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From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Shaara (To the Last Man; Gone for Soldiers), who has written bestselling and critically acclaimed historical novels covering the American Revolution through World War I, takes on World War II in the wonderful first volume of a planned trilogy. As the book begins, Hitler's forces control western Europe, and U.S. troops face off against the Germans in North Africa. From fall 1942 through spring 1943, the Allies battle Field Marshal Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps. Shaara evokes the agony of desert warfare and the utter chaos of an airborne assault through the experiences of Pvt. Jack Logan, a tank gunner, and Sgt. Jesse Adams, a paratrooper. The challenges—and frequent frustrations—of command are seen through the eyes of such luminaries as generals Dwight Eisenhower, George Patton and Rommel. The Allied victory in Africa is followed by the conquest of Sicily and the invasion of mainland Italy in 1943. With the Italian campaign sputtering, the Allies turn to planning for the decisive event of the European theater, the cross-channel invasion of France, which is where Shaara concludes this sprawling, masterful opening act. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Booklist
Shaara, best-selling author of numerous fictional accounts of the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and World War I, opens his projected World War II trilogy in the deserts of North Africa, where Allied troops attempt to match wits and forces with the Desert Fox, wily German commander Field Marshall Erwin Rommel, and his formidable Afrika Korps. After Hitler overruns France, solidifying his position in Western Europe, he turns his attention eastward toward the vast Russian expanse. With the German focus split, the Allies sense the time is right to launch a united second front in North Africa, setting their sights on an eventual invasion of southern Italy. As plans for Operation Torch become a reality, Shaara vividly re-creates a cast of military and political heroes and villains, including General Dwight D. Eisenhower, General George Marshall, General George Patton, British general Bernard Montgomery, German field marshal Erwin Rommel, Adolf Hitler, Winston Churchill, and Franklin Roosevelt. Interweaving these prominent historical figures with a cast of ordinary soldiers thrust into extraordinary circumstances, he fashions a page-turning introduction that will leave fans of first-rate military fiction awaiting the next installments. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Formulaic .... But the Formula Works!,
By
This review is from: The Rising Tide: A Novel of World War II (Audio CD)
I listened to the 18 CD audio version of this book as read by Larry Pine and let me tell you, it made a Washington DC commute much easier to bear for almost 2 weeks!Jeff Shaara has something of a cross to bear in that he is the son of a Pulitzer prize winning author and has chosen to write in a similar genre and also, to utilize many of the literary devices of his father. That is a tall order for anyone and invites comparison and criticism and an almost foregone conclusion that he is not his father and his work is not on par with his father. This is a particularly easy criticism to make when the subject matter early on has drawn from the Civil War. I want to give Jeff his due however. His forays into the First and Second World war have shown me that he is a successful and worthy author in his own right and regardless of the source of his formula, and it is of course clearly an emulation of dear old dad, the formula works and works well! Historical fiction is not an easy genre. The non-fiction element of the story will be known by many of the readers who carry to the experience their own biases, prejudices and understandings and anything that moves contrary to that within the text of the book is going to be judged by that standard and found wanting. To overcome that the author has to move beyond the events and bring the character alive and in so doing attribute a level of understanding and psychological analysis that sells or convinces the reader that they are being brought behind the scenes. Yes there's a formula to it in Shaara's work that is very familiar and identifiable. Not just anyone can do this however, and Shaara, in the context of a different war and scope of activity, shows to me that he is a fine writer in his own right and worthy of investing the time to read. Listening to the audio version with its abridgment to that form, I have to comment as well on the performance of the reader Larry Pine. He does a magnificent job mimicking the accents and distinctive historical voices. I wasn't really appreciative of how much work must have gone into this until the character Montgomery arrived on the scene with a distinctive English lisp. Pine does his homework and it makes the rendering come to life that any listener should appreciate. The difficulty with a great deal of Historical fiction is how to weave the necessary narrative into the story to where the context and outside events are given their proper weight. Too much narrative in a pure form and the book begins to take on more of a sense of the non-fiction and the reader becomes impatient. Shaara wrestles with this in a few places to my observation with the obligatory aides bringing information and the bouncing back and forth from the information and the processing in the mind of the Character. He never quite breaks the spell however although he pushes against it in places. Overall, I can't fault him for this. The other means of accomplishing this other than the obligatory foreward and afterword setting and resolving the scene, is pure narrative and Shaara breaks in only where the scope is so broad that there's no real way to accomplish it otherwise. I recommend this book in any form. I found the Audio to add to the experience and can recommend it enthusiastically. Bart Breen
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.1 out of 5 stars (142 customer reviews) 111 of 112 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Real history becomes absolutely compelling fiction,
By Jerry Saperstein - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Rising Tide: A Novel of World War II (Hardcover)
In his (now regrettably past) prime, W.E.B. Griffin concocted wonderful war adventures from blending real people and events with fictional characters and circumstances. Jeff Shaara has gone miles beyond Griffin in taking real people, real events, adding just a bit of imagination and turning actual history into great fiction. Truly great fiction."The Rising Tide" is the first of a planned trilogy about WWII. For the first few pages, I wondered where Shaara was going. It was more on the order a well written history text. Then it segued to Rommell in the desert . . . and then it dawned on me. Shaara is bringing us into a part of the lives of Rommel, Eisenhower, Patton, Montgomery, Bradley and ordinary soldiers that we can't touch: the internal happenings of their minds. Shaara's goal is audacious and his success breathtaking. Most of Shaara's words are spent on the leaders, like Rommell and Eisenhower. Good move: Shaara is able to provide the big picture, the sweep and scope of the war. In less competent hands, I doubt that it would work. But Shaara makes it seem real. The frustrations of Rommel, faced with a deteriorating situation in Africa, the jealousy of other German generals, the incompetence of the Italian leadership, the increasingly delusional Hitler and his own declining health. Shaara puts you in Rommel's mind, so to speak, and he does it well. The same holds true for Eisenhower, as yet untested as the leader of a never before attempted coalition. Eisenhower is not sure of his own capabilities, but he has virtually no one to confide his fears in. Shaara makes leadership the lonely place it is. Without spoiling it for the reader, it is difficult to convey Shaara's triumph. To those familiar with WWII history, particularly the North African campaigns, virtually every event in Shaara's book will be known. Shaara wisely balances the big-time players like Eisenhower with some smaller fry, specifically two American soldiers. It's an impressive and very effective technique. For those readers who are not overly familiar with the period, it's a painless and entertaining way to open a window on history. Shaara has done something truly unique here and he's done it superlatively well. WWII history afficiandos and those simply interested in a solid war adventure will find it fascinating. I'm impatiently looking forward to the next two volumes. Jerry 27 of 27 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A room with a view and Marvelous People!,
By Reginald Johnson "Reginald V. Johnson" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Rising Tide: A Novel of World War II (Hardcover)
"The Rising Tide" (historical fiction) is the first of a trilogy by Jeff Shaara. This is a magnificent book - full of intimate and spell-binding details based on World War II. I thoroughly enjoyed it and eagerly anticipate the next book.Mr. Shaara is a master of this type novel. Earlier works included spectacular depictions of the Civil War and eloquent portrayals of World War I. Like many of you, I did not think there was anything more to learn about World War II - due to countless movies and books on the subject. I was wrong. The author manages to grab the reader's attention through an invigorating mix of key players. I encountered the usual suspects, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Winston Churchill, etc. However, I was captivated by an interesting assortment of obscure characters - which brought texture, warmth, and appeal, to this exceptional read. The chapter on Erwin Romnel (sometimes called "Desert Fox") kept me riveted. It had more action, suspense, and adventure than a James Bond movie! In the foreword, the author states his goal is to find a few voices, tell the story through their eyes, and put the reader in the same room. I visited that room, met some exceptional people, and had a memorable time. I encourage you to do the same. Reggie Johnson, Success-Tapes.Com 32 of 36 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
A new series by Shaara on World War II begins,
By Steven A. Peterson - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Rising Tide: A Novel of World War II (Hardcover)
Jeff Shaara's The Rising Tide is the first of a projected trilogy on World War II. Those familiar with his other works--such as his Civil War novels, Gods and Generals and The Last Full Measure, his Revolutionary War and Mexican War works--will recognize the technique here. Shaara picks a handful of characters and uses their experiences to create the forward movement of his works.In The Rising Tide, the key characters whose views are used to create the narrative include George Patton, Dwight Eisenhower, Erwin Rommel ("The Desert Fox"), Albert Kesselring, and a couple American soldiers, Jack Logan and Jesse Adams. The advantage of this is that you see the role of individuals, from different perspectives in a series of military engagements. This provides a certain richness of texture to the novel. On the other hand, there are limits to this. The reader does not get a bird's eye view of the action. All is through the eyes of specific individuals grounded in very specific circumstances. This works well enough, of course, but things can get left out. The novel begins with Rommel's combat against the English in North Africa and his ability to win against long odds. However, the weight on British and then British and American troops is too much, as his army cannot receive enough gasoline, replacement troops and tanks , and so on to compete effectively. After the allies defeat the German and Italian forces in North Africa, the action of the novel moves to Sicily, where the hard fought campaign is described well. The conclusion of the novel points to the nasty Italian campaign and the early days of organizing the invasion of France. The reader is left looking forward to the next volume in this series. While the structure of Shaara's novel has lost its novelty, it can still be effective as a story telling device. |
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