The two books tell one story, published in two volumes for no reason other than its length. You will miss too much of value if you do. Although, as Wouk (pronounced “woke”) writes in his foreword to the second volume, “ War and Remembrance is a story in itself, and can be read without the prologue,” it would be a serious mistake to skip The Winds of War. The size of both of these novels can be daunting, so unless you are very into historical fiction or WWII fiction, stick with the book Wouk is better known for.Together, The Winds of War (1971) and War and Remembrance (1978) make up Herman Wouk’s epic two-volume novel of World War II. Or maybe that's really how people discussed things in 1939-1941. While I still like parts of it, and applaud Herman Wouk for creating an epic work that manages to remain a good story while dealing with a huge topic, a lot of the characters tend to come off as pretentious snobs - never afraid to use 20 words where 2 would have sufficed. I've picked up and read sections over at intervals in the last 30 years, but never. It's probably been 30 years since I last read this. He has already read the sequel, War and Remembrance, but I think I’ll hold off on re-reading that one for a while. He’d never read it before and was so enthusiastic about it that I decided to re-read it.
Recently my husband found a hardcover copy in our local Little Free Library. I first read this book sometime in the mid to late 1970s it was originally published in 1971. There are occasional interruptions in the family saga to report on the historical events, including examinations of each side’s military readiness and strategy. The soap opera drama of the family’s story pulls the reader through, but Wouk includes much history. And both Pug and Rhoda are questioning whether they want to continue their marriage, or find more suitable partners. Victor’s Jewish daughter-in-law remains trapped in Europe, having delayed her return to the US in deference to her aged (and improbably naïve) uncle. Both sons are naval officers serving in the Pacific, while daughter Madeline remains at her job in New York (and the subject of a scandal that will surely ruin her reputation). It ends just after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and the Henry family is facing not only a world war but considerable personal upheaval.
This is a larger than life story to tell, and Wouk could not manage to finish it in just one volume (even though this book is nearly 900 pages long in original hardcover).
It’s 1937 and he’ll have a front-row seat to history. Victor wants a battleship, but he’s been selected to serve as Naval attache in Berlin. Book # 1 in the Henry Family saga introduces us to Commander Victor Henry, his wife Rhoda, and their children: Warren, Byron and Madeline.
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