The Winds of War

This is the first book of two detailing WWII through the lives of a military family, the Henrys. The book is supposedly very thoroughly researched and historically accurate and details the build up of the war through Pearl Harbor.

This is a long book, almost 900 pages, but is very readable. Unlike most wartime historical fiction I've read, I enjoyed the parts about the war more than the characters in the book. I think the fictional writing definitely took a backseat to the war history and the characters aren't particularly deep or captivating. They also ended up conveniently placed to witness all of the major events of the war. But the situations they are in, though crafted to highlight the war events, are definitely gripping. Wouk's show more writing style of short, terse sentences and fairly lame female characters annoyed me at first but I think that the writing style ended up fitting the subject matter fairly well. I never did connect to any of the female characters, except maybe Natalie, a Jewish American stuck in Italy.

Long story short, I enjoyed this despite some reservations and will look forward to reading the follow up book next year. show less

The Winds of War is friendly American middle-brow literature. Middle brow meaning it is genre low-brow with pretensions to high brow, for example some occasional tough subjects such as Western neglect of European Jews makes it feel important, but doesn't challenge or confront (Edit: gets better in the second volume). The characters are interesting in an episodic soap-opera way (the low brow) it keeps you reading to find out what happens to the Henry family - 3 weeks after finishing I am still thinking about them. It adapted to an 18-hour TV drama naturally. The analysis of the war is the most interesting. There are various POVs and perspectives that, while not original, when put into context of living through the events in real time show more makes the war seem immediate and the future unknown. Wouk's treatment of Stalin, Hitler, Churchill and Roosevelt are stereotypical (Edit: for good reason). Overall this was enjoyable and insightful. There are other ways to learn about WWII, such as reading real history books, but if you already know some it is a fun divergence. And historical fiction leaves an impression of depth that real history often glosses. show less

The year is 1939 and Germany busily bullies the world into a clash that would later become the infamous World War II. The advances of Hitler into Poland and eventually England, France, and the Soviet Union indicate a man hellbent on world domination; all the while citing the "Jewish problem" as his justification and motivation. Wouk will take you on a panoramic journey through the intimate details of war. You will have a front row seat in the war room; be a voyeur in the bedroom; sit elbow to elbow in the libraries of world leaders as they speak in hushed tones about counterattacks. With a book this size (Winds of War is over one thousand pages long in paperback format), I wanted to make sure I kept track of all of the different show more characters. I wasn't sure who was going to be worth remembering, real or imaginary. At the center is Berlin attaché Victor Henry ("Pug"), his glamorous but bored wife, Rhoda, and their three adult children. Winds of War begins when the parents are relocated with Germany on assignment. The three children, Byron, Warren, and Madeline are scattered across the globe. Pug desperately wants to captain a battleship but being relegated to serve as Naval attaché in Berlin has afforded him the opportunity to see the war fold out firsthand. As he gains the unusual trust of President Roosevelt he travels the world, gaining insight on future enemy tactics. Indeed, many real political powerhouses make an appearance in Winds of War.
A note about Winston Churchill: It is interesting to see how time blunts the sharp edges of an unfavorable reputation.
It is also interesting to see the varying opinions about the start of the war. Byron and his girl, Natalie, didn't take it seriously until they were strafed in Poland and Natalie began to have troubles getting her Polish uncle out of Italy. Byron's mother only had superficial societal concerns when Pug couldn't accompany her to the opera. I mentioned she was the epitome of the bored housewife, didn't I? She becomes even more cliché as the story progresses. show less

I've seen this book compared to Tolstoy's War and Peace. In it's sweeping account of the far-reaching effects of the build-up to U.S. involvement in WWII, it is certainly no less comprehensive and in-depth a look at war. I would say, however, that Wouk far out-strips Tolstoy in his ability to weave a story that draws the reader in from the very first page. (Incidentally, Wouk pays homage to Tolstoy with a visit to his grave woven into his own narrative.) The characters Wouk creates are very real, and I found myself instantly immersed in their lives. Wouk's prose is not only accessible, but engrossing.

As far as the history contained in this novel, it is not only vast but detailed, presenting both the military perspective as well as a show more unique look at the personalities involved on the international political landscape at the time. The von Roon "book within a book" also gives an insightful look at the German perspective of the war. I was struck, while reading this, at the accuracy of the cliche, "history repeats itself" - this in-depth look at WWII sheds much light on the current international landscape and the willful ignorance and complacency of Americans in the face of truths the rest of the world seems far more ready to accept.

Now, for the negative. Despite how impressed I was with this novel (so much so that I've already got my hands on, and am reading, War and Remembrance), I must also point out the very deep, very obvious sexism which runs rampant throughout this tome. From the outset, we are presented with an explicit account of marriage and the way a woman "changes" once she's successfully navigated courtship and has "snagged" herself a winner on whose coattails to ride. This account is followed by a cast of female characters who, to a one, are trite, banal, gold-digging, glory-seeking, or in some cases, just plain idiotic. There is not a single admirable female member to be found in this huge cast of characters, which is hard to overlook considering the heroic pictures painted of the various men in the story. This rampant sexism is all the more difficult to swallow in a novel about a war which itself had such huge implications about prejudice and bigotry. show less

First published in 1971, The Winds of War is aptly described on the cover as `another splendid epic' as well as being compared to Margaret Mitchell's `Gone With The Wind.' Although such fulsome praise has often been used to describe various tomes, this book deserves such high praise. It is actually the prologue to Wouk's War and Remembrance, and (my tattered old edition) is a 960-pager at that! If you are looking for something that seems to have died out recently, namely, a good old-fashioned read or a solid story, then this is it. Despite being written over forty years ago, there is no sense of being dated, albeit some of the expressions might come across as quaint. The story concerns two families, one Jewish and European, the show more Jastrows, and the other American and WASP, namely the Henrys. Looming behind the tapestry of lives and loves interlinking is the horrific menace of World War 2. The author is truly a gifted writer in that tackling a subject as monumental as a world war and trying to humanise both friends and foes is daunting. However, this book is superbly written and keeps the reader glued to the pages. Each character brings a unique angle to this novel, even those historical personalities usually relegated to the pages of history books. The stubbornness of elderly academic Aaron Jastrow, who remains in Italy despite the imminent threat of Fascism and Mussolini's pact with Hitler, drags his niece, the strong-willed and beautiful Natalie Jastrow, right into the fray. Pug Henry, a middle-aged US Naval officer, is dismayed to find his youngest son Byron not only gets involved with Natalie, but marries her. When war breaks out she is stranded in war-torn Europe with her cantankerous uncle and a new-born babe. Pug has his own problems with a beautiful but bored and dissatisfied wife (Rhoda) who feels her husband has not achieved the career she had in mind for him. On an observer mission to Europe, Pug himself finds himself attracted to a girl old enough to be his daughter.

These human conflicts are somehow always uppermost in a story that never succumbs to the weightier issues of war and destruction. I enjoyed the way in which the author deftly creates an intimate viewpoint of the three pivotal characters of the war: Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Hitler himself by having Pug Henry at different stages of the novel actually meet and interact with these men. Another interesting angle is Pug's analysis of General Armin van Roon's (fictional) account of the war and the motives and machinations behind Hitler's various invasions and instances of both brilliance and bungling ineptitude. The author also provides a perceptive analysis of the psyche of the nations dragged into the war, and this is a great help in understanding how and why so many people entered into and supported their leaders in what could only be the greatest folly of the century. The book cannot, of course, adequately describe the unspeakable horror of the bombings, the dreadful atrocities perpetrated in the death camps, and many more occasions of wholesale slaughter, but the author does an excellent job of describing these events without sinking into a mire of sentimentality or a ghoulish litany. The book ends as Pearl Harbour is bombed, thus bringing the USA into a war that FD had successfully avoided in an effort to appease the war-shy American public. The bombing of Pearl Harbour, a momentous blunder on the part of Japan propelled the American giant into the war with a unanimous vote (bar one). This is a truly satisfying experience for the readers who want to sink their literary teeth into something solid! show less

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 show more 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. show less

This is historical fiction at its finest. Even if you think you know all there is to know about World War II and its impact on American families living in the United States and abroad, think again and read this book. The Winds of War is to World War II what Gone With the Wind is to the Civil War. It expertly blends the history of the war itself with a family saga full of love, lust, disappointment and triumph. This book, however, strikes an even better balance and there is lots more political history. I would also recommend checking out the 1983 miniseries of the book which can be watched instantly on NetFlix. I actually watched as I read and found that the miniseries was a very true adaptation of the novel. Herman Wouk himself wrote show more the teleplay. On a final note, be warned. The Winds of War ends with lots of question marks making it nearly impossible not to reach for War and Remembrance next. show less