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)

Jewish persecution

The reader was amazing being able to speak in so many different languages and dialects.

Monumental

How Wouk captures the major movements through the lives of one prominent, all-American family, I’ll never know. Masterpiece.

There is also a mini-series with Robert Mitchum that follows the novel surprisingly faithfully— highly recommend also.

The history

Liked the history and also the fictional stories. It would be difficult for me to listen to just the history without the people.

Never liked history

I have never consider myself as a history buff but this has given me a hunger to learn more of what actually happened in the past. This novel gave me so much information that I never had regarding WWII and allowed me to increase my knowledge while enjoying a wonderful story. I loved moving from one perspective of the world to another and being able to grasp the different way events were experienced by different parts of the world. Now I will be reading well researched historical novels and hoping I can enjoy them as much as I did this one.

Narration was wonderful, story was wonderful, hisory was presented in a way that will stay with me. A wonderful experience in every respect.

riveting, informative, a bit soapy

Riveting storytelling of mostly well-balanced history, especially the parts that educate about the Holocaust. We learn best in narratives, and the soap opera elements enhance our learning here -- I found the personal stories a bit "soapier" than in Winds of War and some of the didactic parts not as well-integrated into the storyline - but I would not have Wouk change even one plot element. While it's not high art, it is the best in old fashioned story telling. As someone mostly interested in social history from a Commonwealth viewpoint, I never thought I'd find myself interested in the American involvement in the WWII Pacific theatre - but it was difficult to hit pause even for those parts.

I tried to save this listen for the holidays, but after devouring the Winds of War, I waited impatiently for this release, and then I couldn't postpone the listen. Another reason why audiobooks matter - making titles like this widely available and promoted.

Best detailed historical fiction I've ever read!

In "The Winds of War", Herman Wouk set the storyline and developed the characters for this most excellent follow-on book. The two book series runs ~100 hours of listening - an incredible amount of time to spend listening to one person. I never really thought about the narrator, Kevin Pariseau, as I listened hour after hour (and I've listened to the books twice!). His reading and character portrail is wonderful.

You will learn plenty of real history thru the lives of these fictional characters and enjoy it much more than reading history books. Seen from the perspective of individuals living during WWII, this book helps the reader to experience the emotion of the time as well as understand, as much as possible, the big picture too.

Live WWII thru the eyes of naval officers, military wives, Jewish men and women - from the high points of their lives (marriages, children being born, financial success) to emotional and/or traumatic lows (divorce, death, life in Jewish concentration camps). This book is compelling from the breadth of historical detail and the very real characters with whom you will share both joy and sorrow.

If you are looking for WWII historical fiction - it doesn't get any better than this!

Loved it

This book was excellent in content and the reader was wonderful. Hated for it to end!!

I feel as if I have lived through the war.

Kevin Pariseau again is outstanding in his narration. I am old enough to vaguely remember WWII. I remember seeing newsreels of prisoners being shot, pictures of the concentration camps. I now feel like I have been there. By the time you are finished reading (listening) to this book each character is a person you know well, I read the hard cover of this book years ago and loved it, but the audio version is so superior. After 50 some hours later of listening, I was very sad to have it end and actually went back several chapters and listened again.

Thank you Herman Wouk for this masterpiece. RIP.

I read this book when it was first published, and have since read it two or three times more. It has long been in my top two or three favorite books, and always will be. I've also seen the excellent miniseries several times, and recommend both without reservation. This audio version is also highly recommended. You should read or listen to The Winds of War prior to this book in order to get the entire story. Wouk had intended them to be one volume, but broke them into two books when he realized how long they were going to be.

It had been many years since my last reading of it and I had forgotten entire scenes. I'm very glad I listened to it and was reminded of the power and profound nature of this incredible work. This is an excellent and accurate story set in the maelstrom that was WWII. If a reader has general questions about the war and why it occurred, this is a good tutorial for the uninformed. It is an emotionally wrenching book, and no one should expect to listen without being moved. Many sections may be difficult to endure, but I strongly urge you to endure them anyway. The Jews and other Holocaust victims, the fighting men and women, civilians from all over the world endured these events for real. You can, too, It's worth it. The fictional Henry family are an excellent vehicle that Wouk created through which to tell this tale. You will relate and react to each of them in different ways, and each offers a unique perspective on their corner of the world. Their personal lives are engaging, and I have wondered many times what those lives were like after the war. Happy, I hope.

This is not an easy book, but it was not an easy war. We owe it to those who lived through it, to those who freed the world and saved all of us from oppression and extermination to REMEMBER. Remember the suffering, the sacrifice, the selflessness. Remember our history. Once we forget it we are doomed to repeat it.

The narration was quite good, but there were more than a few mispronounced words, so I only gave it 4 stars. However, the narrator has a good singing voice and there are several passages where snippets of songs appear and he sings them very well, even in Yiddish.

Herman Wouk recently died, and the War books were his masterpiece. He will be missed, and his death leaves a hole that is impossible to fill. But all of his novels are engrossing and beautifully written. Why not try another? You might be very glad you did.

Compelling narration

A very fine performance. This book and its predecessor are a moving and valuable view of the armed services and the world of 1939-1946