Solid but sadly sparse
|
Having quite recently thoroughly enjoyed the HBO series of the same name, Ambrose's book comes as pleasantly familiar territory, acting to fill in gaps and flesh out characters I had encountered in the series.
The story of Easy Company is an extraordinary one and Ambrose has clearly done them a great service in delivering this history in a reasonably accessible format but before I place too much praise upon the late Ambrose, the book is somewhat flawed in places.
When I watched the Band of Brothers mini-series I found myself extremely moved by the intimate bond that these real comrades in arms build as they progress from their training at Curahee, through their battles at Normandy on D-Day, Carentan, Bastogne and others to finally arrive at Hitler's Eagle's Nest. The book however, whilst providing the basis for the series, feels much sparser and is written in a much more matter-of-fact style that very rarely evoked an emotional connection to those same soldiers.
I found it disappointing that some significant events were covered in very little detail and almost glossed over completely, for example the discovery of the concentration camp. Ambrose's style comes across as almost self-congratulatory and is occasionally brazen enough to quarrel with his interviewees over the fairness of their statements which somewhat diminishes his credibility. Also, for someone who has written a good number of books the level of grammatical accuracy was considerably lacking and I often found myself re-reading sections because an obvious slap-dash attempt at spell checking and too little proof reading had left the wrong words in place which by professional author standards should be considered a particularly unforgivable error.
Overall, whilst somewhat disappointed that I was given a more diminished insight into the lives of Easy company than expected, I should note that I was often glued for several chapters at a time and read the book in a short space of time as I felt drawn back to these real accounts of American soldier's experiences of WWII. I would recommend this book to anyone who, like myself, has seen the series and wishes to learn more but would caution complete newcomers that the experience may be less than overwhelming.
|
|
World War Twaddle
|
I found this tripe about as convincing as "The dirty dozen". Ambrose is more interested in idolising American soldiers than giving anything like an objective account of the second world war. Not surprisingly he has been accused by many (Real) historians of plagiarism and downright fabrication in at least some of his work.
I would put this book on a par with "Kelly's Heroes" and that awful black and white TV series "Combat".
Want to read a truly exceptional account of the second world war?
"Stalingrad" and "Berlin the downfall", both by Anthony Beevor, also "Armageddon" by Max Hastings.
|
|
Great read through an amazing era of military history...
|
If you are not accustomed to reading books concerning military history and/or are not familiar with this stage of World War II, I'd highly recommend that you watch the BBC/HBO series first. It's very accurate to what is written in the book with good character acting to the main guys involved in Easy Company, 506th PIR of the 101st Airborne.
The book is well written, with Ambrose setting out the events of each day/engagement/battle/incident, and then using quotes and excerpts from other books and memoirs to illustrate how it was for the actual men in those incidents. A lot of the quotes are directly from interviews the author had with the various enlisted men and officers who took part in D-Day and beyond. It is stated towards the end of the book that Ambrose was in constant contact with the veterans of Easy Company and showed them drafts of the book to make comments and corrections on. So this book is pretty much the definitive history of Easy Company's part in World War II, from the birth of the company to through D-Day and then duties of Occupation in Germany etc.
The book loses one star for these down points:
It IS hard not to be in awe of what Easy Company and all the 101st achieved, but in one or two places, objectivity would have been prefered to all out adoration. If you are a Brit and have any soft spot for the achievements of the British contribution to the Allied advance in 1944, be prepared for the author to spurt out the odd punch to British forces. In a lot of places he seems to suggest that the British were blind, ignorant, and badly trained buffoons; and takes one or two unprofessional incidents to act as a general overview of British standards.
The minor sour grapes accepted, this is still a fantastic book, and there will be something on every page that will make you smile, or shock, or bring you close to tears. Every World War II enthusiast and history fan should read this book!
|
|
A Wonderful Book of Men at War
|
|
Highly recommended work by the late Stephen Ambrose, who spent several years interviewing the men of one company and tells the story, though them of their time together, from initial training through the final weeks of the war. Absolutely essential reading for any military buff, and the DVD is stunning, as well.
|
|
|
Gripping,Thought provoking,Great read
|
|
I,d Already watched the mini series and enjoyed it but when I read this book I was compelled to watch it again purely so I could put faces to this amazing book,Ambrose puts you right in there with them and they become YOUR Band of Brothers,I found myself wishing my work breaks would come so I could read on,Buy It! you won't be dissapointed.
|
|
|
United States | 
United Kingdom | 
Canada