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The Hope and the Glory #2
The Glory: A Novel
Continuing the story that began with The Hope, an epic story finds point man Zev Barak, CIA-connected Emily Halliday, and aging Mossad officer Sam Pasternak surviving such moments as the Entebbe raid. Reprint.
704 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
684 people are currently reading
2219 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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Displaying 1 - 30 of 139 reviews
October 30, 2016
I journey that I had started with The Hope now finally comes to an end and I must say that the journey had been enjoyable for the most part.
The characters introduced in The Hope are still there and their children have now grown old enough to don the national uniform of their country.
Israel had won the Six Days War but her troubles are far from over. In midst of war and diplomatic pressure life continues as usual - love, infatuation, misunderstanding, ambitions, affairs go on. What I liked most about the series was that the author had created real human beings- with ideals, integrity, patriotism on one hand and at the same time they also feel lust, greed and are not immune from the foibles of human character. Different people have different priorities in life and subscribe to diametrically opposite ideologies as well. Difference in beliefs can lead to the termination of romantic relationships as well.
The characters are not hundred percent perfect because it is not possible for a human being to be so.
A general of the Israeli Army who has been sent to a foreign country for getting help for a besieged Israel feels elated to meet an old flame and justifies his feeling by saying that Napoleon and Wellington had written love letters from the battlefield.
I enjoyed the portions which dealt with the wars and daring commando raids. Having said this, I need to mention that the parts about the diplomatic maneuvers of Israel were equally enjoying. I enjoyed the parts how the Israelis hoodwinked their enemies and worked around the arms embargo levied upon them. The out-of-the-box thinking that often led to military victories against staggering odds were indeed fascinating.
I must mention that the commando raids in Beirut reminded me of the movie Munich . The Entebbe raid, where Israeli forces disguised as Ugandan army rescued some hostages from an airport in Uganda was a real treat. I wish the portion had described elaborately, but this book is not about the raid. I have to find a book exclusively dealing with the operation.
I felt some portions of the book dealing with the family lives of the characters could have been made more succinct. I found some of these parts a bit monotonous.
Overall, an enjoyable book. I can't comment on the historical authenticity of the the story but I read it as historical fiction. I would recommend this book to all lovers of historical fiction who enjoy military missions.
The characters introduced in The Hope are still there and their children have now grown old enough to don the national uniform of their country.
Israel had won the Six Days War but her troubles are far from over. In midst of war and diplomatic pressure life continues as usual - love, infatuation, misunderstanding, ambitions, affairs go on. What I liked most about the series was that the author had created real human beings- with ideals, integrity, patriotism on one hand and at the same time they also feel lust, greed and are not immune from the foibles of human character. Different people have different priorities in life and subscribe to diametrically opposite ideologies as well. Difference in beliefs can lead to the termination of romantic relationships as well.
The characters are not hundred percent perfect because it is not possible for a human being to be so.
A general of the Israeli Army who has been sent to a foreign country for getting help for a besieged Israel feels elated to meet an old flame and justifies his feeling by saying that Napoleon and Wellington had written love letters from the battlefield.
I enjoyed the portions which dealt with the wars and daring commando raids. Having said this, I need to mention that the parts about the diplomatic maneuvers of Israel were equally enjoying. I enjoyed the parts how the Israelis hoodwinked their enemies and worked around the arms embargo levied upon them. The out-of-the-box thinking that often led to military victories against staggering odds were indeed fascinating.
I must mention that the commando raids in Beirut reminded me of the movie Munich . The Entebbe raid, where Israeli forces disguised as Ugandan army rescued some hostages from an airport in Uganda was a real treat. I wish the portion had described elaborately, but this book is not about the raid. I have to find a book exclusively dealing with the operation.
I felt some portions of the book dealing with the family lives of the characters could have been made more succinct. I found some of these parts a bit monotonous.
Overall, an enjoyable book. I can't comment on the historical authenticity of the the story but I read it as historical fiction. I would recommend this book to all lovers of historical fiction who enjoy military missions.
February 29, 2024
This was the riveting sequel to The Hope, by Herman Wouk ending the first twenty years of Israel’s existence with the euphoric aftermath of the resounding triumph in the Six-Day-War which amazed the world. In The Glory in one of his most compelling historical narratives yet, Wouk weaves the stories of the people from that stunning victory in 1967, through the harrowing battles of the Yom Kippur War, the heroic Entebbe rescue, the historic Camp David accords, and finally the celebration of forty years of independence and the opening of the road to peace. However, the saga of Israel continues to this day and is screaming from our headlines. In this beautiful book, we once become immersed in the lives and loves of the men and women introduced in The Hope. Many are now generals with sons and daughters in aerial and ground combat as they struggle toward independence and the dream of a free Jewish state. But on the world stage, Herman Wouk gives brilliant portraits of the world figures that we know so well: Golda Meier, Moshe Dayan, Anwar Sadat, Henry Kissinger, and Ariel Sharon. The saga of Israel continues to this day. But at the conclusion of The Glory as everyone is gathered to celebrate Yom Ha’atzma’ut! Independence Day. After a lot of fireworks, the orchestra strikes up “Hatikvah” - “The Hope:”
And following was a long prolonged trumpet flourish, and a giant shower of fireworks. Independence Day ends.
We have not lost our Hope
Of two thousand years
To be a free people
In our land
Land of Zion
And Jerusalem . . .
And following was a long prolonged trumpet flourish, and a giant shower of fireworks. Independence Day ends.
October 18, 2020
This is an incredible sequel to The Hope and focuses primarily on the drama of the Yum Kippur War. As usual, Wouk’s fictional characters find themselves in all the key places:
1. The development of the Gabriel missile that shifted the power balance at sea
2. The retribution raid into Lebanon following the massacre at the Munich Olympics
3. The hostage rescue at Entebbe
4. The bombing of the Iraq nuclear reactor in 1981
I especially enjoyed following the Sinai campaign and Ariel Sharon’s use of the secret bridge to cross the Suez Canal and cut off the entire Egyptian army from the rear.
An important part of the book involves high level US intelligence and military officers and reveals their thought process over how much to support Israel. They understand, better then the Israelis, that Israel’s best chance for peace lay not in it destroying its enemies in battle. That would never happen. Rather, a better chance lay in bringing the Arab countries out of the Soviet orbit and into the Western orbit. This is what eventually led to peace with Egypt, Jordan and others.
This was a fascinating and highly informative read.
1. The development of the Gabriel missile that shifted the power balance at sea
2. The retribution raid into Lebanon following the massacre at the Munich Olympics
3. The hostage rescue at Entebbe
4. The bombing of the Iraq nuclear reactor in 1981
I especially enjoyed following the Sinai campaign and Ariel Sharon’s use of the secret bridge to cross the Suez Canal and cut off the entire Egyptian army from the rear.
An important part of the book involves high level US intelligence and military officers and reveals their thought process over how much to support Israel. They understand, better then the Israelis, that Israel’s best chance for peace lay not in it destroying its enemies in battle. That would never happen. Rather, a better chance lay in bringing the Arab countries out of the Soviet orbit and into the Western orbit. This is what eventually led to peace with Egypt, Jordan and others.
This was a fascinating and highly informative read.
September 5, 2019
The Glory continues where The Hope left off and continues with the characters we have come to know in The hope as well as introducing us to the trials and tribulations of their grown up children: The new generation
We are taken through key pints in Israel's struggle for survival: The raid on terrorists in Beirut in retaliation for the massacre by PLO operatives of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics; the horror and sacrifice of the Yom Kippur War and the resultant political fallout; the heroic raid on Entebbe to rescue Jewish hostages ;the tense and prolonged negotiations at Camp David between Israel and Egypt and Sadat's visit to Jerusalem in 1978 and the raid of a key Iraqi nuclear terminal by the Israeli airforce in 1981 .
The novel ends with the 1988 celebration of Israel's 40th birthday
In addition to the detailed and interesting lives of the key characters we get to engage with real life figures like Golda Meir, Moshe Dayan, Yitzhac Rabin Ariel Sharon and Defence Force Chief of Staff Motta Gur
We are taken through key pints in Israel's struggle for survival: The raid on terrorists in Beirut in retaliation for the massacre by PLO operatives of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics; the horror and sacrifice of the Yom Kippur War and the resultant political fallout; the heroic raid on Entebbe to rescue Jewish hostages ;the tense and prolonged negotiations at Camp David between Israel and Egypt and Sadat's visit to Jerusalem in 1978 and the raid of a key Iraqi nuclear terminal by the Israeli airforce in 1981 .
The novel ends with the 1988 celebration of Israel's 40th birthday
In addition to the detailed and interesting lives of the key characters we get to engage with real life figures like Golda Meir, Moshe Dayan, Yitzhac Rabin Ariel Sharon and Defence Force Chief of Staff Motta Gur
March 6, 2022
My least favourite Wouk. Part II of the history of Israel is as celebratory as the first which readers will either love or hate. Personally I found the book not a patch on the first which itself was not a great entry in the Wouk slabs. Queenie/Emily in particular went from annoying to glass dust in eyeball irritating.
May 16, 2016
This was one of those priceless books, the ones you never want to end. I was so involved in it, it took me a few days to come back down to earth and withdraw from it. All avid readers have experienced that sense of loss, as if you had to say goodbye to close friends.
The story resumes from the first book, "The Hope", and takes the characters through the buildup to the Yom Kippur War, the panic and then the pulling together to bring victory to Israel. Wouk's writing is so intense again in this book, you almost have to remind yourself to breathe. From the Sinai to Jerusalem, from the raid on Entebbe through the nerve-wracking Camp David "peace" talks, all setting the stage for today's struggle for peace, he brings alive the historical characters as well as his fictional characters with amazing intensity. As I said, it took me several days to bring myself back to my present reality and move on to the next book.
The story resumes from the first book, "The Hope", and takes the characters through the buildup to the Yom Kippur War, the panic and then the pulling together to bring victory to Israel. Wouk's writing is so intense again in this book, you almost have to remind yourself to breathe. From the Sinai to Jerusalem, from the raid on Entebbe through the nerve-wracking Camp David "peace" talks, all setting the stage for today's struggle for peace, he brings alive the historical characters as well as his fictional characters with amazing intensity. As I said, it took me several days to bring myself back to my present reality and move on to the next book.
April 19, 2014
This is the second book of the series "The Hope and the Glory."
In this epic novel, the author describes the following historical events: the sinking of the Israeli ship Eilat by Soviet rockets fired by the Egyptian Navy; the Yom Kippur War, the dramatic Entebbe rescue, and bomb Iraq's nuclear reactor in 1981; and the visit of Anwar Sadat to Israel.
The historical characters mentioned in this book are the following: Yonatan Netanyahu, Golda Meir, Ariel Sharon, Anwar Sadat, Moshe Dayan, and David Elazar.
Through the saga of the families Barak-Berkowe-Berkowitz, Nitzan-Bloom-Blumenthal, Luria and Pasternak, all historical events are merged with the story of these main characters.
Once you start to read a series written by Herman Wouk, you won't be able to wait too long for read its sequel and final part.
5* The Winds of War
5* War and Remembrance
4* The Hope
4* The Glory
TR The Caine Mutiny
In this epic novel, the author describes the following historical events: the sinking of the Israeli ship Eilat by Soviet rockets fired by the Egyptian Navy; the Yom Kippur War, the dramatic Entebbe rescue, and bomb Iraq's nuclear reactor in 1981; and the visit of Anwar Sadat to Israel.
The historical characters mentioned in this book are the following: Yonatan Netanyahu, Golda Meir, Ariel Sharon, Anwar Sadat, Moshe Dayan, and David Elazar.
Through the saga of the families Barak-Berkowe-Berkowitz, Nitzan-Bloom-Blumenthal, Luria and Pasternak, all historical events are merged with the story of these main characters.
Once you start to read a series written by Herman Wouk, you won't be able to wait too long for read its sequel and final part.
5* The Winds of War
5* War and Remembrance
4* The Hope
4* The Glory
TR The Caine Mutiny
March 13, 2012
I would have preferred that Wouk concentrated more on the events that shaped a young Israel and less on the love lives of his fictional characters. The sinking of The Eilat gets fewer words than some woman having an affair. It read more like "Peyton Place". Maybe I would have a different opinion if I had read The Hope first.
July 21, 2019
This is a good work of historical fiction, very interesting story. It was difficult to keep all the characters straight, especially since the author switched back and forth between nicknames and proper names IMHO a little excessively. I will read more by Wouk, and also more of the history from this book.
March 10, 2024
Been about 15 years since I last read this. As relevant as ever. Written by a master of fiction.
September 14, 2019
I read "The Hope," which I found rather odd, given that it was a Wouk novel. Odd, in that I just could not connect with any of the characters.
Anyway, I just finished "The Hope." I still could not connect with any of the characters, and Emily was one of the most annoying characters I have ever had the displeasure to meet in a book. I am not sure why Wouk wrote her in such a silly manner. I know how women spoke in the 60s and 70s, and we never used the terminology she did! He wrote her as if she was living in the roaring 20s!
There were few battle scenes, and those that were mention, were so boringly described.
Hard to believe this is the author of "Winds of War" and "War and Remembrance." Two books that will forever be on my most favorite list. Wouk, who died earlier this year...may you rest in peace.
Anyway, I just finished "The Hope." I still could not connect with any of the characters, and Emily was one of the most annoying characters I have ever had the displeasure to meet in a book. I am not sure why Wouk wrote her in such a silly manner. I know how women spoke in the 60s and 70s, and we never used the terminology she did! He wrote her as if she was living in the roaring 20s!
There were few battle scenes, and those that were mention, were so boringly described.
Hard to believe this is the author of "Winds of War" and "War and Remembrance." Two books that will forever be on my most favorite list. Wouk, who died earlier this year...may you rest in peace.
September 14, 2016
While I've thoroughly enjoyed reading Herman Wouk in the past, The Glory never captured my interest. When the narrative took us into the events of the Yom Kippur War, it was interesting to read. However, when he got away from the war and dealt with the many characters, I completely lost interest. His characters seemed flat and colorless.
February 24, 2014
I really, really wanted to like this book. It has many good qualities: it's absorbing, it's exciting, it's hard to put down.
But the fact is that every single female character in this book basically serves as a plot device to further develop the stories of the male characters. The bottom line is that this is a 700 page book that fails the Bechdel Test.
But the fact is that every single female character in this book basically serves as a plot device to further develop the stories of the male characters. The bottom line is that this is a 700 page book that fails the Bechdel Test.
December 21, 2017
The conclusion of Wouk's The Hope and The Glory, The Glory picks up after the 6 day war and ends at Israel's 40th anniversary celebration in 1988. I was unaware of some of the history, being a child when it happened. A terrific book and series.
August 10, 2020
The Glory, at 551 pages, continues the story of the state of Israel's formative years (the two book set spans Israel from independence in 1948 to the 40th anniversary in 1988) that Herman Wouk started in his almost 700 page tome The Hope. Much like Wouk's two volumes on WWII (Winds of War and War and Remembrance), the first book (The Hope) was better than the second (The Glory). I often say War and Remembrance was "too much war and not enough remembrance", and I felt the same way about The Glory. Wouk sometimes gets bogged down in the details of battle prep, military strategy and battle, particularly during the Yom Kippur War, to the point where I was daydreaming while reading or listening to the very long battle narratives. Having said that, I still really enjoyed this book (especially since I traveled throughout Israel in 2019), learned a lot (particularly about the raid on Entebbe to rescue Jewish hijacking hostages), loved the behind the scenes political wrangling and dealmaking, and cried throughout.
November 22, 2021
Herman Wouk has written several books about the history of the State of Israel, and The Glory continues with the time after the 6 Day War. All his books are well researched, the telling well written and his characters, both real and fictional are engaging. This volume covers the period from before the Yom Kippur War through the Lebanese War. The one con, that I have, is that too many of his fictional characters are void of Jewish morality. Perhaps this reflects his own moral compass? If one doesn't want to plough through real non fictional history, (From Time Immemorial is a great source), without the revisionist history that the main stream likes to push, this is a good alternative.
August 24, 2024
Great ending to what The Hope started. The times of real historical events were great, I felt tension in what was happening, and laughed out loud at some points, esp Kishote of course. In between these moments though, the stories of the characters were just meh. All these people seemed the same, sleeping around, not sorry for it, except Shayna I guess. Probably could've cut the 2 books down a third by removing a lot of that.
November 7, 2024
Long and detailed saga of what happened at the beginning of Israel. A feisty little country trying to survive. Interesting bits about the politics of all the nations trying to help or hinder. And a bit of romance that made me wonder if that was real, because most of the actors were there, Golda, Ben Gurion, Dayan.
March 15, 2023
4-1/2 stars. I really enjoyed the history of the modern Israel nation. The side story of Zev and Emily was troubling; Wouk signs off on a man loving two women (a wife and a mistress) and his wife being okay with it. I have rarely read of a more annoying, immature and unbelievable character as Emily Cunningham. I’m glad I’ve read five of Wouk’s historical fictions, but tired of all the wenching.
September 20, 2018
This is the final volume of Herman Wouk's two historical novels about the early days of Israel. Wouk tells the story through a few compelling fictional characters who interact with real characters such as Golda Meir, Moshe Dayan and Menachem Begin and Egypt's Anwar Sadat.
The surprise attack at the start of the Yom Kippur War by several Arab countries caught Israel by surprise during one of it most revered religious holidays and shows how close Israel came to defeat. In the end audacity and military skill leave Israeli tanks within striking distance of Damascus and 100,000 Egyptian troops surrounded and starving in the Sinai.
The story ends in the early 1980's but so much has happened since then as Israel continues to live a fortress existence, now facing different kinds of terrorist enemies and looming nuclear capabilities in Iran.
The surprise attack at the start of the Yom Kippur War by several Arab countries caught Israel by surprise during one of it most revered religious holidays and shows how close Israel came to defeat. In the end audacity and military skill leave Israeli tanks within striking distance of Damascus and 100,000 Egyptian troops surrounded and starving in the Sinai.
The story ends in the early 1980's but so much has happened since then as Israel continues to live a fortress existence, now facing different kinds of terrorist enemies and looming nuclear capabilities in Iran.
October 12, 2017
This book is definitely the easiest and most gripping way to read the history of Israel in the 1960s and 1970s. I was completely pulled in to the story. Great characters (although I did start to wonder what the rate of affairs and divorces was in Israel at that time period, because it started feeling like all of his characters were embroiled in something), incredible research (I appreciated the section at the end that revealed how factual the book was), and a very good sense of pacing throughout the book. I would highly recommend The Hope and The Glory to anyone even remotely interested in the modern history of Israel.
January 20, 2019
This is a sequel to The Hope, a novel of the early history of the State of Israel. It, like its predecessor, is well researched and documented. It continues where The Hope left off and the author does a good job of reminding the reader of the events and characters already introduced. (I was grateful for his effort in this regard as six months have passed since I read The Hope and my memory is not as sharp as it once was) I thoroughly enjoyed this novel in spite of the author's sometimes wandering presentation and, at nearly 700 pages, a tad long.
November 3, 2018
This was good solid writing on the part of Wouk, and the story was far above average for me on the 'interest' scale, but in the end it was just a book to 'like' but not fall in love with. Sold characters abounded, and the path through history was on solid ground. In the end I had to wonder if "The Hope" and "The Glory" might have been better served with one huge, "The Hope and the Glory," in one volume that had been turned over to an editor with whom Wouk would have loved working.
September 14, 2017
Excellent historical fiction
With the reading of this book, I have read all of Wouk's novels. This was one of his better ones. A bit difficult with so many key characters to follow. I strongly recommend his following books: Winds of War, War and Remembrances, and Youngblood Hawke.
With the reading of this book, I have read all of Wouk's novels. This was one of his better ones. A bit difficult with so many key characters to follow. I strongly recommend his following books: Winds of War, War and Remembrances, and Youngblood Hawke.
December 26, 2015
Awful. I thought this would be great because of my interest in history. The characters were poorly done and I had no interest in them. The history was one sided and again poorly written. And don't get me started on the portrayal of women.
July 18, 2020
This review is for both The Hope and The Glory.
I knew very little about the modern state of Israel before reading Wouk's The Hope and The Glory. I found the novels to be very educational and highly entertaining- for what they contain and what they do not contain. More on the latter in a moment.
Wouk tells the history of modern Israel from 1948 to 1988 through the personal lives of several completely fictional families. Zev Barak, Yossi Nitzan, Benny Luria, and Sam Pasternak and their children (especially their sons) appear at all of Israel's major historical events: the first Arab-Israeli War, the Six Day War, the Yom Kippur War, the Entebbe rescue, and the bombing of Iraq's nuclear reactor, among others. The Hope focuses on the 1948 war and the Six Day War and the struggles for survival in the years between. The Glory spends most of its pages focusing on the Yom Kippur War.
Historical people like Moshe Dayan and Golda Meir do appear. In a post script to The Hope, Wouk explains that as much as possible, he drew from interviews and recorded conversations for their fictional portrayals. Wouk also admits his Zionist leanings in that post script. Zionism is, "a movement for (originally) the re-establishment and (now) the development and protection of a Jewish nation in what is now Israel." (from a Google search)
This sound innocuous, but it leads Wouk to offer an overly-sympathetic view of Israel's conduct. Most glaring is how Wouk downplays the role of the Samson Option in the 1973 Yom Kippur War. The short version is that Israel had nuclear weapons in 1973, and promised to use them against all of their invaders as a last-ditch, scorched earth, act of mutually assured destruction. This threat heavily factored into the United States' decision to begin airlifting supplies to Israel, a fact that Wouk never mentions. He does give a character a brief discussion of nuclear weaponry late in The Glory, but in that conversation, the character unilaterally denies Israel's possession of nuclear weapons and the Samson Option is not mentioned.
The other big issue in both novels is its portrayal of women. True, only men served in combat roles in the IDF in those days, but women *were* present. And when women appear, Wouk often describes them as "girls" and rates them in terms of their attractiveness. He does this even with Prime Minister Golda Meir. Meanwhile, the male characters jaunt around the globe making history while engaging in multiple extramarital affairs with little consequence.
I learned a lot of history by reading these novels. I learned even more by researching the actual history and finding out what the author omitted. If you're looking for a place to start learning about modern Israel, then this is a good place as any to start.
I knew very little about the modern state of Israel before reading Wouk's The Hope and The Glory. I found the novels to be very educational and highly entertaining- for what they contain and what they do not contain. More on the latter in a moment.
Wouk tells the history of modern Israel from 1948 to 1988 through the personal lives of several completely fictional families. Zev Barak, Yossi Nitzan, Benny Luria, and Sam Pasternak and their children (especially their sons) appear at all of Israel's major historical events: the first Arab-Israeli War, the Six Day War, the Yom Kippur War, the Entebbe rescue, and the bombing of Iraq's nuclear reactor, among others. The Hope focuses on the 1948 war and the Six Day War and the struggles for survival in the years between. The Glory spends most of its pages focusing on the Yom Kippur War.
Historical people like Moshe Dayan and Golda Meir do appear. In a post script to The Hope, Wouk explains that as much as possible, he drew from interviews and recorded conversations for their fictional portrayals. Wouk also admits his Zionist leanings in that post script. Zionism is, "a movement for (originally) the re-establishment and (now) the development and protection of a Jewish nation in what is now Israel." (from a Google search)
This sound innocuous, but it leads Wouk to offer an overly-sympathetic view of Israel's conduct. Most glaring is how Wouk downplays the role of the Samson Option in the 1973 Yom Kippur War. The short version is that Israel had nuclear weapons in 1973, and promised to use them against all of their invaders as a last-ditch, scorched earth, act of mutually assured destruction. This threat heavily factored into the United States' decision to begin airlifting supplies to Israel, a fact that Wouk never mentions. He does give a character a brief discussion of nuclear weaponry late in The Glory, but in that conversation, the character unilaterally denies Israel's possession of nuclear weapons and the Samson Option is not mentioned.
The other big issue in both novels is its portrayal of women. True, only men served in combat roles in the IDF in those days, but women *were* present. And when women appear, Wouk often describes them as "girls" and rates them in terms of their attractiveness. He does this even with Prime Minister Golda Meir. Meanwhile, the male characters jaunt around the globe making history while engaging in multiple extramarital affairs with little consequence.
I learned a lot of history by reading these novels. I learned even more by researching the actual history and finding out what the author omitted. If you're looking for a place to start learning about modern Israel, then this is a good place as any to start.
January 18, 2025
A great historical-military novel, although not a full blown masterpiece.
I wrote a more detailed review of The Hope and won't repeat it all here. The first few chapters feel like a legitimate sequel as new characters are introduced, but very quickly you're dropped right back in with the characters and story of The Hope, so really I see these as one continuous novel, not separate books. They must be read together.
This one goes from the late 60s to the late 80s. The focus is the Yom Kippur/Ramadan War, which occupies more than 200 pages and is one of the most grinding, thrilling, brutal, exhilarating but also crushing military sequences I've ever read. This war is what Wouk set out to document before eventually writing two books to tell it properly. It's an incredible tale and worth reading.
I'm giving it 4 stars because again, there is a lack in interpersonal character relationships that the true masterpieces of literature have. Sometimes you wonder why you're reading about so-and-so's affair or romance. But the bad scenes are mercifully brief, others are OK or actually impactful and touching, and the rest of the book is great. And even the bad scenes do lend humanity to the characters and the drama.
A lot of research went into this book. The stories of human sacrifice and dedication to Israel are almost unbelievable and very inspiring. For both those who support and those who are critical of Israel, this book will have a lot to teach you about the national experiences and struggles that motivate Israelis to continue defending their homeland, even as they are (at least, for most of 2024 and still ongoing) subjected to disinformation and propaganda on a global scale.
I wrote a more detailed review of The Hope and won't repeat it all here. The first few chapters feel like a legitimate sequel as new characters are introduced, but very quickly you're dropped right back in with the characters and story of The Hope, so really I see these as one continuous novel, not separate books. They must be read together.
This one goes from the late 60s to the late 80s. The focus is the Yom Kippur/Ramadan War, which occupies more than 200 pages and is one of the most grinding, thrilling, brutal, exhilarating but also crushing military sequences I've ever read. This war is what Wouk set out to document before eventually writing two books to tell it properly. It's an incredible tale and worth reading.
I'm giving it 4 stars because again, there is a lack in interpersonal character relationships that the true masterpieces of literature have. Sometimes you wonder why you're reading about so-and-so's affair or romance. But the bad scenes are mercifully brief, others are OK or actually impactful and touching, and the rest of the book is great. And even the bad scenes do lend humanity to the characters and the drama.
A lot of research went into this book. The stories of human sacrifice and dedication to Israel are almost unbelievable and very inspiring. For both those who support and those who are critical of Israel, this book will have a lot to teach you about the national experiences and struggles that motivate Israelis to continue defending their homeland, even as they are (at least, for most of 2024 and still ongoing) subjected to disinformation and propaganda on a global scale.
December 17, 2019
Like other reviewers (e.g. Cynthia) I couldn't get into the many characters. I appreciated the telling of historical events particularily the Yom Kipper War. I tried to remember where I was during the actual events and recall the impeachment of Nixon around the time but didn't recall it being during the war.
The wikipedia account provides even more reasons the Isrealis were led into believing there would not be a war revealing how wily Sadat was such as sending some Eygptian troops on leave and letting Israel overhear radio messages that parts were needed for equipment.
Wouk notes five reasons Sadat expelled the Russians: Russians were denying him first line armanents; the Eygptian people hated their presence; Sadat had to do something bold and popular after bluffing in 1971; Sadat decided to tilt policy towards the Americans; and the Russians wouldn't let him attack. He kicked them out to free his hands for war (page 204).
However they seemed to be back when war broke out.
There were many incomplete follow ups on subjects such as the need for a rapid response (Wouk didn't say what it was); or how they got fuel for refueling at Entebbe that made the telling annoying.
As an aside I picked up an Israeli, who had been in the raid, hitchhiking outside Winnipeg and gave him a ride to Calgary. He marvelled how you didn't see soldiers with guns on every corner, like you would in his country. He also exclaimed about the 800 mile ride that we had just driven the equivalent of going up and down his country four times.
The wikipedia account provides even more reasons the Isrealis were led into believing there would not be a war revealing how wily Sadat was such as sending some Eygptian troops on leave and letting Israel overhear radio messages that parts were needed for equipment.
Wouk notes five reasons Sadat expelled the Russians: Russians were denying him first line armanents; the Eygptian people hated their presence; Sadat had to do something bold and popular after bluffing in 1971; Sadat decided to tilt policy towards the Americans; and the Russians wouldn't let him attack. He kicked them out to free his hands for war (page 204).
However they seemed to be back when war broke out.
There were many incomplete follow ups on subjects such as the need for a rapid response (Wouk didn't say what it was); or how they got fuel for refueling at Entebbe that made the telling annoying.
As an aside I picked up an Israeli, who had been in the raid, hitchhiking outside Winnipeg and gave him a ride to Calgary. He marvelled how you didn't see soldiers with guns on every corner, like you would in his country. He also exclaimed about the 800 mile ride that we had just driven the equivalent of going up and down his country four times.
May 6, 2021
As I said in my review of "The Hope", Herman Wouk is one of my favourite authors and he is particularly good at illustrating historical details. The Hope and the Glory have similar problems in that their scope is simply too sprawling to form a coherent plot. They are both essentially historical texts loosely set into a quasi-fictional background and they would have worked better probably as purely historical texts as the timescales they cover (20 years each) is simply too great for the plot to cope with.
The Glory, however, works a little better than The Hope, simply because the plot seems to flow better and also, somehow HW managed to portray the Israeli plight more sympathetically. I would need to read a bit more into the history of Israel to be sure about the accuracy of the arguments, but he certainly makes a compelling case why Israel needs such a strong military presence.
The characters portrayed are nicely illustrated but I found myself querying how these families each managed to have a finger in the most significant events occurring in Israeli history. It is the author's prerogative of course but felt contrived, and as I said I think The Glory (and The Hope) would have functioned better without the fictional thread which I felt handicapped the historical plotting a little.
Nonetheless, this is an excellent summary of the history of Israel, if hard going.
(One of my old reviews, consolidating on Goodreads)
The Glory, however, works a little better than The Hope, simply because the plot seems to flow better and also, somehow HW managed to portray the Israeli plight more sympathetically. I would need to read a bit more into the history of Israel to be sure about the accuracy of the arguments, but he certainly makes a compelling case why Israel needs such a strong military presence.
The characters portrayed are nicely illustrated but I found myself querying how these families each managed to have a finger in the most significant events occurring in Israeli history. It is the author's prerogative of course but felt contrived, and as I said I think The Glory (and The Hope) would have functioned better without the fictional thread which I felt handicapped the historical plotting a little.
Nonetheless, this is an excellent summary of the history of Israel, if hard going.
(One of my old reviews, consolidating on Goodreads)
April 13, 2021
Herman Wouk is considered to be one of historical fiction's best authors for his time. This book is the second of two books on the establishment of Israel as an independent nation. The Hope and The Glory span the years between 1946 and 1988 giving particular attention to the wars during that time. He surrounds the real life characters such as Moshe Dyan and Golda Meir with fictional characters based on real ones who played a role in maintaining Israel's place in the world and becoming a country among hostile nations. He examines the geopolitical considerations of a Jewish state among Arab nations and the major powers. The tension of the narrative heigtens for the reader at points in the novels where wars are being conducted; Wouk switches to present tense and the reader is drawn into the tensions, fears, and machinations of what is happening. One develops a true appreciation for the Israelis who invent ways to solve war problems with material that is old, broken down, and unsophisticated, while at the same time, negotiating with major powers for more, newer, and more reliable equipment. I was truly engaged in the book and in retrospect, I learned a lot about this period of history and the determination of Jews to establish and maintain a homeland for themselves.
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