War and Remembrance

Considering the fact that there are so many reviews on these two books, I'll be brief. I owe you that much, if you're choosing to read this one, after all. This book is THE BEST historically accurate FICTIONAL book on WWII you will ever read, period. The narrarator could not have been better. I honestly cannot think of any reason whatsoever that anyone would rate this less than 5 stars. The characters are so deeply fleshed out, that by the end you actually CARE what happens to them. This is remarkable when you consider that the book follows something like 10 different people (so it seems). IF you love WWII, and feel like reading about a very interesting group of people that lived through some of its greatest moments, then this is the book(s) for you!!

This is the "War and Peace" of a generation.

After reading and listening to "The Winds of War" I knew I would love "War and Remembrance" but the achievements of Wouk as a dramatist and historian in this sequel are significantly surpassing the first part. Not only are characters and scenes masterly presented but is the entire saga from the fist minute to the end consistent and captivating. I have never heard a more artistic and enjoyable narrating as the one by Kevin Pariseau. Only a person deeply enjoying his work is able to achieve such an outstanding performance. Kevin is coloring the entire story - just listen to part 4, chapter 5 @ 25:43 where he reads the scene on the airbase in Greenland - comedy pure. Pariseau manages all emotions, sings (and I guess dances) and he is also amazing when compassion and silent tones are required. I read and heard a lot about WW II history but can even recommend "The Winds of War" and "War and Remembrance" to learn about this global disaster - better than a lot of history books. All in all a revelation - nothing more, nothing less.

I only listen to books now.

Pug Henry...He had by far the most interesting life of all...

Well, certainly, he does the heavy lifting of bringing it to life!

...an interesting family in an interesting time...

I'm not attracted to war stories. What I love about both Winds of War & War & Remembrance is that the history of WWII plays out as a subtext to personal relationships--family, military, professional, romantic, power, control, individual & global.

I did not come to this book with curiosity about the details of war, yet many were presented. I don't want to even think in the most general sense that the Holocaust could ever have happened, never mind become immersed & involved with a detailed account of HOW it may have come to pass...what it may have been like to be a Jew in Germany then. Anne Frank told what it was like to experience hiding. Here we have a more explicit account of what went on when one was found. Here we can have a little bit of an idea about the thousand tiny moments that took a Jew from living a normal life to that last moment—naked, with hundreds of others, hearing the bolt on the door. I didn't want to know any of that and it was sickening to contemplate, difficult to get through. I appreciate it as an irrepressible reminder of the cowardice that is complacency & what could be its result. And there is so much more to the story than that!

This is a work of multidimensional genius. I hate the fact that I've finished it. Now what?? This book makes so many other things I may listen to seem simply trivial.

Wouk's American version of "War and Peace" is perhaps not as profound as Tolstoy, but it is entertaining and informative and much more intelligent than the kind of pot-boiler stuff that historical fiction has mostly become since this was written. Things do not come together perfectly in the end, and maybe Mr. Wouk is showing a bit of fatigue (understandably,) but the overall achievement is still pretty remarkable. I will definitely be listening to this and "Winds of War" again in a couple of years. Now, if Audible will only add "The Caine Mutiny" to its holdings, I will be perfectly satisfied!

It would be in top 20 and I've been an audie for many years.

The military analysis by General Roone and rebuttal by Pug Henry.

He does it all. Get the tone right, the accents. It's a long book but his voice keeps it interesting all the way through.

Not a particular moment but the book covers WWII so no shortage of moving moments.

No one is better than Wouk for writing historical fiction.

Thought-provoking, stunning, unforgettable.

Aaron Jastrow's eventual transformation, as a parable for Jews everywhere.

Loved the performance . . . Pariseau had numerous characters with various accents, and handled them well. Loved his pronounciation of "renaissance" (usually pronounced ren-ah-sance) as "ree" + "nascense". Really brings home the meaning of that word.

Too many applicable clichés: Epic, sweeping, detailed, grand . . .

I enjoyed the book so much I involuntarily made a rude gesture at my iPod as one of the characters did something oh-so-predictable, but destructive. I was truly engaged from the start of the Winds of War through the end of War and Remembrance.

Want to know what's historically accurate? Read the historical notes - don't try Wikipedia, plot spoilers abound.

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.

In this, the second and last book of the story, the Henry family and company go into the war on all fronts (literally). This book will stun you with the depth and breadth of the war and insidiously teach you fascinating and important minutia that end up answering most of the hows,and whys of the war while remaining on story for the Henrys. Thats quite an amazing feat of writing wizardry that's pulled off amazingly well! It also explains why this book is so long.
Unlike the first book, big things are happening at the speed of life. No punches are pulled in this surprisingly realistic portrail of the war in all its horrors. This is an important book for everyone to read, because It gives such an amazingly thorough picture of the war.I would never say it covers everything, but for what it is, it really is astounding how detailed a picture of the war it does provide, and the story of the henrys is very good. The narration is very good and perfect for the subject matter. A deceivingly great book. Highest recommendation.

First of while this book would stand alone perfectly fine it is in fact part 2 of the 2 part story begun in 'The Winds of War'. Epic, doesn't do justice to these books. Big, doesn't do a very good job of describing the story told in these two books. The simple fact is that Wouk did a masterful job of telling the story of world war II and Kevin Pariseau did a superior job of narrating these two books. Some might say that Wouk put too much emphasis on the Holocaust. Perhaps he did put a lot of emphasis on it and perhaps that was because he himself was Jewish, but to this I say two things; First it was his story so he can tell it any way he chooses and secondly to my way of thinking it doesn't hurt for people to be reminded of the Holocaust to be sure that it never happens again. All in all I enjoyed these books immensely and I am grateful to Audible for making them available. If you like a big story expertly told and superbly narrated then you should like these two books.

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.