Troutbirder II

Troutbirder II
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Friday, March 21, 2014

The Guns at Last Light


 
There have been a huge number of books written about World War II and I’ve read quite a few of them. 
One of the very best has been Rick Atkinson’s acclaimed Liberation Trilogy about the Allied triumph in Europe during World War II. I just finishing the concluding volume in the Trilogy titled The Guns at Last Light. In the first two volumes Rick Atkinson recounted how the American-led coalition fought through North Africa and Italy to the threshold of victory. Now, in The Guns at Last Light, he tells the most dramatic story of all—the titanic battle for Western Europe.

 D-Day marked the commencement of the final campaign of the European war, and Atkinson’s wonderful account of that bold gamble sets the pace for the  narrative that follows. The brutal fight in Normandy, the liberation of Paris, the disaster that was Operation Market Garden, the horrific Battle of the Bulge, and finally the thrust to the heart of the Third Reich—all these historic events and more come alive with a wealth of new material and a mesmerizing cast of characters. Atkinson tells the tale from the perspective of participants at every level, from presidents and generals to war-weary lieutenants and terrified teenage riflemen. When Germany at last surrenders, we understand anew both the devastating cost of this global conflagration and the enormous effort required to win the Allied victory.
What makes Atkinson special, as a writer of history, is the way  he manages to knit together the seemingly minute and personalized details, scenes and comments of many   participants in the events of the war ,  into a broad tapestry that is both interesting and understandable. It is  narrative prose of incredible richness which at times can almost take your breath away. 

16 comments:

  1. I wish my Dad would have documented his stories. At the times he talked about the War, there were always distractions. Now I'm forgetting them and he is no longer here to do the telling. I begged him to make tapes and he never did. *sigh

    LOVE the new header photo!

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  2. Whatever our memories of history, personal accounts are the best. So, all of us over fifty better write stuff down, so our grands don't regret the times they spent with us.

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  3. Happy Spring, thanks for letting us know about this book, my Father fought in WW11. Blessings Francine.

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  4. Thanks for the tip on this series. I might look into it.

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  5. That would be some worthwhile reading, I think.

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  6. Hi there, Love your header photo with the grandchildren. How special...

    Looks like another good read!!!!! I don't take time to do much reading these days (traveling too much--ha)--but when I do read, I love historical books...
    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  7. The British lost something like 8,000 men in Market Garden. Not Montgomery's best moment as a tactician. Looks like a great book, thanks.

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  8. Sounds like a good one TB. I'll check it out. Thanks, I can get lost in history.

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  9. My dear father was a prisoner of war and he never talked to my mother or I or anyone else about what he suffered, but I know he went through a lot. I have not read this book...but I have read "Under Two Dictators: Stalin and Hitler" by Marguerite Buber-Neumann. It was a really well written book!

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  10. I am going to pass this selection on to my husband, who would really enjoy it.

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  11. It sounds like you were very impressed with this book. I bet you were a great teacher. :)

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  12. Now this is a book hubby would like to read... I will get him to read your post and then maybe I'll buy him the book. Our televisions are currently full of the first world war but we do need to record our experiences of the second one.

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  13. This sounds like a fascinating series -- somehow I missed it. Thanks for bringing it to our attention

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  14. Sounds like you enjoyed the book!!

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  15. In response to your comment to me, since you don't have your email enabled, it was a hawk that got the dove. Hubby said it was FAST and the dove probably didn't know what hit him.

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  16. I am currently reading Was God on Vacation. I shy away from books about war, but I'm glad I'm reading it. I may have to read your recommendation next. Not much else to do with all of the snow.

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