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The Winds of War by Herman Wouk
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The Winds of War (original 1971; edition 2002)

by Herman Wouk

Series: World War II Saga (1)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
3,311553,931 (4.22)211
Classic Literature. Fiction. Literature. Historical Fiction. HTML:Like no other masterpiece of historical fiction, Herman Wouk's sweeping epic of World War II is the great novel of America's Greatest Generation.
Wouk's spellbinding narrative captures the tide of global events, as well as all the drama, romance, heroism, and tragedy of World War II, as it immerses us in the lives of a single American family drawn into the very center of the war's maelstrom.
The Winds of War and its sequel War and Remembrance stand as the crowning achievement of one of America's most celebrated storytellers.
… (more)
Member:paulkid
Title:The Winds of War
Authors:Herman Wouk
Info:Back Bay Books (2002), Paperback, 896 pages
Collections:Paul, Fiction, Your library
Rating:****1/2
Tags:Fiction, Historical Fiction, WWII, Navy, Germany, England, Russia, Poland, Italy, Portugal

Work Information

The Winds of War by Herman Wouk (1971)

  1. 21
    Captain Corelli's Mandolin by Louis De Bernières (paulkid)
    paulkid: Both are set in Mussolini's Italy, although Wouk's work spends time in Germany, Russia, and England while de Bernières spends time in Greece as well.
  2. 10
    Winter of the World by Ken Follett (mcenroeucsb)
  3. 11
    Fall of Giants by Ken Follett (mcenroeucsb)
  4. 00
    Trophy for Eagles by Walter J. Boyne (Hedgepeth)
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» See also 211 mentions

English (51)  Italian (2)  Spanish (1)  All languages (54)
Showing 1-5 of 51 (next | show all)
Re-read ( )
  ellink | Jan 22, 2024 |
This is the first half of Wouk's epic WW2 story. My main review is under 'War and Remembrance' ( )
  atreic | Mar 15, 2023 |
Here's what I wrote after readying in 1987: "So good that DBA is reading! A story of a civilization at war. Through the naval, American Henry family, story is total of the years proceeding and during WWII. Pug Henry, informal embassary for Franklin Roosevelt is memorable as is his daughter-in-law and her uncle. They, Natalie and Aaron Jastrow, become trapped American Jews in Europe. In the depths of their experience, they gain understanding of their Jewishness. (Write-up also covers War and Remembrance). ( )
  MGADMJK | Feb 12, 2022 |
Book # 1 in the Henry Family saga introduces us to Commander Victor Henry, his wife Rhoda, and their children: Warren, Byron and Madeline. Victor wants a battleship, but he’s been selected to serve as Naval attache in Berlin. It’s 1937 and he’ll have a front-row seat to history.

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 ends just after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and the Henry family is facing not only a world war but considerable personal upheaval. 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). 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. And both Pug and Rhoda are questioning whether they want to continue their marriage, or find more suitable partners.

The soap opera drama of the family’s story pulls the reader through, but Wouk includes much history. There are occasional interruptions in the family saga to report on the historical events, including examinations of each side’s military readiness and strategy.

I first read this book sometime in the mid to late 1970s; it was originally published in 1971. Recently my husband found a hardcover copy in our local Little Free Library. He’d never read it before and was so enthusiastic about it that I decided to re-read it. I’m glad I did. He has already read the sequel, War and Remembrance, but I think I’ll hold off on re-reading that one for a while. ( )
  BookConcierge | Nov 30, 2021 |
I never thought I would ever read, or want to read this book. Then one day on my way to the bathroom I grabbed a book and it was this one. Too late to chose something else. I was in a hurry and stuck with the Winds of War. Well, I thought how bad can it be if my dad read it and and recovered it with a hard binding. And it was a good story, it ran to many characters and peculiar situations. The made-up characters mingled with the real people of the late 30's and early years of W.W. II. I am not in a position to judge the possibility of such events being possible, it did shed light on documented characteristics of important people and the reactions of every day people caught up in events not of their own doing. I believe this novel sheds light on subjects important about damage to society and to people while the military and the politicians pretend to save the world from itself. Inherited this book from Dad. ( )
  thosgpetri | Oct 22, 2021 |
Showing 1-5 of 51 (next | show all)

» Add other authors (9 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Herman Woukprimary authorall editionscalculated
Pariseau, KevinNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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With love to my sons, Nathaniel and Joseph
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Commander Victor Henry rode a taxicab home from the Navy Building on Constitution Avenue. in a gusty gray March rainstorm that matched his mood.
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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
Disambiguation notice
This work represents the complete novel Winds of War, and only this novel.

Winds of War is published in both single-volume and--especially in foreign translation--multi-volume editions, as well in sets together with War and Remembrance. Please do not combine this work with individual volumes of a multi-volume edition of the novel, nor with sets that include War and Rembrance. Thanks!
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Wikipedia in English (1)

Classic Literature. Fiction. Literature. Historical Fiction. HTML:Like no other masterpiece of historical fiction, Herman Wouk's sweeping epic of World War II is the great novel of America's Greatest Generation.
Wouk's spellbinding narrative captures the tide of global events, as well as all the drama, romance, heroism, and tragedy of World War II, as it immerses us in the lives of a single American family drawn into the very center of the war's maelstrom.
The Winds of War and its sequel War and Remembrance stand as the crowning achievement of one of America's most celebrated storytellers.

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Book description
Wereldbrand is the Dutch edition of The Winds of War.
Der Feuersturm is the German edition of The Winds of War.
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Hachette Book Group

2 editions of this book were published by Hachette Book Group.

Editions: 0316952664, 0316955167

 

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