The Rising Tide: A Novel of World War II | Jeff Shaara

The Rising Tide: A Novel of World War II | Jeff Shaara | Page-turning story of the allied liberations of North Africa and Sicily

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The Rising Tide: A...

	The Rising Tide: A Novel of World War II Jeff Shaara Ballantine Books, 2008 - 608 pages average customer review:based on 95 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

A modern master of the historical novel, Jeff Shaara has painted brilliant depictions of the Civil War, the Revolutionary War, and World War I. Now he embarks upon his most ambitious epic, a trilogy about the military conflict that defined the twentieth century. The Rising Tide begins a staggering work of fiction bound to be a new generation?s most poignant chronicle of World War II. With you-are-there immediacy, painstaking historical detail, and all-inclusive points of view, Shaara portrays the momentous and increasingly dramatic events that pulled America into the vortex of this monumental conflict.

As Hitler conquers Poland, Norway, France, and most of Western Europe, England struggles to hold the line. When Germany?s ally Japan launches a stunning attack on Pearl Harbor, America is drawn into the war, fighting to hold back the Japanese conquest of the Pacific, while standing side-by-side with their British ally, the last hope for turning the tide of the war.

Through unforgettable battle scenes in the unforgiving deserts of North Africa and the rugged countryside of Sicily, Shaara tells this story through the voices of this conflict?s most heroic figures, some familiar, some unknown. As British and American forces strike into the ?soft underbelly? of Hitler?s Fortress Europa, the new weapons of war come clearly into focus. In North Africa, tank battles unfold in a tapestry of dust and fire unlike any the world has ever seen. In Sicily, the Allies attack their enemy with a barely tested weapon: the paratrooper. As battles rage along the coasts of the Mediterranean, the momentum of the war begins to shift, setting the stage for the massive invasion of France, at a seaside resort called Normandy.

More than an unprecedented and intimate portrait of those who waged this astonishing global war, The Rising Tide is a vivid gallery of characters both immortal and unknown: the as-yet obscure administrator Dwight D. Eisenhower, whose tireless efficiency helped win the war; his subordinates, clashing in both style and personality, from George Patton and Mark Clark to Omar Bradley and Bernard Montgomery. In the desolate hills and deserts, the Allies confront Erwin Rommel, the battlefield genius known as ?the Desert Fox,? a wounded beast who hands the Americans their first humiliating defeat in the European theater of the war. From tank driver to paratrooper to the men who gave the commands, Shaara?s stirring portrayals bring the heroic and the tragic to life in brilliant detail.

A new level of accomplishment from this already acclaimed author, The Rising Tide will leave readers eager for the next volume of this superb saga of the war that saved and changed the world.

From the Hardcover edition.

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Historical Fiction at its Best!

Admittedly, I'm not familiar with Jeff Shaara's work outside of the movie "Gods & Generals," the sequel to the movie ("Gettysburg") inspired by his father's own historical fiction, "The Killer Angels." While I was not as impressed with the movie's take on history, I was led to the conclusion that aside from the title, much of the book is left out of the film. That being the case, and since I am an avid WWII history buff, I decided to give "The Rising Tide" a chance. How very glad I am that I did!

If you're looking for spoilers, you might consider reading another review, as I do not like to ruin anything for anyone. However, if you know your WWII history, especially in those early years of US ground operations in North Africa and Sicily, then you likely already know many of the outcomes, subplots and personalities. Instead, let me address the book itself, rather than the content.

What I most enjoyed was the fair portrayal given to both the Allied forces and the German army. In particular, we follow the careers of Eisenhower, Patton, Rommel and Kesselring through the North Africa and Sicily campaigns. Instead of merely villifying the Germans as all Nazi collaborators, we see a more sympathetic figure, full of brilliance and energy, but also flaws and setbacks. The same can be said of the Allied forces. Rather than merely glorify their wonderous deeds, we also explore the human aspects of the men in charge, their own shortcomings, fears, worries and personal struggles. It humanizes these icons in a way that is attainable to any reader, puts them on a level almost equal to our own.

What I next liked was the in-depth struggles of the soliders in the field. Instead of the omniscient voice constantly dictating the action on the battlegrounds, we see the side of the army from the lowest level, a private with a tank, and a sergeant with a 'stick' of paratroopers. In both cases, the war is brought home to a human level, to our own experiences and history. We identify with these men, and we share in their anxieties, fears, joys and confusion. The surreal nature of the conflict is only broadened by these more intimate experiences, and we can plunge ourselves deeper into the history because of it.

Bear in mind, the third-person-omniscient is present, and at times, we are handed the inner thoughts of generals and enlisted men. Sometimes, the action is moved forward, with a recapping of the interlude given to us by the narrator. Still, the pace is quick, the action is enveloping, the language is not too cerebral, but it also is not dumbed down for simplicity's sake. On the whole, this work by Jeff Shaara is very readable, hard to put down, and engrossing for any fan of historical fiction, WWII, war stories in general, or even the occasional generic fiction lover. It is a work of fiction, this much is true, but its sources are real-life persona, men who had fought in the sands and rocks. I do not believe the fiction goes much further than to supply the actual conversations that we know took place, just perhaps not the actual words. The battles, the people, though, are drawn straight from the pages of history.

I cannot recommend this book enough. If you are turned off by war stories, or if WWII is not your fancy, then you might not get as much enjoyment out of it as someone else who is a fan. I would still recommend it, though, as history is always worth revisiting, especially if it demonstrates the best and worst aspects of human nature. (We could always use a little reminder of what should and should not be repeated throughout our lives). If you are a WWII buff, though, I suggest you add this first book of a planned triology to your collection right away!

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Page-turning story of the allied liberations of North Africa and Sicily

Jeff Shaara delivers another historic fiction masterpiece in "The Rising Tide". In his preface to the book, he writes "What could I possibly add that hasn't already been written about so many times before? ... My goal is to find a few voices, and to tell their story through their eyes, to put you the same room with some of the most important and fascinating characters in our history." He continues "My goal here is to offer you a good story. I hope you find it so." After completing this book, I feel that he certainly succeeded.

The book begins with a quick introduction to the strategic environment leading to the rise of the nationalist socialist (Nazi) regime in Germany. Along with the rise of the Nazi party comes the political ambition of expanding Germany's borders and restoring prestige lost at the conclusion of World War I. With the strategic stage set, Shaara provides a brief biographical sketch of two main characters - Dwight Eisenhower and Erwin Rommel. From here, the reader departs on the fictionalized conversations of the people who set forth in motion the allies first counterthrust to the Wehrmacht juggernaut.

Shaara is the master of weaving the tactical, operational, and strategic viewpoints of the same events. He begins the story by relating the experiences of a British tank crew facing the onslaught of the Afrikakorps Panzers. Contrasting this perspective, he provides the reader with the conversations on strategy between General Rommel and his staff.

You share the thrill of the Afrikakorps Soldaten as they shred the predictable defenses of the British in Libya. You feel the anguish as Winston Churchill relieves the British Commander Auchinlech and replaces him with the flamboyant Bernard Montgomery. Montgomery relieves Auchinlech in time to prepare the British defenses at the Egyptian town of El Alamein. The flow of story travels with British army as they chase the Desert Fox across Libya.

The American characters are introduced as Shaara discusses the Allied planning to bring the battle to the Germans. Shaara accurately portrays the debates between British and American strategists between opening the "second" front in France, or in North Africa. With the debate settled, the next order of business was the selection of the command structure for the invasion of North Africa. Again, Shaara captures the nuances of the decisions to appoint an American as the overall commander with British officers as the component commanders.

No book on the American operations in North Africa would be complete without a discussion on the generals who made the operation a success. Readers gain an appreciation for the meteoric rise of stars like Omar Bradley, George Patton and Jim Gavin, to the firing of Fredendall who was responsible for the American debacle at Kasserine.

Shaara's story supports Clausewitzian adage of "warfare is a continuation of politics by other means." Shaara introduces the reader to Robert Murphy, the American State Department diplomat who worked behind the scenes to neuter the possibility of Vichy French resistance to the American invasions.

After the German surrender in Tunisia, the book continues with Operation Husky, the liberation of Sicily. While telling the story of the race to Messina, readers are introduced to the infamous Patton slapping incident. With Sicily secured, the invasion of Italy proper can begin. At this point, Eisenhower and a large portion of the American forces move to England in preparation for the invasion of France.

Shaara's story of these historic events is absolutely spell-binding. He masterfully wove the stories of men like Sgt Jesse Adams, a paratrooper from the 82d Airborne, with the tales of the key decision makers who put him in harm's way. Shaara also showed no preference for the side of the conflict. His fictional conversations were factually accurate and told the stories both the Axis and Allied warriors. This book will be a page-turner for the World War II history fan!

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Worthwhile

Jeff Shaara's, The Rising Tide, is most certainly not your standard fare when it comes to historical / military fiction. In a welcome departure, the novel is long on history and relatively short on fiction. I purchased the book expecting an enjoyable but not terribly informative recounting of the North African and Sicilian campaigns and was instead pleasantly surprised by the depth of factual historical information presented.

The Rising Tide covers Operation Torch and Operation Husky, largely from the perspective of well known historical figures such as Eisenhower, Patton, Rommel and Montgomery. The book covers the former campaign more thoroughly than it does the latter. In fact, if I have one criticism of the book (admittedly minor), it's that I wish Shaara would have spent a little more time on Sicily.

One benefit resulting from the North African campaign receiving the majority of Shaara's attention is that readers are treated to a thoroughly engrossing examination of Rommel, particularly the considerable political and logistical obstacles which he faced. For the first time, I think I truly appreciate the crushing magnitude of Rommel's frustration and weariness. I don't believe that I'll ever grow tired of studying Rommel and Shaara's take on the man is very illuminating.

Overall, a very worthwhile read that has me eagerly awaiting the next installment.

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Rising tide

As in the succeeding book the introduction - which should be historically accurate - contains numerous mistakes the least one being where the author calls Rommel a Bavarian (I do hope that no Swabian reads the book because he surely would blow his top). The novel itself is impressive as it seems to describe the combat situations very realistically. The characters descriptions sometimes seem to be overdrawn and exaggerated.

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

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