The World of Yesterday (Stefan Zweig, early 1940s)

(389 pages) (passed along by Paul Jr)

Finish wasn't expected. Ended his days in South America in February 1942 (with his wife) - difficult to find a landing spot (as so many Jews experienced), cumulative burden of many difficult years and experiences during the world wars and interwar period, more factors than I can grasp.

The loss of his passport in the 1930s hit Zweig hard - like the Wandering Jews - a deep (and correct) feeling of no place to call home. Hard to imagine.

I didn't know much about him, just had very much enjoyed his novel Beware of Pity. He authored all sorts of interesting things - plays, articles - not so many novels (which I'm normally on the hunt for). Collaborated with big names for his plays. 

In the large group of Jews fully assimilated into Viennese society in early 20th century. Successes early as a writer got his name out there and he met an incredible number of famous names.  There was a lot going on in Vienna prior to World War I! He spent a lot of time abroad and particularly loved hanging out in Paris.

His works were completely banned in Germany by the Nazis. Including a libretto written for erstwhile Nazi favorite Richard Strauss.

His discussion echoed other books I've read about the momentous eras he lived through, just on a more personal level.  The golden years leading up to WWI (and disbelief that it happened). The WWI years.  The interwar years; the rise of Hitler; the seeming inevitability of WWII; incredible and increasing difficulties for Jews. That's a lot to live through. 

He was exposed to, and hung out with, an incredible concentration of high-end talent across many disciplines. Fascinating.

Ghosts of Hiroshima (Charles Pellegrino, 2025)

Book club selection per POC, session held Feb 1, 2026.

Some interesting items about the two A-bombs dropped on Japan but I could never quite figure out what the author's point was.  Coincidences of a few folks who experienced the bombings in both Hiroshima and Nagasaki, OK.

Couldn't keep the names straight but that worked out.

Lots of details or suggestions about physics or nuclear stuff happening immediately at the bomb drop and then in the aftermath.  Sounded cool but I didn't really understand much here. 

I was interested in the discussion of coming up with a flight plan that enabled the plane to escape the bomb. Hadn't thought about how bombs normally proceed in the direction of the dropping bomber.

Japan anything but a victim.  What was up with Japan (going back to Mejii Restoration)? The "cherry blossom" weapon - more suicide bombing. Ask China.

The POWs becoming captors, instantly - compliance/obedience.

Talking about how terrible it all was but couldn't really pick up a POV as to who was doing the wrong thing here. Sure everyone agrees that having these weapons around is a bad thing but probably also agrees better for US than Russia, Germany, Japan.  Today: Iran, etc.

Japanese internment in the US - mostly taking the second-guessing approach "oh how awful". 

Hadn't known or thought about the discrimination in Japan against folks with exposure - either had or could get "disease X" - affected jobs, marriages, schooling.

Same with Japanese who had emigrated to US and then sought to return to Japan.

Lots of cranes by a dying little girl - OK. 

Working hard to weave in Trump.

Couldn't see how it added much to John Hersey's 1946 classic ("Hiroshima") - which followed six survivors - very immediate - lacked backward-looking perspective but that probably was a plus. 

The Savage Storm - The Battle for Italy 1943 (James Holland, 2023)

(476 pages)

I've been lucky to run across quite a few WWII histories that are very high quality - but this one is a definite favorite - the author was completely effective in knitting an overview of the military strategy and key battles with many contemporary excerpts from diaries, letters and the like; these latter gathered from grunts and officers in American, British, German, and Italian armies; also Italian citizens, Ernie Pyle, etc.  

I'll let the author explain - 

"I have been studying the long and terrible Second World War for some years now, but nothing has moved me in quite such a profound way as researching and writing this book.  Perhaps it's because, for the first time, I've used mostly contemporary sources:  diaries, letters, signals and memoranda, and photographs taken in a split second.  Rather than hearing the memories of those times fifty, sixty or even seventy years on, my cast of very real characters have drawn from the testimonies they recorded at the time. I have deliberately tried to avoid any forward projection and to write purely in the moments, hours and days in which the events described were taking place.  None of those writing diaries and letters knew when Rome would fall. None of them knew when the war would end.  I have found it difficult not to be swept up in their experiences, their suffering, their anxieties, their fears and it has been impossible not to care about their fates." (p. 474)

I was definitely swept up.  It also helped that Irvin Bormann and Vernon Hohenberger were literally there for big chunks of the 1943 timeline covered in this book - Irvin's diaries and Hohenberger's memoir include items that are 100% on point with descriptions here; makes it much more personal.

Some things I have a better grasp of -

--The Allies attacked Sicily earlier in 1943 with overwhelming force and encountered weak Italian resistance in many cases.  Plenty of landing craft available to bring all the stuff that a mechanized army needs, especially when the strategy is to overwhelm the enemy with aircraft and artillery to reduce the expenditure of soldiers' lives.

--Italy in this second half of 1943 was not like this.  Resources were diverted to preparations for Normandy and for the war in the Pacific.  Sicilian success perhaps gave too much confidence; the politicians and high command were promising "Rome by Christmas" and no one could back off this push even though it pretty quickly became evident that there soon was no basis for achieving this goal.

--Landing craft in particular were key - I didn't think about how new large-scale amphibious assault was (not a thing in WWI) - these craft just didn't exist in sufficient numbers to bring all the stuff needed. As manufacturing ramps up, many diverted to Pacific and Normandy.

--And to some extent the lack of mechanized support and artillery didn't matter - horrific winter weather and isolated mountainous terrain made aircraft and tanks and shelling less effective. 

--Italy surrendered in September 1943, and the German army took over - much tougher resistance than encountered in Sicily.  Hitler very concerned about this southern approach to Germany.

--The mountains were just made for defense; and the Germans were expert at exploiting this. Whereas an attacking force might be assumed to need a 3:1 numbers advantage, it probably was higher here. Divisions were pulled out of the line (Normandy), soldiers were expected to keep going way beyond normal tours.

--Yet the decision was made to keep going.  Which meant the infantry had such a terrible time of it here.  

--Mark Clark takes a lot of grief, but this author pins the blame higher up the chain, thinks Clark did well under the circumstances.

--I hadn't read much about the Salerno landing - difficult, interesting.

--The civilian suffering - the mechanized, heavy shelling approach had very different consequences in populated Italy as compared to the North African deserts. The sad stories here, wow.

This book wraps up at year-end, so author doesn't get to Anzio, Rapido River crossing; Irvin Bormann DOW on February 1, 1944 so we don't get battles in his final month. Irvin does mention seeing a big battle down in a valley in the December 15-17, 1943 time frame; that could well have been for San Pietro (p. 440).

Sicily '43 - The First Assault on Fortress Europe (James Holland, 2020)

(499 pages)

I'd never read much about this - it sort of falls into a gap between all the activity in North Africa and then larger Italian mainland campaign.

Summer 1943; largest amphibious landing to that point, by a long shot.  So there was lots of learning to be done.

Success seems inevitable in hindsight.  But terribly difficult. Very difficult to storm beaches even with materiel advantages.

Nighttime paratrooper drops - disaster.  Little effect on outcome, however.  Lots to learn, somewhat helpful at Normandy.

Italian troops just not ready - or inspired- in any sense - offered little resistance.

Hermann Goering division touted by name but cobbled together and not very effective.

German balancing needs on eastern front - Kursk battle going on right at this time (July 1943).  Hitler worried about "southern flank" and does move men and material from the east.

German reinforcements arrive - higher quality. Many very difficult local situations, lots of casualties, seems discouraging in a fight whose outcome both sides could readily foresee.  Germans fall back to the NE corner of the island, then they do a good job falling back into the "toe" of the Italian "boot".  And surviving to make difficult fighting for the Allies as they push up into Italy (the author's next book).

This author does a good job weaving individual narratives within the overall story line.  Also history of Sicily, including mafioso development (the Fascists had mostly subdued them and many emigrated to America; the Allies found them useful including in the postwar period, reinvigorating them).  I hadn't known much about Sicily before this other than classical tales, Arab pirates, lingering poverty.

Retracing My Footsteps in World War II (Vernon Hohenberger)

The author had given a copy of this book to my parents some years ago; I had paged through it on St. Joe visits, and was pleased to be able to take this from the St. Joe house when we siblings "divided out" things in April 2023.

It's autographed by the author!  Vernon Hohenberger farmed near us in the Luverne/Livermore area though - since he wasn't Catholic - we didn't see him regularly - in fact, very seldom.  I have a dim recall of a very pleasant human being.

The book is fascinating. Partly because I read so few, if any, first-person accounts of the war.

Hohenberger's path overlapped geographically with that of our uncle, Irvin Bormann - North Africa and Italy. But a bit earlier in time (and later). Unlike Irvin, Hohenberger survived Italy and ended up with duty elsewhere after the fall of Rome.

He belonged to the famous 34th Infantry Division - "Red Bull" - an incredibly long combat history - at page 100 he mentions 33 months overseas. Red Bull division is prominent in all the histories of the European theater in WWII.

p. 28 - vivid memories of getting into a theater to see "White Christmas" prior to getting shipped toward N. Africa.

p. 35 - artillery experiences, here in N. Africa - reminds of Irvin's artillery descriptions.

p. 45 - his description of N. Africa "Arab" scenes - again, reminds of Irvin's.

p. 47 - he mentions the soon-to-be-famous 100th Infantry - this is the successful battalion of mostly Japanese-American soldiers mostly from Hawaii - they come up later in his story - Michener covered this in his "Hawaii" novel.

p. 50 - landing at Salerno (Irvin at Naples). I believe this was autumn 1943, prior to Irvin's arrival.

p. 53 - Volturno River - just a terrible area. Lots of detail in ensuing pages about fighting around Rapido River, Cassino. Mentions Christmas 1953.  Irvin killed in action February 1, 1944.  Monte Cassino eventually bombed February 15, 1944.

Additional discussion of finally getting furloughed and a visit home; war wrapping up by the time his overdue leave was expiring - ended up with some duty with occupation troops.

Stories of getting back into civilian life - including a short time working at a store owned by Cliff and Mary Baker (yes, Uncle Daryl's parents).

This is a quick and excellent read.

The Last Hill - The Epic Story of a Ranger Battalion and the Battle that Defined WWII (Bob Drury and Tom Clavin, 2022)

(364 pages)

I liked this.  Kind of a pop history style (as can be told from the overwrought title), but no question that the authors did plenty of research to support the story line.  I also like that it focuses on a small group.

Brits had some success with "commando" (special forces) units early in WWII, and the US decided to do a similar concept though with a different name ("Rangers").  Though the Army didn't have a clear concept of how to use the units, and there were plenty of folks within the Army that didn't like the idea.

The book focuses on the 2nd Ranger Battalion - through intense training (lots of washouts); then onto Omaha beach and up the cliffs to Pont d'Huc; attacking Brest (Brittany - achieving a rather incredible surrender with two Rangers and a grenade in the commandant's crotch); then (after some less intense assignments) into the Hurtgen Forest and Hill 400.

All of these deployments were highly interesting to read about; impressive.  I hadn't known about the Brest surrender before (I assume the description is accurate if unbelievable).  Also hadn't read about Hurtgen Forest - the authors suggest this was not much discussed because (at least in their opinion) so many US lives were wasted repeating attack methods that were proven failures.

Three Ordinary Girls: The Remarkable Story of Three Dutch Teenagers Who Became Spies, Saboteurs, Nazi Assassins--and WWII Heroes (Tim Brady, 2021)

 The title pretty well summarizes the book!

The Allies Strike Back 1941-1943 (James Holland, 2017)

(613 pages.)

Second of a trilogy; first is mentioned here; third not yet available and I'm looking forward to it.

Again focusing often on supplies - this distinguishes his work from others I've read.

Emphasizes importance of the Battle of the Atlantic - something I've not really focused on much.  

Also in Mediterranean - ships and aircraft - so often the focus is on the ground battles - but support from other services were key.

German industry advanced and features wonderful workmanship.  But industries are fragmented - many automakers as compared to just a few in the U.S. This meant many types of vehicles with differing parts and maintenance requirements - a nightmare - compounded by complex (beautiful!) designs that could work well enough even if simplified for cheaper/faster manufacture.

Germany in general less mechanized than it advertised (and has been widely believed, certainly by me).  To offset vehicle shortage - stripped conquered territories of vehicles (especially France) - meaning another long list of individual models with their own parts and maintenance challenges.

Britain better-positioned for domestic food supply, manufacturing capacity - certainly in comparison to Germany - Battle of Atlantic was key to keeping things moving.

In midsection of book - I much liked how the author moved from topic to topic explaining how key elements were developing across the same compressed timeline in 1942 - gave me a better sense of this.  The scale of activity is almost incomprehensible - you can see how it took an entire-country effort.  Items in play (and this excludes extensive "War in the Pacific" activities) - working with French resistance; setting up special units for sabotage such as the Norway heavy water plant; accelerating atomic bomb efforts; home front production in US - near-miraculous advances in ship-building, largest factory (Willow Run) for B-24s; Monty takes over in north Africa and defeats Rommel; Operation Torch - three separate armadas heading to north Africa, including first US ground troops; building up bomber capabilities and hitting German cities; German forces in massive combat with Russians and bogging down as approaching Stalingrad, etc.  Incredible.

The Rise of Germany 1939-1941 - The War in the West (James Holland, 2015)

(594 pages)

This is another guy who can really write.  This is a topic we've read so much about - but new sources are available, this writer uses them, and can keep the story arcs moving along in a really interesting way.

Part 1 of a trilogy, I'm looking forward to further reading.

One source - a diary kept by the indiscreet Italian leader - it was dangerously frank and thus useful to historians led to a bad outcome for him. 

Author is really effective at weaving primary sources into the larger narrative - constant movement from macro to micro works so well.

Working through the early years of the war - author has paid a lot of attention to resource and supply issues - crucial but I don't think I've ever seen this much detail. Nazi Germany makes great territorial advances at incredible speed - lots of London bombing and shipping harassment - but at great cost of resources and without actually winning the "Battle of Britain" or the "Battle of the Atlantic".  Meaning great work remained to be done, with diminished resource base.

And specter of US resources available to Britain.

Italian ally as mostly a problem - required resources rather than reduced the need for them.

Twilight of the Gods (Ian Toll, 2020)

(792 pages)

Third of a trilogy; part 1 here and part 2 here.  Highly recommended - very readable and I constantly was learning new things.

Opens with Hawaii planning session.

So much happening - at exact time as dramatic events in Europe - much less attention to Pacific (at least by me!)

Japanese fleet as deeply frustrated with years of struggle after some early success; part of the problem is lack of fuel - for example the two brand new super-ships just sit in port because of insupportable fuel consumption.  The idea that the fleet would be sent into battle in the Philippines without useful air support - meaning certain failure - so that it could at least be destroyed with honor.  The meeting at which this is explicitly discussed; the emotions.  Wow.

Interesting discussion of kamikaze.  Didn't realize Japanese were developing a range of suicide devices (not just planes).  Good explanation of how suicide tactics and "no surrender" ethos were perversions of the samurai/historical ethos (which yes did include ritual suicide - a different concept, per author).  So many experienced pilots were lost, the newbies pretty much didn't stand a chance as US resources and tactics ramped up - some school of thought that since the pilots weren't going to come back anyway, just as well give them a simple tactic that had some chance of success.  Incredibly chilling.  Especially as waves of these things are coming in during Leyte battle, etc.  And more waves.  Many enthusiastic volunteers (though later, an increasing number return to base due to "engine trouble").

Story of the Tin Cans - Halsey leaving them unguarded - Evans.

I like the attention given to the submarines - not a topic I otherwise run into.  Wahoo success continues, then O'Kane has his own successful sub.  Technology advancing so rapidly.

B-29 stories are interesting - speed of development, modifications continue even after delivery.  Hadn't realized it was so much larger than the B-17.  Challenge of high-altitude bombing.

Leyte ground battle in general - difficult, Japanese pouring in resources.  Luzon.  In both cases - relatively large-scale ground force encounters - new to the Pacific, terrible per usual.  Manila - I hadn't realized the extent of the damage to what had once been a beautiful city, the horrific treatment of civilians by the Japanese.

Story of the December 1944 typhoon - had never heard of this - Halsey not effective in avoiding it, reasons.

Interesting if short discussion of commencement of home front transition to postwar prep as early as late 1944.  Some of this pulled back as unseemly, morale-damaging for servicemen still in difficult situations.

Hellish fighting on Okinawa .  Hellish, repeated kamikaze attacks.  This went on for a long time (April 1 - mid June 1945).  Description of fresh soldiers coming to the front lines to relieve spent units - made me think of Verdun's Voie Sacree - perhaps the author's intent, as he specifically mentions this a paragraph or three later.  Closest thing to WWI in the Pacific theater - except add modern weaponry, planes & ships.

It's hard to say what is "fair" in war, but the incredible difficulty for US forces dealing with no-surrender ground troops, kamikaze pilots and boats - such a high toll on both sides in a war where the outcome is all but inevitable.  Like Germany - hang on, hoping for something to happen that will cause the near-certain victor to negotiate.  Like Germany - the regime seems indifferent to the cost (which is almost entirely borne by others).

Reading about the nasty fighting in the Philippines, Iwo Jima, Okinawa - and thinking what this foreshadowed for a homeland invasion - as A-bomb became available, one can definitely see how using it made sense to so many.  (Setting aside the "message to Russia" element.)

B-29s switch to incendiary attacks on cities - similar awfulness, but what to do?  Stunning ramp-up (some incendiary but mostly strategic) as European theater winds down, I hadn't realized the intensity of the bombing in those last weeks.

FDR succeeded by Truman - with a lot for him to learn, consider.

Potsdam Declaration.  Dropping the two atomic bombs - matter-of-fact descriptions (which I liked and which reminded me of Hersey) - the story tells itself.  Awesome in the old sense of the word - inspiring fear/awe.

The weakness of the peace party in Japan (again suggesting invasion would have been required absent A-bomb (I realize plenty disagree on this point, esp. as to Nagasaki)).  Hirohito's broadcast.  Near-rebellion doesn't get traction; the role of Hirohito and family. 

McArthur's short speech at the surrender ceremony - seems powerful and just right - hard to imagine how that felt after what folks had been through.

Wrap-up with occupation of Japan and returning servicemen, I'd be interested in knowing more about this.

The Conquering Tide - War in the Pacific Islands, 1942-1944 (Ian Toll, 2015)

(542 pages)

Second of a trilogy focusing on the war in the Pacific (first of the trilogy is discussed here).  As with the first - readable, interesting, full of information I didn't know.  Looking forward to #3.

Guadalcanal (August 1942, ends early February 1943) - lengthy, interesting discussion - challenges, risk, inexperience, relative shortage of equipment - seeking to minimize risk of loss, esp of carriers at this stage.

Submarines - tales of the Wahoo.  Submarines were really important - especially as technology and tactics rapidly improved.

Wondering how carriers would function in 2022?  Presumably better attack and defense systems but to what balance?

Tarawa (November 1943) - bloody assault via beach landing, painful lessons; precursor to Normandy.

Improving radar, more effective bombing runs; though not against bunker-type preparation.

Inter-service rivalries - preceded Joint Chiefs - reminds of 9/11, just add one more layer! Challenging for U.S., worse in Japan.

As move through 1943 and into 1944 - incredible improvement by the U.S. in so many elements.  Better tactics - improved accuracy by fighters and bombers.  Incredible increase in manpower and equipment - including carriers and other huge ships.  Submarine efficacy.  Steep learning curve, impressive.  Better airplanes - once-feared Zeroes now so weak.

Japanese limited in manpower - especially experienced, even decently-trained, fighter pilots.  Limited in fuel - wanted to fight near Borneo oilfields.  Losing equipment that can't be replaced.

Big fights on Saipan and Guam (June -August 1944), but eventual success - lots of casualties even if some benefit from lessons learned on Tarawa.  And accompanying naval/air battles pretty much finished off Japan in those areas.  Now within striking distance of the home islands.

Rather amazing - and the author emphasizes - that the huge Saipan operation (starting June 15, 1944) far west in the Pacific is happening within days, literally, of the Normandy invasion - the US did both!

Starts to sound like the war in Europe at this same stage - the war is over for all practical purposes in terms of identifying the victor; losing side hangs on hoping that winning side will get tired and negotiate (perhaps after losing side manages a lucky victory or two).

American performance - including production from the home front - just incredible.

Not just the battles - author continues to give information about the key personalities, leaders.

Japanese soldiers with no-surrender ethos - suicidal. 

Pacific Crucible - War at Sea in the Pacific, 1941-1942 (Ian Toll, 2012)

(491 pages)

Christmas gift from PJr & Nedda.  First of a three-part trilogy.

Reviewers have compared to Rick Atkinson's trilogy on WWII in Europe - high praise - and I think it's apt.  Readable; detail but not too much; biographical background on key figures without getting bogged down.  Leaves the reader looking forward to the next installment.

I liked the description of background in Japan - events leading to the war - the mood of the country, as least as the leaders sought to mold it.  1905 naval battle with Russia; then into China.

I don't recall reading about Alfred Mahan - 19th century thinker on naval strategy - sounds like he was incredibly influential.  And probably had great ideas.  Except airplanes came along.

Pearl Harbor discussion.  The incredible speed of Japanese advances in the early months.

The Doolittle raid - gave me new ideas about this - if only the idea of launching bombers off an aircraft carrier, for the very first time, with no practice.  Strong winds on the day of the attack were good/bad news - the good news is that taking off into the wind works better with more wind; the bad news is that the carrier is pitching up and down.  Pilots sought to time the pitching - accelerate on the downward pitch, then catch the upward pitch to get aloft.  Impossibly short runway.  No practice.  It worked, well enough.

Coral Sea - long/hard to follow.  Difficulties of successful reconnaissance; difficulties of hitting bombing goals; useful in next chapter (Midway).

Decryption - didn't know much about this in the Pacific theater but it was crucial (so much attention in Europe).  This was fascinating.

Battle of Midway - with Coral Sea discussion, gave me a better idea of how these aircraft carrier battles took place - where ships never see one another (I think these fleets were nearly 100 miles apart).  Difficulty of hitting targets - but it only took one or a few hits on a given target for complete success.  Utilization of decryption team's input - big effect on Midway battle.   This part was also a great read.

Sword of Honor (Evelyn Waugh, 1952-1961)

(764 pages)

This is a trilogy:  Men at Arms; Officers and Gentlemen; and Unconditional Surrender.  Released in stages; it somewhat parallels the author's World War II experiences.

Enthusiastic reviews everywhere; yet (or perhaps because of this) initially I was a bit disappointed because I think I was expecting stirring descriptions of military actions.  It isn't that at all, but certainly that doesn't weaken the book.

Mostly it's about England and WWII and all the stuff that went on as folks tried to figure out how to approach an impossibly complex situation.

Protagonist is Guy Crouchback - a Catholic from a declining Brit aristocratic family; he lived on a family villa in Italy for quite a while after a failed marriage - so a bit of an outside observer of Britain though entirely a part of it. He's observing 1930s events in Europe and decides to try to enter the military even though he's pretty old.

Stories of training and the characters he meets. We get to know his family, and his ex-wife (who gets to know Trimmer).  Finally sent to Africa with his unit - participates in a minor battle in Dakar - he gets in some trouble there (bottle of whiskey to Apthorpe) but also gets under the patronage of a one-eyed old-timey general.  

Spends time in Crete - this is the closest to military action.  Then time in Yugoslavia - sorting out the difficulties there - trying to help individuals (his father's advice) but it tends to backfire in the mess there.

Muddles abound.  But I think that's pretty accurate in a war of this scale.

In the end, I liked this book a great deal.

Arch of Triumph (Erich Maria Remarque, 1945)

(535 pages)

Protagonist (Ravic) is a skilled German surgeon who lost citizenship in Nazi times; he's illegally performing surgeries for two well-known (but not as talented) Paris surgeons.  Can't get citizenship elsewhere.  Action occurs between the wars.  He meets various other stateless folks; it's an interesting/effective take on the way they lived.  Occasional deportations.  He lives in a hotel that caters to folks like this.  Encounters an actress.  I always enjoy Remarque's stuff, though didn't like this as much as All Quiet on the Western Front or Three Comrades.  

Catch-22 (Joseph Heller, 1955)

(453 ppp) 

Yossarian is deservedly a classic character; the book is also a classic.

I found the schtick a bit much in the early going, but grew to like the book.  Yossarian wasn't such a bad/thoughtless guy.

Recommended by (and borrowed from) CPG.

Slaughterhouse Five (Kurt Vonnegut, 1969)

(215 pages)

I'm glad I read this, but I don't think I "get it" in terms of what the author is trying to do.

It's a story built around the WWII Dresden fire-bombing.

But mostly tracks the adventures of Billy Pilgrim - a rather strange fellow who ends up in the war, gets captured and sent to Dresden (where he survives because confined in a reinforced slaughterhouse), gets married to a wealthy spouse, runs (or perhaps "falls into") a thriving optometry practice, travels in time, and journeys to a faraway planet.

Anti-war; lots of clever writing; absurdist style; all that's fine.

But still.

Abigail (Magda Szabo, 1970)

(333 pages)

I picked this book because Hungary's positioning between the two world wars always seems like an interesting setting, and the review was favorable.

Then I became a little nervous that the plot might be too focused on life in a girls boarding school.  And there was quite a bit of that, but it fit into the story line quite nicely and I ended up enjoying the book quite a bit.

Protagonist is the 14 year old daughter of a Hungarian army general; spoiled, willful, enjoying life in Budapest; sent off to a provincial boarding school without much explanation and has a hard time fitting in.  Abigail is a statue that somehow seems to intervene when the girls have severe troubles.

Meanwhile the alliance with Hitler is going poorly, the Hungarian army is getting pummeled in the Stalingrad fighting, Germany is taking over in Hungary, tension and difficult decisions.

Author does a good job developing characters among the school girls, the faculty, etc.

Recommended.

Stalingrad (Vasily Grossman, 1952 (English translation 2019)

(961 pages)

Companion work with Grossman's Life and Fate (wonderful in its own right).

This book was written much more circumspectly than Life and Fate - it was sufficiently congenial to Soviet censors such that it was published in 1952.  This one gets a little tiresome from time to time - collective farm enthusiasts, anxious to fight, etc. - yet it doesn't ignore the issue of occasionally corrupt leaders.

The bit about the political instructors in the army - perhaps the most blatant propagandizing - was a bit surprising, my take (based on limited knowledge) was that these folks were annoying, interfered with military decisions.  No mention of shooting deserters.

As I was occasionally finding myself annoyed with the propagandizing . . . it occurred to me that great literature so often has this aspect, more or less, and can be great nonetheless - Old Testament stories, Aeneid, Koran, any history written by a victor or someone wanting to make a point.  In some ways I suppose it helps illustrate the world in which the writer was functioning.

Main point:  in the end the book is full of well-written stories of all walks of Russian life experiencing WWII and, in particular, the Stalingrad battle and its context - by an author who clearly had been there - deeply knowledgeable.

Per the "introduction," the character Krymov is Grossman's voice; he articulates pro-Communist positions; sometimes sounding like Rubin in The First Circle.

War and Peace analogies were intentional - key character visits the Tolstoy homestead.

Many great characters, including a peasant in first part of the book - Vavilov - he learns soldiering as an older draftee.  Early stages of the war reminiscent of that summer of 1914 (through Novikov's eyes).  Krymov tells other stories of 1941 - caught in Kiev encirclement, escapes with 200; returning to the front in 1942.  Description of the first saturation bombing run over Stalingrad was excellent.

I also much liked the stories of folks holding out in the tractor factory.

Stalingrad situation was entirely epic.

Guard of Honor (James Gould Cozzens, 1948)

(631 pp)

Saw a couple highly favorable references so thought I'd give it a try.  I liked it.

Won Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1948.

Story takes places over three days; almost all of the action takes place at a fictional Florida base for the Army Air Forces (I think this preceded a separate Air Force?)  Quite a few characters, but focus on just a few and the character development is strong.

Beyond just the story-telling, I think this is useful in giving a glimpse of how the military might have felt on a domestic base in 1942 (in that respect sometimes made me think of this excellent novel); the way that career Army fellows interacted with one another (with the combat vets in particular bonded closely); the contrasting way that civilian types in the Army operated as among themselves and with the career guys - effective, respected, but just not as closely tied in.  Early 1940s army was full of draftees or enlistees - in this respect the story line mostly involves professional public relations and media types (which I learned was the author's role in the war).  Glimpses of the unwritten rules among the military types as they cope with issues and decisions.

"Bus" Beal is the general in charge - correctly views himself as a "flyboy" - never to be an all-star administrative-general type, but also the kind of person that is needed to win wars.  Most of the story line involves Captain Hicks and Colonel Ross - civilians.  Issues arise at a Florida base when a contingent of Negro flyers and support folks arrive, with Washington DC intending that this will become a showcase unit.

Amanda Turck.  Beal's wing-man - Benny Carricker.  Mrs. Ross; Mrs. Beal; Lippa; Captain Wiley (Southerner with combat experience); Jo Jo Nichols; Colonel Mowbray; etc.

Fortunes of War - The Balkan Trilogy (Olivia Manning, 1960-1965)

Manning wrote a total of six novels in the collection known as "Fortunes of War" - this book ("The Balkan Trilogy" includes the first three:  The Great Fortune (1960), The Spoilt City (1962) and Friends And Heroes (1965).

Another 900+ page work; another effort to get better acquainted with the Balkans.

Story centers around newlyweds Guy and Harriet Pringle - married after a short courtship while Guy visits London in summer 1939; they settle in Bucharest, where he is involved in teaching.  The story line revolves around two main themes:  (1) developments in the war (German advances create big changes in Romania and eventually force the Pringles (and most of the Brit community in Romania) to Athens (which is as far as the Pringles venture in this trilogy), Cairo, etc.; (2) the Pringles get to know each other better, which isn't always uplifting.  Based on the author's own experiences.

Sometimes this felt a bit like a mere page-turner, but I do think there's quite a bit going on.  Very interesting to read about the experiences of British citizens residing in these places in the run-up to the war - the best perspective I've gotten on what that might have been like.  Also interesting to read about late 1930s Romania.  And the story line about the relationship of the newlyweds was handled well.  So I liked this . . . but not sure it was worth 900 pages of effort . . . except it was ideal gym-reading.

Prince Yakimov; Lord Pinkrose; Sasha; many, many other characters are introduced - primarily Brits with various positions, but also Romanian and Greek characters.