War and Remembrance

By: Herman Wouk

Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau

Length: 56 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

Herman Wouk's sweeping epic of World War II, which begins with The Winds of War and continues here in War and Remembrance, stands as the crowning achievement of one of America's most celebrated storytellers. Like no other books about the war, Wouk's spellbinding narrative captures the tide of global events - and 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.

These multimillion-copy best sellers are stirringly read by Kevin Pariseau for their first appearance in downloadable audio.

Also listen to The Winds of War.

©1978 Herman Wouk (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Brilliant…. An outstanding novel and at the same time a great work of history…. Wouk has more than recaptured the period; he has given it life." (Henry Kissinger)

"Those who lived through World War II can most fully appreciate the resonances in this uncommonly readable book. But it is clearly meant – and recommended – for those who did not." ( Time)

"Moving, thrilling fiction…. Wouk is a magnificent storyteller." ( Boston Globe)

Great book and great series

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Thourghly enjoyed the book to my surprise

What other book might you compare War and Remembrance to and why?

Very interesting and informative on some of the problems of others on WW2.

Excellent book, loved it from beginning to end

What did you love best about War and Remembrance?

The book kept moving at a marvelous pace. The historical information has prompted me to research more on WWII. Purchased a big atlas to see where some of the places are in the world. My eyes were opened and I realized how little I know about that time. Thank you Herman Wouk.
I just loved Kevin Pariseau's reading. I really laughed at the singing and the flatulence jokes about Hitler. Great whining Rhoda voice and great English accent for Pam.

Which character – as performed by Kevin Pariseau – was your favorite?

Pug and Aaron, both incredibly strong characters

If you could take any character from War and Remembrance out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Pug Henry. I could listen to him over dinner so long as he kept away from the faith in God stuff.
Aaron was splendid without the overwhelming religion theme.

Any additional comments?

Rhoda was the most selfish and least likable character in the book. Only after time did I take to Natalie who was bull headed and although loyal to her uncle, she passed up many opportunities to save her child.

Loved both books

Very thorough, emotional, vivid, and historically accurate epic scaling the entire war through the main characters' eyes.

Highly recommended if you love WWII history, and both books are well written.

Amazing book

loved this book, was so sad to hear it end! I would highly recommend it to anyone.

From all perspectives

In over 105 hours of listening time, in both of books, I never tired of hearing Kevin Pariseau's voice, which says a lot. His sometimes subtle changes in tonalities of personalities were always recognizable. But the most enjoyable part for me, was learning about WW II from so many perspectives...... the author cleverly separated the story's family into different parts of the world. My understanding of the events increased greatly, while being thoroughly entertained. I came away with a much greater appreciation for this time in history which changed so many people's lives.Highly recommended.

An Amazing Accomplishment

What can you say when your main criticism of a two-volume series this long is that there really should have been a third volume?

There is just so much depth of history and humanity in this book (taking War and Remembrance and the Winds of War as essentially a single novel in two volumes). I thought I actually knew quite a bit about World War II already but I learned so much.

There is just so much to cover, from the harrowing and horrifying accounts of the holocaust to the incredible insights into the German mind, the depth of detail about so many of the leaders of this era, oh, and the story of one family who experienced this period of history in so many different ways and in so many parts of the world.

OK, there are maybe a few things to criticize. The last year or so of the war is very rushed. We go through many long periods only hearing about the great world events in summary from Otto Von Rhun's book and Aaron Jastrow's journals, but how can you really complain about that? The man spent something like 18 years on this thing.

At first I thought maybe Wouk was a bit sexist (he was after all, writing mostly in the 1960s) but ultimately I think what sexism you encounter in the work simply reflects the sexism of the time period in which it takes place and of so many of the characters and is not some kind of judgement of the author.

The narrative almost entirely ignores non-white characters, which is especially surprising given that one of the great enemies of the war was Japan. Wouk really gets us very deeply into the German mind, with many German characters (including Hitler) very deeply explored. In fact, understanding the German mind is one of the great themes, especially of volume one. No similar effort at understanding the Japanese is even attempted. Even though Pug passes through Tokyo shortly before Pearl Harbor, we get only the briefest glimpse of life in the city. As far as I recall the only Japanese character with even a single line of dialogue is a shopkeeper in Hawaii who one of the white characters literally says "F*** you" to as the bombs are falling on Pearl Harbor.

I consider this a minor complaint however. I assume that Wouk simply did not feel he had the kind of insight necessary to depict Japanese characters realistically and I think that's understandable. And we do, at one point, have Pug condemning anti-Japanese and anti-Asian racism, though such racism is often (quite realistically) depicted during the war.

So bottom line, if you enjoy a nice long, richly detailed, insightful and beautifully narrated audio book (and Pariseau does a masterful job--even to the point of always singing any song lyrics in the text), then this one is highly recommended.

Great book with exceptional characters

What did you love best about War and Remembrance?

The way that he used the individual characters to weave the story together to give the perspective of all the world leaders and to get a feel of the way that individual citizens must have felt while this history was taking place. You feel like you are right there with them. The fact that it is historically correct and it is a great way to learn the history of the time and remember it easier than reading a history book

What was one of the most memorable moments of War and Remembrance?

The submarine battles & the Midway battle

Which character – as performed by Kevin Pariseau – was your favorite?

Pug Henery

If you could rename War and Remembrance, what would you call it?

The Historically Correct Story of World War II

Any additional comments?

A great historically correct, very informing & interesting review of Pearl Harbor and on.

An Epic

What made the experience of listening to War and Remembrance the most enjoyable?

Although I read many books about WW2 and I thought that I was well informed When I finished these 2 books I realized how much more I did not know, I could not stop listening to these two books for 5-6 weeks.

What did you like best about this story?

All of it! Narrator is perfect.

If you could rename War and Remembrance, what would you call it?

War and Peace

Any additional comments?

Same comments apply for Winds of war

A Great War story

A breathtaking beautifully written story. The characters developed and become alive. A book that can be read or listened to over snd over. A perfect novel, written by a genius.

So much better than reading on my own

I read this years ago and watched the mini series- this narration by Kevin Pariseau is phenomenal!! Wouk writes beautifully, but Pariseau’s narration really brings the characters to life. Long listen but so worth it!