The Rising Tide

A Novel of World War II

By: Jeff Shaara

Narrated by: Paul Michael

Length: 22 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's summary

A modern master of the historical novel, Jeff Shaara has painted brilliant depictions of the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and World War I. Now, The Rising Tide begins a staggering work of fiction bound to be a new generation’s most poignant chronicle of World War II.

Through unforgettable battle scenes in the unforgiving deserts of North Africa, into the “soft underbelly” of Hitler’s Fortress Europa, and as battles rage along the coasts of the Mediterranean, The Rising Tide is a vivid gallery of characters both immortal and unknown. From tank driver to paratrooper to the men who gave the commands, Shaara’s stirring portrayals bring the heroic and the tragic to life in brilliant detail. 

A new level of accomplishment from this already acclaimed author, The Rising Tide will leave listeners eager for the next volume of this superb saga of the war that saved and changed the world.

©2006 Jeffrey M. Shaara (P)2006 Books on Tape

Critic reviews

"The wonderful first volume of a planned trilogy....Shaara evokes the agony of desert warfare and the utter chaos of an airborne assault....[A] sprawling, masterful opening act." (Publishers Weekly)

You Are There

In the Rising Tide, Jeff Shaara continues to chronicle the spectacle of American war. This time it’s WWII, from the front lines in North Africa through the invasion of Sicily to the buildup in England before Operation Overlord. He drops you right in the middle of the action, whether it’s through the eyes of a paratrooper, Sgt. Jesse Adams, or the future Supreme Allied Commander, Dwight D. Eisenhower, you are there. The superb actor/reader, Larry Pine, does a phenomenal job with the many varied voices and accents. He is able to transport the listener through time, adding immeasurably to the ultimately satisfying listening experience. I eagerly await the next volume from Shaara. 5 stars.

A front row seat to history

Any additional comments?

I want to start by saying that Paul Michael is one heck of a narrator. By the end of the book, I could audibly distinguish between characters just by the various accents spoken by the narrator. How anyone can keep two dozen different character accents clear and consistent throughout a 25hr storytelling is beyond me. Five stars!!

The book was great. A few commenters complained about the fact that the novel doesn't concentrate on one character - that it is too broad of a narrative and not enough of a story. But the book wasn't written to be about one or two men. It covers the North African campaigns and the plights of several key figures from that period, and judged in that light, Shaara wrote an amazing novel. From the frustrations of Rommel to the brashness of Patton, to the as yet untested Eisenhower trying to make the coalition function - it's all there.

I'll definitely be ordering the next book in the trilogy.

Thoroughly Enjoyed

I love history - especially the 19th and 20th century history. This is the first book I have read written by Jeff Shaara. He has done a supreme job telling the story of the beginnings of WWII through the eyes of real characters. The events and campaigns of the Africa and Italian campaigns were depicted through the eyes of not only Heads of State, and Generals, but Colonels, Captains, Sargent's, and the little men made the history come alive for me! The reader, Larry Pine, was great, his Churchill,Montgomery,and Patton impressions were PERFECT! This is a great listen especially for history buffs! The only reason I did not give it 5 Stars is that nothing beats Robert Kurson's "Shadow Divers" for real life drama and fascinating adventure! I highly recommend "The Rising Tide" as a truly great audio book.

Good but not Great

I was hoping for a story about the soldier. While there is a dusting of storyline regarding their story. It is for the most part a Rommel, Patton, Ike, and Monty storyline. The reader is fantastic, he changes his voices to cover several German characters, several American, and several British.

I found the story alive and interesting when it dealt with generals and above. The soldier parts were short and weak.

GREAT!

A Marvolous historical novel! From inside Eisenhower’s Headquarters to uncontrollable tirades in Hitler’s Bunker, to North African battles between the armies led by Montgomery, Patton and Rommel, to Colonel Gavin’s Airborne holding off the Panzers from the American infantry landing in Sicily, Jeff Shaara graphically takes us from battles in North Africa to the beginning stages of Operation Overload in England. Meticulously researched and wonderfully written...absolutely worth the 2 credits. Just a great listen.

Good Story, Very Pro-American

The story is well told. If you want to believe that the Americans did all of the heavy lifting in the War in Europe than the author is sure to gratify you in that regard.

As a non-American, I found the pro-American (and anti-British) tone of the book annoying. A more balanced approach to the other Allied forces would have been a significant improvement to the book.

Now I have been there

Shaara makes history come alive with his novel style of putting us inside the hearts and minds of all of his characters. The mixture of high level decision makers and frontline troops doing the dirty work made for a compelling presentation.

The narrators ability to consistently carry out so many different accents made it so by the end of the book, I knew who was talking without being told. He was also able to communicate emotion with subtle tone changes that made the listening even more riveting.

As good as this book was, I do belive it would be more fairly priced at one credit. Nevertheless, it now stands beside Jeff Shaara's father's work - Killer Angels - as one of my two favorite pieces about war and the warriors who fight them.

For history lovers

This book seemed far more history than novel.It was quite dry from the perspective of reader to character connection. Still, I learned a lot about WWII and may continue with the next 2 books in the series.

World War II Alive Again Excellent!

When I first heard Jeff Shaara tell me about his new World War II novels, I was very excited since this topic has always been high on my list. I had the pleasure of meeting him at Gettysburg, PA. When audible picked them up (even at 2 credits each) I purchased them immediately since I travel extensively.
What makes a good audio book...the reader is excellent, clear voice, engaging, and very good at accents. I am glad to see Paul Michael reads other Shaara novels.
Second the story must entertain and keep us engaged, since we are not visually committed, the audio content must be rich, informative, and masterfully told.
Third the story must be fresh, and on a subject material known so well, Shaara brings back North Africa and all our famous generals and characters fully to life.
I do agree that it would have been nice to bring more of the Citizen Soldiers into the story and present more of their daily life, but still the humanizing of military legends also satisfies that area.
A great book and highly recommended for all readers. His future novels will focus on the Pacific World War II and the Korean War...can't wait and hope the credits are 1.
JDM

Up close and personal information and story making

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

While I found some of the character descriptions amusing, there was incredible sadness in this story. Solders, human beings advancing directly into the path of bullets, and certain death was an emotionally taxing read. So much life spent and lost during the carnage of war..

Any additional comments?

For those of us who seek understanding and entertainment in relation to the epic events of our lifetimes..

We will appreciate this work!

Great book series of WW3

Never did audio great series I have read the series great to hear a voice with the character

Excellent reader!!!!

A most gripping account of Mediterranean war, the reader is best I've heard yet.. Wow

Can't wait to listen to the next two books!

I'm a WW1 obsessive with WW2 a close second. Years ago I read Shaara WW1 novel and hated it. So I stayed away from his other books.

So how come I picked this? Well after sending back three books already trying to find something I enjoy with my credit I decided to go with a WW2 novel. I had decided that what ever I picked I'd keep and so after endless search and listening to samples I decided to give him another chance, he is well praised so I had to give him another go.

I think with his WW1 book it came across as the Americans won the War which bothered me. WW2 I'd take it easier.

Anyway really happy I took the plunge. The only slight issue is narrator's English accents. Though he has a voice that's easy to listen to do all cool

I say go for it if looking for WW2 novel and happy it being from allied side esp American you can't go wrong.

Fantastic

I have learned so much about the second world war listening to this book. Simply wonderful