Maps, detailed drawings of tanks, and period quotes add to the feeling of authenticity in this intensively researched novel of the battle of Kursk. (Have to admit that with the many I've read about WWII this is an epic contest that slipped under my radar.) Is it a story about complex family relationships or the story of when "two million men clashed in the largest battle that mankind has ever seen?" Is it the story of individuals--men and women--fighting for their lives or machines battling for supremacy. Is it the story of generals calling the shots or the men on the field pulling the trigger.
It is the individual who kept me glued to the pages. You may know how the battle ends, but you don't know about the individuals. For me daughter, sister, lover, and fellow partisan Katya slipped from believable on several occasions, and some of her scenes, including the ending, were contrived. But man does not create perfect, and this book is great.
It is the individual who kept me glued to the pages. You may know how the battle ends, but you don't know about the individuals. For me daughter, sister, lover, and fellow partisan Katya slipped from believable on several occasions, and some of her scenes, including the ending, were contrived. But man does not create perfect, and this book is great.