The Winds of War

A Terrific Novel! A Great Read!

What a remarkable story. I read both the Winds of War and War and Remembrance. It was just fascinating. I didn't want it to end. You get lost in the story of the Henry family as they traverse all the events of WWII. There is romantic tension, adventure, thrills and more. The vivid descriptions of the concentration camps and what happened there made my hair stand up and saddened me very much. There was also a tremendous amount of factual information of real events that happened in WWII. So in that sense it was very educational. It was reminiscent of Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth and World without End in the way that it grabbed you and sucked you in to the story. I highly recommend both of these novels.

8 out of 8 people found this review helpful.

A stunning triumph

Mr. Baker, the ''history fan who was bilked,'' must have been reading a different book. While ''The Winds of War'' certainly has its fair share of romantic plotlines, to claim that's all there is, and to refer to the analytical history sections as ''a few instances'' is to do this modern classic an enormous disservice. Herman Wouk has written the American equivalent of Tolstoy's epic ''War and Peace.'' Using the Henry and Jastrow families as a means to introduce his readers to broad subjects -- like the geopolitical situation on the eve of World War II, the battle tactics of the armies, and the cruelty of Nazi treatment of the Jews, which eventually morphed into the horrors of the Holocaust -- is positively ingenious. The segments of the book 'written' by the fictional German general Armin von Roon are perhaps Wouk's most incredible achievement in the novel, as he seamlessly slips into the voice of the opposing side. A definite must-read.

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Second Best War Novel (Series) Ever Written

Don't ya just love novels that put fictional characters (people that seem as real as your next door neighbors) into the middle of great events you've read about in history books? I do, cause that's the closest the rest of us get to knowing what it'd be like if it really happened to us. This book and War And Rememberance do that.

4 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

Excellent Historical Perspective of WWII

I have read both books over 50 times, I have actually worn out two sets of paperbacks and bought a third in addition to having it downloaded onto my e-book reader. Wouk not only provides an excellent account of the history but details which characters were real and which were part of his fiction. My high school aged daughter read this (a few years ago) and learned more facts and truth about WWII the she had in 4 years of 'history'. My Dad (a WW II vet) read it and really enjoyed it. I bought the entire TV miniseries on DVDs for both Winds of War and War and Rememberence.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

An epic novel of WWII

Like most people who didn't experience the Great War firsthand, I was very curious about the heroism of those dark days. The Winds of War was a fantastic novel: it was quick-paced, offered insight into the minds of men like Hitler, Yamamoto, and Churchill and, shared the effects of the tragic times on a typical American family.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

The winds of war

One of the greatest books I have ever read. It is a mastepiece.

3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

One of the greatest books of all time

Truly a great book..This one book will help you understand the feeling of World War 2,better than any movie ever made,could ever do...Make sure after reading Winds of War you quickly follow it up by reading War and Rememberance,a book of the utmost tragedy that should be ready be read by anybody looking for the feel of America during the war years

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

excellent

truly one of the greatest novels ever written. a story as rich in character and detail as it is in depth. it's blending of fictional characters with historical times, makes the reader believe they are there as well as understand that period in histoy. better than any history class.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

a classic tale

Herman Wouk makes me feel as if I am one of the family. He captures in my opinion the mindset of a military family. I love the reality of a family in love with each other and still falling prey to temptation. You must read this book, then read war and rememberance.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Excellent!!

Great historical fiction.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Long and boring

Our book club chose this as the selection for this month. OMG! I've never read a more boring book in my life...and it's over 1000 pages! If you're really into war history (particularly WWII), you may have incentive to try to slog through this tome. It's very daunting. I'm only about 150 pages in and am still not engaged by the story or any of the characters. I doubt I'll finish reading it. I've rented the movie made from this book....it's pretty much just as boring as the book! Good luck finishing it.

1 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

Excellent! Excellent! Excellent! I can't say enough good thin

Excellent! Excellent! Excellent! I can't say enough good things about this book...a sweeping drama of the greatest generation during "their war"!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A so-so war book

I didn't think that this book was as great as everyone said it was. There have been a lot of stand out books and this was not one of them. Also the story seemed to just keep going and going, it was much too long and instead of all the small talk he should have just gotten to the point.

1 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

Lrpeaders Den

Skystone is here.

0 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Highly recommended, especially if you like family sagas portrayed through historical events

I read the Winds of War and it's sequel, War and Remembrance, when I was younger. I'm now middle-aged and it's interesting how you see things with different eyes. I love the story of Pug Henry and his family even more today. Herman Wouk is an author who writes with great detail. A reader can tell that he's done his research and is committed to be as accurate as possible. I have read his other books and Mr. Wouk is a writer I greatly admire. He writes characters that a reader can connect to. My only wish is that there was installments (after the war, what happens to the Henry family in subsequent generations, etc.)

Beautifully written.

Beautifully written.

Nostalgic, Historical, Entertaining

The story of an American Navy family prior to and at the beginning of WWII. Interesting transitions between family story and military war story. Good look at what lead up to the US entering the War and the politics involved.

Love both!

I have read both books and they are some my favorites!

A reviewer

Were it not for the few historical character profiles 'Hitler, Roosevelt, Churchill' & the few instances of analytical history, this is nothing more than a boring romantic novel. I was sorely disappointed. Captain Henry should either be the commander of the Star Ship Enterprise 'fantacy' or a garbage scow in New York harbor 'reality'. This is nothing more than a sappy bunch of crap disguised as history.

0 out of 7 people found this review helpful.

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