No Less Than Victory: A Novel of World War II
By Jeff Shaara
You can view this book's Amazon detail page here.
Like Jeff Shaara’s other books, this is historical fiction. The main characters are real – whether they be highly visible people like Eisenhower, Patton, Bradley, Montgomery, Hitler, Himler, etc – but also are the primary characters of the book, guys fighting on the front lines. Shaara takes the real events and the known facts and weaves a story that he thinks is likely given all the known information about the people, places and actions.
In this book, one of the three in the “Novel of World War II” series (I’ve also read “The Rising Tide”), Shaara starts off just prior to the Battle of the Bulge and works his way through the end of the war in Europe. Along the way, he discusses how the war was fought in headquarters and on the lines through the points of view of the people there. He wraps up with a great synopsis of what happened to all the characters in the book following the war, which is an interesting book all in itself.
At times, the book is extremely detailed, spending many words on the exact feelings of a soldier in a foxhole during the Battle of the Bulge. Other times, Shaara briefly touches on major maneuvers and battles conducted by whole armies. I would have enjoyed it more if there was a little more balance. Nonetheless, I enjoyed it and learned several new things regarding the war and the people who fought it. That said, if you’re not into historical fiction, you’re not going to like this book.
- Started reading:
- 25th April 2010
- Finished reading:
- 17th May 2010