a history lesson all rolled into one, these two books are the best you can get!
John E. Nevola
Author of The Last Jump: A Novel of World War II
Readers should seriously consider reading The Winds of War before reading this book for two reasons. One, the first book in the dualology is a prequel and the understanding the story and the characters makes reading the second book that much more enjoyable.
The second reason is to be sure you like how Herman Wouk writes and treats history. Most people do but if you’re one of those ultra-picky readers, you may find his canvas too broad, his characters too perfect and his treatment of historical figures too narrow. If that’s the case, you need not waste your time reading the second book.
For me, however, Wouk is a master storyteller and these two books are fantastic. They deal with a period of history that is my passion and I certainly tip my hat to Wouk for his thoughtful and thorough research. For wonderful thought-provoking entertainment and a history lesson all rolled into one, these two books are the best you can get!
John E. Nevola
Author of The Last Jump: A Novel of World War II
May 24, 2020
Quite brilliant and at times unforgettable.
January 10, 2025
Reread (and partial miniseries watch for now, though not yet audiobook) - better than I remembered from long ago and while harrowing and dark as the times were, I still think that some of the author's choices that have been forced to allow us to experience the dark times through characters we are invested in could have been made to be less obviously forced
August 1, 2016
I read these back in the 80s at the same time a friend of mine did. She loved them and sort of aimed me at them (we both liked Robert Ludlum, Frederick Forsyth and a few other authors). I can't say I liked these as much as she did.
This duology concentrated more heavily (so heavily) on the romances and love lives of the characters in these books that I was hardily sick of them by the time I finished. The books basically became one long extended soap opera so far as I was concerned. The actions of the characters were annoying, and by turns predictable or infuriating (for example... no details here to avoid a spoiler, but) one of our female protagonists makes such incomprehensible decisions it came very close to winning the book a flight out the window. it was however a library book so I couldn't fling it.
*******Slight Spoiler Below Line ********
This duology concentrated more heavily (so heavily) on the romances and love lives of the characters in these books that I was hardily sick of them by the time I finished. The books basically became one long extended soap opera so far as I was concerned. The actions of the characters were annoying, and by turns predictable or infuriating (for example... no details here to avoid a spoiler, but) one of our female protagonists makes such incomprehensible decisions it came very close to winning the book a flight out the window. it was however a library book so I couldn't fling it.
*******Slight Spoiler Below Line ********
July 10, 2022
The Winds of War, the first book in this saga, did a brilliant job of integrating an interesting and robust fictional story with the real-world events leading up to the U.S.'s entry into WW II. Unfortunately, War & Remembrance utterly lacks this balance between fiction and reality. The fictional portion is a rather dull and paper thin veneer that could easily be told in 100-200 pages. (The book contains over 1,000.) The vast majority of this work presents the story of WW II and, even more so, of the Holocaust. These are certainly momentous events. However, if I wanted to read principally about the actual war and/or Holocaust, I would have chosen a non-fiction work, not a novel. I was also not enamored with Wouk's writing style, which relies heavily on excerpts from three fictional books. As much as I loved the Winds of War, I wish I had not wasted my time on this massive mediocrity.
August 20, 2013
Occasionally I get a craving for something a little different, especially in audiobook format since I share them with my husband. And his tolerance for romance is loooooow. So I stepped outside of my usual comfort zone to give the Winds of War (the preceding book to War and Remembrance) a try, since it's considered to be THE quintessential WWII historical fiction novel. I schlepped through W of W on my daily commutes, alternately bored to death or white-knuckling my steering wheel, and when I got to the end, I wasn't honestly sure whether I wanted to listen to the sequel. Impulsively, I went ahead with the purchase, as much because Audible credits make it a good bargain as from any desire to continue the story.
War and Remembrance didn't really improve on the experience of its predecessor. I still enjoyed the sweeping nature of the narrative, the way characters were conveniently flung to the far corners of the world to give the listener an intimate view of mind-bogglingly epic events. I also felt like I got a good education in parts of WWII that were skimmed over or skipped entirely in history class, such as the Paradise Ghetto, the Tehran talks, and the battle of Leyte Gulf. I even enjoyed the long-winded digressions of the fictional German General Armin von Roon. But I found the writing itself to be jarring at times, particularly the wavering between limited- and omniscient-third-person viewpoints. The inclusion of occasional flowery, essay-like passages on the war direct from the author also bugged me. I don't like my opinions spoon-fed to me, I'd rather have characters and plots speak for themselves. It was also very, very clear that the author was writing in the 60s/70s, and some of Wouk's more dour elegiacs weren't nearly as prescient as he likely thought they were.
The big downside for me, which will keep me from ultimately recommending this book (and its prequel) to anyone, is how difficult it is to root for any of these characters. Terrible things happen to most of them, and almost all of them bring it all on themselves. The women in particular tend to be vain, vapid, and stupid. The men don't always cover themselves in glory either; even Victor Henry, the paragon of virtue, tends to wallow in indecision at key moments. I slogged through nearly 100 hours of narrative with the hope that at least some of these characters would redeem themselves by the end, but for the most part, I was disappointed.
Towards the end, it seemed like Wouk himself started feeling like it was a slog, too. The narrative seemed to speed up, as if Wouk was eliding important character-driven moments and skimming through the last year of the war in the hopes of just finishing the damned thing before being buried alive by it. I guess I'm glad I read it, but I kind of feel like I want 100 hours of my life back, too.
War and Remembrance didn't really improve on the experience of its predecessor. I still enjoyed the sweeping nature of the narrative, the way characters were conveniently flung to the far corners of the world to give the listener an intimate view of mind-bogglingly epic events. I also felt like I got a good education in parts of WWII that were skimmed over or skipped entirely in history class, such as the Paradise Ghetto, the Tehran talks, and the battle of Leyte Gulf. I even enjoyed the long-winded digressions of the fictional German General Armin von Roon. But I found the writing itself to be jarring at times, particularly the wavering between limited- and omniscient-third-person viewpoints. The inclusion of occasional flowery, essay-like passages on the war direct from the author also bugged me. I don't like my opinions spoon-fed to me, I'd rather have characters and plots speak for themselves. It was also very, very clear that the author was writing in the 60s/70s, and some of Wouk's more dour elegiacs weren't nearly as prescient as he likely thought they were.
The big downside for me, which will keep me from ultimately recommending this book (and its prequel) to anyone, is how difficult it is to root for any of these characters. Terrible things happen to most of them, and almost all of them bring it all on themselves. The women in particular tend to be vain, vapid, and stupid. The men don't always cover themselves in glory either; even Victor Henry, the paragon of virtue, tends to wallow in indecision at key moments. I slogged through nearly 100 hours of narrative with the hope that at least some of these characters would redeem themselves by the end, but for the most part, I was disappointed.
Towards the end, it seemed like Wouk himself started feeling like it was a slog, too. The narrative seemed to speed up, as if Wouk was eliding important character-driven moments and skimming through the last year of the war in the hopes of just finishing the damned thing before being buried alive by it. I guess I'm glad I read it, but I kind of feel like I want 100 hours of my life back, too.
June 5, 2018
I never wanted this book to end. I actually read several books in between while reading it, which I never do, so that I could extend the length of the book. I wish there was another book in the series. I loved the characters and their story. The historical references in the book were amazing. If you like to read about history and WWII, I highly recommend the the series. First book is The Winds of War.
May 15, 2018
I can't resist this book. Every time I pick it up in a library or at a book sale I end up standing there leafing through it for twenty minutes at a time.
The only problem is, the only sections I ever read are the excerpts from WORLD EMPIRE LOST by Armin Von Roon, the German general Pug Henry befriends before the war. The strategic analysis and the vast battle descriptions are a lot more real than anything that happens to the characters in the books. Their lives seem to have no reality even to the author himself.
Lots of reviewers have mentioned that all the female characters in this book are weak, shallow, spoiled and stupid. What's really disturbing is that there's almost no description of America, the home front, or even the every day experiences of ordinary enlisted men. It's interesting in that these books are consciously patterned after WAR AND PEACE by Leo Tolstoy. They focus on worldwide events and a lot of the characters are actual, historical, movers and shakers. The difference is that Tolstoy could effortlessly conjure up the humanity of a scene -- a peasant girl watching General Kutuzov make plans on the night before the battle of Borodino -- whereas Herman Wouk has no interest in the human dimension of war.
He's more like Von Roon than he realizes!
The only problem is, the only sections I ever read are the excerpts from WORLD EMPIRE LOST by Armin Von Roon, the German general Pug Henry befriends before the war. The strategic analysis and the vast battle descriptions are a lot more real than anything that happens to the characters in the books. Their lives seem to have no reality even to the author himself.
Lots of reviewers have mentioned that all the female characters in this book are weak, shallow, spoiled and stupid. What's really disturbing is that there's almost no description of America, the home front, or even the every day experiences of ordinary enlisted men. It's interesting in that these books are consciously patterned after WAR AND PEACE by Leo Tolstoy. They focus on worldwide events and a lot of the characters are actual, historical, movers and shakers. The difference is that Tolstoy could effortlessly conjure up the humanity of a scene -- a peasant girl watching General Kutuzov make plans on the night before the battle of Borodino -- whereas Herman Wouk has no interest in the human dimension of war.
He's more like Von Roon than he realizes!
March 2, 2007
This book was my life for a good 2 months and I will never be the same. I read this before Winds of War which is actually supposed to be first. I would recommend reading them in order, but I do believe that War and Remembrance is slightly better. It's the story of a family during WWII, and you grow to absolutely care about everyone, and really understand all the complexities and personality flaws of the characters. Some are in America, some are in Europe, some feel strongly against Hitler, some aren't sure, some are fighting, some are waiting, some are suffering, some are stuck in Europe, some are in love, some are out of love, some are cheating, some are faithful till the end, some are hunted, some are hunting. I could go on. This mass market paperback I found in a used bookstore was like 1400 pages. So be prepared for that. The regular paperback is probably 900-100o pages. So worth it.
July 14, 2013
Just arrived from Jamaica through BM.
A magnificent work of fiction written by Herman Wouk with plenty of historical facts.
Among the main historical facts, one should mention the battles of Singapore, Midway (unforgettable tale), Leyte Gulf, the Tehran Conference, the sieges of Imphal and Leningrad.
Some hints of the Manhattan project has also been provided by the author.
I have never heard about "The Paradise Ghetto" before I have read this book as well as the "Great Beautification".
It seems the author performed a great research work on the scenes in Oswiecim or Auschwitz.
A TV series War and Remembrance (1988) was made based on this book.
5* Winds of War
5* War and Remembrance
TBR The Caine Mutiny
TBR The Hope
TBR The Glory
A magnificent work of fiction written by Herman Wouk with plenty of historical facts.
Among the main historical facts, one should mention the battles of Singapore, Midway (unforgettable tale), Leyte Gulf, the Tehran Conference, the sieges of Imphal and Leningrad.
Some hints of the Manhattan project has also been provided by the author.
I have never heard about "The Paradise Ghetto" before I have read this book as well as the "Great Beautification".
It seems the author performed a great research work on the scenes in Oswiecim or Auschwitz.
A TV series War and Remembrance (1988) was made based on this book.
5* Winds of War
5* War and Remembrance
TBR The Caine Mutiny
TBR The Hope
TBR The Glory
November 25, 2018
After I read the book that preceded this one, I immediately started this one. I liked this one as much as the first one. That kind of surprises me. Both of these books get into detailed war scenes which isn't particularly my thing, but I loved the history of this. The author covered the historical facts and details. He wove that into the story of the Henry family. The family drama was also as captivating as it was with the first one. It felt like real life problems because it wasn't all perfect. But I do have one complaint. The women were all incredibly similar....domineering, bossy, and liberal. While I don't have a problem with any of those things, it was a little monotonous at times. However, still 4 stars.
December 16, 2022
This is the second part of the World War two saga written by Wouk, where it follows the family plus a couple of other main characters through the rest of the war. I didn't like this one as much solely because of the stretches where Wouk wrote about the war--I have to remind myself that this came out in 1978 when there weren't nearly as many novels on WW II yet, plus he fought in it--but I personally didn't care for that so read those parts quickly.
That said, this two book series is one I recommend since it's not looking back from the 21st century perspective born after the war. Sure, there are many things missing from this Jewish writer --nothing done by women or blacks in the military, for example, nor the things learned over the years about amazing rescues by people in the underground. The main focus of Hitler's hatred described is toward the Jews, which of course there were far more of in Europe than people of colour at that time. We don't read about what he did to the disabled, about the WACs, black regiments, etc, and yet still the two volumes come to over 1800 pages.
However, there are some excellent accounts of other things I haven't read often (or ever) in other novels about WW II, and I've read many more than listed on GR. In addition, you can see to toll the war took in the lives of those whose POVs are involved as well as others from the perspective of a man from that generation.
That said, this two book series is one I recommend since it's not looking back from the 21st century perspective born after the war. Sure, there are many things missing from this Jewish writer --nothing done by women or blacks in the military, for example, nor the things learned over the years about amazing rescues by people in the underground. The main focus of Hitler's hatred described is toward the Jews, which of course there were far more of in Europe than people of colour at that time. We don't read about what he did to the disabled, about the WACs, black regiments, etc, and yet still the two volumes come to over 1800 pages.
However, there are some excellent accounts of other things I haven't read often (or ever) in other novels about WW II, and I've read many more than listed on GR. In addition, you can see to toll the war took in the lives of those whose POVs are involved as well as others from the perspective of a man from that generation.
February 24, 2012
Blecccch. There isn't a more unbelievable, unappealing, sexless "romance" than that of Pamela and Pug. Fortunately, a few of the characters I disliked in The Winds of War have redeemed themselves or at least become more interesting and less obnoxious. The only woman who comes off with any growth or dignity is Natalie, and she only ends up that way through unimaginable suffering. Pamela is a pathetic martyr, Rhoda is a selfish, dishonest twit, Madeleine is ignored through most of the book, and Janice turns into a slut (except at the end, when she turns into a frumpy former slut!)
Reading both novels back to back, I started out reading von Roon's "excerpts," but ended up skimming them at the end, only reading Victor's notes. I also skimmed the Leyte Gulf chapters as they were technically and historically thorough, but did not contain much plot. I enjoy Wouk's attention to naval detail, but at the same time this portion went too far in that direction.
Reading both novels back to back, I started out reading von Roon's "excerpts," but ended up skimming them at the end, only reading Victor's notes. I also skimmed the Leyte Gulf chapters as they were technically and historically thorough, but did not contain much plot. I enjoy Wouk's attention to naval detail, but at the same time this portion went too far in that direction.
March 17, 2013
I've read these books a couple of times and now I've listened to them with audio.com. Herman Wouk is brilliant. Just as a historical review, these books are valuable, but they offer so very much more in terms of character, plot, and themes. Two of the best books ever written!
May 29, 2011
Get the hell out of Italy, Natalie!
January 26, 2024
Rarely have I read a book so captivating. Herman is an amazing writer and historian. I finished a few days ago but have frequently found myself daydreaming about the characters and their lives. Won't be surprised if this ends up being my favorite book of 2024.
March 12, 2012
This, along with "Winds of War" I will treat as one book. To say that this story was anything but phenomenal would be a crime. By far, this is one of the best stories I have ever read or will read. I look forward to reading it again someday so as to learn more than I did the first time around. I will do my very best to suggest this book to everyone I know, as their lives will only be enriched as mine has. There are not enough words in the English language that can describe how moving, captivating, uniquely interesting and well researched this work is. I feel very thankful to my friend Dan, who suggested I read this. It was everything and more.
February 12, 2009
This book didn't move as fast as the first one, possibly bcause it was so long and paid so much attention to historical detail but I was completely taken by it (even if I had to break up the nearly 1400 pages by reading other things at the same time.) "Fascinating" doesn't even begin to describe this book, if you're at all interested in history.
November 4, 2019
This truly was a masterpiece that blended an engaging work of fiction with an accurate (and equally engaging) retelling of the history of WWII. As someone deeply interested in WWII history, and whose own family story is deeply intertwined with it, following the fictional Henry family through their trials and tribulations, personal losses and new-found freedoms, was very enjoyable.
The scale of the work was immense, and Wouk had researched the history very well. I was a bit confused with some of his writing techniques, but perhaps this was due to cramming so much into a written account of family/world history. As a couple of minor quibbles, I found it odd that Byron's story was quite scant in this second book. He essentially disappears from view as of 1943 , until resurfacing (no pun intended) at the end of the war. In fact, much of 1944-45 seemed somewhat rushed, as Wouk ties up all the loose ends--mostly. Another item I found a bit mysterious was how we are left to puzzle out what happened to Berel Jastrow.
Yes--this book does have some (minor) faults. However, I find it incredible how Wouk interwove the political decisions, battle strategies, the terrible Holocaust and so many history-changing events all together with a personal family chronicle. It truly brings much of 20th Century history and politics home to the average person, showing us how our current lives, in both the public and personal sense, were shaped by these immense events.
The scale of the work was immense, and Wouk had researched the history very well. I was a bit confused with some of his writing techniques, but perhaps this was due to cramming so much into a written account of family/world history. As a couple of minor quibbles, I found it odd that Byron's story was quite scant in this second book. He essentially disappears from view as of 1943 , until resurfacing (no pun intended) at the end of the war. In fact, much of 1944-45 seemed somewhat rushed, as Wouk ties up all the loose ends--mostly. Another item I found a bit mysterious was how we are left to puzzle out what happened to Berel Jastrow.
Yes--this book does have some (minor) faults. However, I find it incredible how Wouk interwove the political decisions, battle strategies, the terrible Holocaust and so many history-changing events all together with a personal family chronicle. It truly brings much of 20th Century history and politics home to the average person, showing us how our current lives, in both the public and personal sense, were shaped by these immense events.
April 22, 2012
I liked Winds of War and I loved reading War and Remembrance. This is a historically accurate book describing WWII from Pearl Harbor until the wars conclusion. It continues the characters and theme of Winds of War with Pug Henry as the primary character who manages to put himself in many of the critical decision meetings and actions for both the Pacific and the European theatres. The action, details and perspectives presented regarding the Doolittle raid, Midway, Guadalcanal and the Battle of Leyte Gulf were excellent. I have read many books on WWII but Wouk made several observations that I had not heard before, such as that the Doolittle raid pushed the Japanese into speeding up the timetable for Midway such that they did not implement their new codes until just before the battle, a crucial reason we knew they were coming. The fiasco in leadership on both sides at Leyte Gulf was an eye opener as well. In Europe, the odd German attempt at control information at the Paradise concentration camp is told along with the gruesome mass killing of Jews at Auschwitz. There are love interests in War and Remembrance that are somewhat less central to the story than they were in Winds of War. As would be expected in a War story, some characters reach there end at the hands of the enemy. It is a tribute to Wouk's character development that the reader feels a loss when these interesting characters meet their maker. This is the best book that I have read in over a year. I give War and Remembrance a must read.
April 4, 2023
2017-June-17 This book is the 2nd part of the two book series and my thoughts after over about 40 years, from when I read the book, are not much different from what I expressed in my review of The Winds of War, book one in the series.
I could add one vivid memory from Winds of War that was carried over into this book though. That was the "meeting" that the main character Admiral Henry had with Hitler before the war, at some diplomatic reception. The description Henry gave of Hitler from that meeting seemed pretty penetrating to me at the time. It was carried into this book not only with Henry, but also with his son-in-law (Winston?) Slote(?) a diplomatic corp. professional who was convinced early on about Hitler and Nazism's philosophical and historical roots, and so tried to get Henry's youngest son to read some of that philosophy and history to have a deeper understanding of the enemy. I'm a big fan of that type of thing, not wanting to think too shallowly about big powerful people and movements. "Know your enemy" is the catch phrase, that is so true. I can't remember all the books/authors that Slote recommended, but I believe that Nietzsche, Feuerbach and Hegel were on the list, if I am not mistaken.
I also loved the continuation of the (fictional) Ex-German General's (Armin von Roon) history of the war., which was sprinkled throughout this and the previous book, in line with the historical pace of the novel. Very clever, and very grounding, to give the German perspective on the war, timing, technologies, strategies, propaganda, ideologies, etc.
I could add one vivid memory from Winds of War that was carried over into this book though. That was the "meeting" that the main character Admiral Henry had with Hitler before the war, at some diplomatic reception. The description Henry gave of Hitler from that meeting seemed pretty penetrating to me at the time. It was carried into this book not only with Henry, but also with his son-in-law (Winston?) Slote(?) a diplomatic corp. professional who was convinced early on about Hitler and Nazism's philosophical and historical roots, and so tried to get Henry's youngest son to read some of that philosophy and history to have a deeper understanding of the enemy. I'm a big fan of that type of thing, not wanting to think too shallowly about big powerful people and movements. "Know your enemy" is the catch phrase, that is so true. I can't remember all the books/authors that Slote recommended, but I believe that Nietzsche, Feuerbach and Hegel were on the list, if I am not mistaken.
I also loved the continuation of the (fictional) Ex-German General's (Armin von Roon) history of the war., which was sprinkled throughout this and the previous book, in line with the historical pace of the novel. Very clever, and very grounding, to give the German perspective on the war, timing, technologies, strategies, propaganda, ideologies, etc.
August 28, 2016
As with most readers I find it difficult to name my favorite books. The answer I generally give is this: "My favorite book is the one I am reading next." Despite this, I must admit that I do have a small few books with I love so much they have a spot in my top five list. They are the books I return to again and again. Mr Wouk's brilliant, epic tale of the Henry family found in both The Winds of War and War and Remembrance is so compelling that they have both remained on that list for 30 years. I absolutely love these two books.
This is the first time that I have listened to the audio version of the book. It was lovely. Mr Pariseau easily voices all of the many characters, giving each a distinct sound and pace. His reading is melodious, strong and consistent. He melts into the story, becoming the voice of the book. It was a beautiful experience. I will certainly listen to it again and will look for other stories narration by Pariseau.
This is the first time that I have listened to the audio version of the book. It was lovely. Mr Pariseau easily voices all of the many characters, giving each a distinct sound and pace. His reading is melodious, strong and consistent. He melts into the story, becoming the voice of the book. It was a beautiful experience. I will certainly listen to it again and will look for other stories narration by Pariseau.
April 16, 2018
Što reći o ovakvoj knjižurini. Wouk je nevjerojatan pripovjedač i obje knjige su fantastične.
Način na koji su borbe opisane kod Midwaya, Guadalcanala i Leyte Gulfa bile su izvrsne i Wouk je tu jednostavno briljirao.
Uživala sam u Vjetrovima rata, ali Rat i sjećanje je knjiga koja me je dublje pogodila. Uglavnom zato jer se veći dio priče događa u i oko koncentracijskih logora. Budući da mi je obitelj izgubila tri člana u Dahau ovo mi je bilo prilično teško i emotivno za čitati, pogotovo neke opise koji su bili toliko detaljni da mi se okretao želudac.
Ovo je priča koju nikad ne bismo smjeli zaboraviti. Knjigu bi preporučila svima koji vole povijesne knjige, a pogotovo razdoblje drugog svjetskog rata budući da je Wouk to majstorski odradio.
Način na koji su borbe opisane kod Midwaya, Guadalcanala i Leyte Gulfa bile su izvrsne i Wouk je tu jednostavno briljirao.
Uživala sam u Vjetrovima rata, ali Rat i sjećanje je knjiga koja me je dublje pogodila. Uglavnom zato jer se veći dio priče događa u i oko koncentracijskih logora. Budući da mi je obitelj izgubila tri člana u Dahau ovo mi je bilo prilično teško i emotivno za čitati, pogotovo neke opise koji su bili toliko detaljni da mi se okretao želudac.
Ovo je priča koju nikad ne bismo smjeli zaboraviti. Knjigu bi preporučila svima koji vole povijesne knjige, a pogotovo razdoblje drugog svjetskog rata budući da je Wouk to majstorski odradio.
September 30, 2018
I don't know why it's taken me so long to reread this and The Winds of War. Maybe I do know, because they are so emotionally draining. This time around, knowing so much more about WW2 now then I did then increased my interest level...there's a great deal of information here that is a lot to swallow in one gulp if it's all new to you. But a lot of the characters had stuck firmly in my mind, and I'm going to miss them so much after my revisit that I'm fighting the temptation to go back and start over. And why is it when I truly love a novel I can't think of much to say, while a one star book I can blither on and on about?
January 27, 2018
After finishing “The Winds of War” I tried very hard to take a break from the Henry family and to “save” the rest of the story for later. I lasted a week and I was back into their lives in this even longer second book. I had come to know and love these characters and I simply needed to know what happened to them all.
I did learn the fates of all the family members and a few more besides. I also learned that Wouk did a tremendous amount of research for this book, just as he did with the first in the series, but in this case, he crammed most of it into the story. Wouk did a fantastic job in giving the reader a sense of the absolutely massive scale of this war. His descriptions of the advance of the German army into Russia give you a whole new appreciation for the endless landscape and the sheer audacity and insanity of the assault. And this was just one theatre of the war! Wikipedia tells me that Wouk spent thirteen years researching for the two Henry books and I cannot help but wonder that after the success of the first book his editor was a little lax and allowed Wouk to show all that research. This was most evident in the description of battles which were often recounted from more than one angle and prefaced with expository statements from the author. This made the book feel bloated and endless and not in a good way. I often felt impatient for Wouk to get back to the action! When reading “The Winds of War,” I really didn’t want it to end and with this I really did wonder if it would.
Nonetheless, Wouk tells an amazing story. His characters are brilliant and I cared for each and every one of them. It is my understanding that Wouk moved closer to his Jewish roots as he got older and became more orthodox. This is clear from his focus on the treatment of the Jews in the war. His storyline involving Natalie Jastrow was very well-done and he treats the whole issue with great sensitivity and pathos, making clear how little regular people knew about the activities of the Nazis and the reluctance of the western powers to act on what could be perceived as war propaganda.
Another aspect of the story that Wouk did an amazing job on was the plight of refugees. So often in war stories the focus is on the war and not on the impact this has on the civilian populations. Wouk captures the uncertainty, griminess and sometimes terror of civilians travelling in Europe during war time. I read this book travelling cattle class to Australia, a fifteen and half hour trek on one flight and a 32 hour total journey from start to destination and so I found those sections, while in no comparable, particularly compelling.
I also really liked his telling of the American involvement in the war. As an Australian who grew up on a history of our country’s involvement in both the first and second world wars from the giddy-up, I have often teased Americans about coming late to the party. Wouk’s story gave me a new appreciation for the American contribution to WWII. The number of America lives lost in the conflict number in the hundreds of thousands, and should not be denigrated, it far exceeds the number of Australian deaths, but pales in comparison to the millions of lives lost in Europe. Nonetheless, America’s involvement ended the war. The American soldiers fought bravely, but it was the industrial might of America that swayed the course of war in favor of the Allies. Wouk’s description of Lend-Lease and the scale-up of American industry after Pearl Harbor is boggling and very impressive. Wouk’s suggestion that Roosevelt long wished to enter the war, but needed to manage public opinion was balanced well with his telling of these backdoor efforts to help the Allies. While I knew all these things, there was something about Wouk’s book that captured the massiveness of it all and what an accomplishment it was. While the teasing is all fun, the western world owes much to America’s effort.
I enjoyed this book even though it was bloated. I miss the Henrys now I am done. Unfortunately, it was just not as well written as the first installment. Really a 3.75 star read.
I did learn the fates of all the family members and a few more besides. I also learned that Wouk did a tremendous amount of research for this book, just as he did with the first in the series, but in this case, he crammed most of it into the story. Wouk did a fantastic job in giving the reader a sense of the absolutely massive scale of this war. His descriptions of the advance of the German army into Russia give you a whole new appreciation for the endless landscape and the sheer audacity and insanity of the assault. And this was just one theatre of the war! Wikipedia tells me that Wouk spent thirteen years researching for the two Henry books and I cannot help but wonder that after the success of the first book his editor was a little lax and allowed Wouk to show all that research. This was most evident in the description of battles which were often recounted from more than one angle and prefaced with expository statements from the author. This made the book feel bloated and endless and not in a good way. I often felt impatient for Wouk to get back to the action! When reading “The Winds of War,” I really didn’t want it to end and with this I really did wonder if it would.
Nonetheless, Wouk tells an amazing story. His characters are brilliant and I cared for each and every one of them. It is my understanding that Wouk moved closer to his Jewish roots as he got older and became more orthodox. This is clear from his focus on the treatment of the Jews in the war. His storyline involving Natalie Jastrow was very well-done and he treats the whole issue with great sensitivity and pathos, making clear how little regular people knew about the activities of the Nazis and the reluctance of the western powers to act on what could be perceived as war propaganda.
Another aspect of the story that Wouk did an amazing job on was the plight of refugees. So often in war stories the focus is on the war and not on the impact this has on the civilian populations. Wouk captures the uncertainty, griminess and sometimes terror of civilians travelling in Europe during war time. I read this book travelling cattle class to Australia, a fifteen and half hour trek on one flight and a 32 hour total journey from start to destination and so I found those sections, while in no comparable, particularly compelling.
I also really liked his telling of the American involvement in the war. As an Australian who grew up on a history of our country’s involvement in both the first and second world wars from the giddy-up, I have often teased Americans about coming late to the party. Wouk’s story gave me a new appreciation for the American contribution to WWII. The number of America lives lost in the conflict number in the hundreds of thousands, and should not be denigrated, it far exceeds the number of Australian deaths, but pales in comparison to the millions of lives lost in Europe. Nonetheless, America’s involvement ended the war. The American soldiers fought bravely, but it was the industrial might of America that swayed the course of war in favor of the Allies. Wouk’s description of Lend-Lease and the scale-up of American industry after Pearl Harbor is boggling and very impressive. Wouk’s suggestion that Roosevelt long wished to enter the war, but needed to manage public opinion was balanced well with his telling of these backdoor efforts to help the Allies. While I knew all these things, there was something about Wouk’s book that captured the massiveness of it all and what an accomplishment it was. While the teasing is all fun, the western world owes much to America’s effort.
I enjoyed this book even though it was bloated. I miss the Henrys now I am done. Unfortunately, it was just not as well written as the first installment. Really a 3.75 star read.
July 28, 2019
I've nothing much to say about this beyond the fact that I thought it was superb.
Edit: Okay Charles, you win; I really should have said more about this, given how much I enjoyed it And not to mention how much time I spent in its company - make no mistake, this was a beast of a novel. Pair it up with it predecessor, The Winds of War, and you're looking at a paperback total number of pages a gnat's ball-hair shy of 2,500.
So, then, what to say about it? Well, it covers the fortunes of the Henry family from the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor to their (the Japanese, not the Henry family) subsequent surrender following the dropping of the nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August, 1945.
The three main plot strands are as follows:
i) Pug Henry's naval career, both in command of a warship and, later, in a more logistical role (I will say no more for fear of spoilers). This strand cuts, mainly, between the Pacific theatre of operations and Washington, D.C.
ii) Byron Henry's career as a submariner and parallel efforts to extricate his wife and son from increasingly dire circumstances as they attempt to escape from Nazi-occupied Europe.
iii) Natalie Henry (neé Jastrow) and her uncle, Aaron Jastrow, as they are sucked ever deeper into the centre of the howlingly terrible maelstrom that is the Final Solution.
The historical accuracy in this book, as in its predecessor, is very impressive. As is the deftness with which shifting points of view present the state of the war from both German and Russian standpoints. These are handled deftly, if not with the lightest possible of touches, and overall the impression it left on my historical sensibilities was most favourable.
What really raised this above the commonplace for me, however, was the willingness on the part of the author to complete the ultimate slide into horror by ending the story of Aaron Jastrow in the gas chamber at Auschwitz. There were many pointers along the way that both he and Natalie (and Louis, her and Byron's son) would all survive until the end of the war but this proved, in the end, wishful thinking. And the book was all the better (and more real) for it.
Having read more Holocaust literature (at a guess, 90% of which was in the form of non-fiction) than is probably entirely healthy or sensible, this still hit me very hard indeed. That this character, this all too human "me", could end in such a way. It's the closest I've come (in terms of emotional impact), at least in all of fiction (and most of non-fiction, if I'm honest), to 'Shoah' by Claude Lanzmann (please take the time to google this, if you're not familiar with it).
Okay, now, I think that's really all I have to say on it.
Edit: Okay Charles, you win; I really should have said more about this, given how much I enjoyed it And not to mention how much time I spent in its company - make no mistake, this was a beast of a novel. Pair it up with it predecessor, The Winds of War, and you're looking at a paperback total number of pages a gnat's ball-hair shy of 2,500.
So, then, what to say about it? Well, it covers the fortunes of the Henry family from the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor to their (the Japanese, not the Henry family) subsequent surrender following the dropping of the nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August, 1945.
The three main plot strands are as follows:
i) Pug Henry's naval career, both in command of a warship and, later, in a more logistical role (I will say no more for fear of spoilers). This strand cuts, mainly, between the Pacific theatre of operations and Washington, D.C.
ii) Byron Henry's career as a submariner and parallel efforts to extricate his wife and son from increasingly dire circumstances as they attempt to escape from Nazi-occupied Europe.
iii) Natalie Henry (neé Jastrow) and her uncle, Aaron Jastrow, as they are sucked ever deeper into the centre of the howlingly terrible maelstrom that is the Final Solution.
The historical accuracy in this book, as in its predecessor, is very impressive. As is the deftness with which shifting points of view present the state of the war from both German and Russian standpoints. These are handled deftly, if not with the lightest possible of touches, and overall the impression it left on my historical sensibilities was most favourable.
What really raised this above the commonplace for me, however, was the willingness on the part of the author to complete the ultimate slide into horror by ending the story of Aaron Jastrow in the gas chamber at Auschwitz. There were many pointers along the way that both he and Natalie (and Louis, her and Byron's son) would all survive until the end of the war but this proved, in the end, wishful thinking. And the book was all the better (and more real) for it.
Having read more Holocaust literature (at a guess, 90% of which was in the form of non-fiction) than is probably entirely healthy or sensible, this still hit me very hard indeed. That this character, this all too human "me", could end in such a way. It's the closest I've come (in terms of emotional impact), at least in all of fiction (and most of non-fiction, if I'm honest), to 'Shoah' by Claude Lanzmann (please take the time to google this, if you're not familiar with it).
Okay, now, I think that's really all I have to say on it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 25, 2016
FYI The Winds of War & War & Remembrance was two actual bound books for me. The story went from one to the other seamlessly. This is fiction which is written in the confines of actual history. I found the books fascinating. It was one of those things where I was a little ticked at how the story ended because there were threads which were left un-ended, characters whom I wanted to know more about how they came out. I must say that I have become more of a non-fiction reader lately. I still read it, but I don't pay as much attention to it as I used to. I want to classify this as something other than fiction. I feel that I learned a lot of stuff about World War 2 that I never knew before. All that said, this is one of the best books I have ever read in my life. I would not try to get people to read it because it is such a long read. These two titles have over 1300 pages in them. Most people I know would not be interested simply because of the length. If someone asked me what I thought of the book, I would say that it is an excellent story and they would not be sorry if they read it. All through the book I ran into parts where I would say to myself "I will put this down after this page", and then be unable to for ten more. That hasn't happened to me in a while. The characters are believable, respectable, lovable, courageous, interesting and romantic. They are also despicable, unfaithful, cowardly, cruel, crude, and violent. These characters also change from bad to good. I can't recall a change from good to bad. The story has episodes where some of the protagonists rub shoulders with Hitler and Churchill. They go to, and exist in Auschwitz. They survive in the blitz on Warsaw. There are whole families in the story. Some don't survive, most do. I recommend it to anyone. It's a great drama with a lot of wonderful development. It leaves you thinking about mankind and it's unpredictability and predictability. Just a wonderful read.
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