City Travel Guides > Books > Second World War

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.The Complete Maus
City Travel Guides > Books > Second World War
by: Art Spiegelman

October 02, 2003
I had known of this book for about a year when i finally decided to buy it. I was put off by the slightly dodgy artwork and the very serious nature of the plot which to me is not what comics are about. Anyway,I wanted to read it so i could come on hear and rant about how it is an over-rated waste of time but I cant. The art isnt perfect i agree but it has its charms and as you read the story you really do get into the simplistic nature of it,it works for this,it doesnt distract from the story which over stylised art would. The story is VERY well written and everything i read totally shocked and moved me.
The jist of my review is - if you are put off by the art but you liked schindlers list or have a fascination with hearing about the holocaust ... Read More:
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.Catch-22 (Vintage Classics)
City Travel Guides > Books > Second World War
by: Joseph Heller

February 07, 2004
This is a book with a massive contradiction. Any book with a heavy weight reputation is/should be dull, ponderous, difficult and unreadable by anyone without the word Professor in front of their name.

Instead Catch-22 is a stupid, silly, almost without pretension novel with a lot of substance beneath the gags. It took me 100 pages to get into it. I eventually realised that it's a silly romp with lots of second rate jokes and mediocre wordplay. It's the sort of book were characters get tripped up in the complexities of their own words, and everyone gets lost in their own conversations as they insist on ploughing on no matter how confused things get. After the penny dropped it became an enjoyable read.

It's not a totally easy read ... Read More:
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."War Picture Library": Against All Odds
City Travel Guides > Books > Second World War
from: Prion Books Ltd

August 04, 2008
Yes men of a certain age (I don't think many girls read these or the Commando books) will know what to expect here and wallow in the nostalgia. Thankfully not processed to be PC - they are of their time and therefore serve a historical purpose as well as being great entertainment. I was regalling my son only a couple of weeks ago of how I would wait for the War and Battle picture libraries Summer specials to take on holidays and how they would hold me enthralled for hours and of course we all were able to go out and fight pretend battles of our own. I prefferred these comics to the slightly more staid Commando books but devour all of them as well as the weekly doses of Victor, Hotspur and the Eagle.

Ah those were the days....and by the way my son loves these as well. ... Read More:
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.Charlotte Gray
City Travel Guides > Books > Second World War
by: Sebastian Faulks

July 01, 1999
I had high hopes for this book, because I absolutely loved Birdsong, but I found it left me rather unmoved. It's written in what seems, to me at least, to be a curiously detached style and it didn't seem to really penetrate beneath the surface of the characters. Even amidst the danger of Occupied France, SS officers on trains, children being sent to concentration camps, the collaboration and resistance of the French, I never really cared very much about what happened to the characters. The one part that did affect me, the two young boys being sent to the gas chambers, was less about the specific fate of those two characters and more about the actual fate of the children who really were killed in the Holocaust. So, a disappointment, I would say.
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.The Bronze Horseman
City Travel Guides > Books > Second World War
starring: Paullina Simons

April 02, 2001
Have to agree with the other reviews - this book is one of the best books I have ever read. I must have read it four or five times now and each time it never fails to move me. The reader's emotional connection with the characters is second to none. Yes, perhaps there are minor flaws in the book (including the plot device of Dmitri), but the writing is so REAL that you won't notice them much - if at all - because you'll be completely absorbed in what happens. Tatiana must be one of the most likeable female protagonists ever, and Alexander is just - well, you'll probably even fall in love with the way he smokes his cigarettes. The writing is evocative, lush, vivid, raw, beautiful.
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.Vessel of Sadness
City Travel Guides > Books > Second World War
by: William Woodruff

November 04, 2004
This is a very different read from Woodruff's excellent Nab End books. It's very bleak and directionless, which for those of us used to 'Saving Private Ryan' or the superb 'Band of Brothers', can be a bit disconcerting. But in that mode it manages to convey the chaos and senseless death of war brilliantly.

The book is a fictionalised account of the Anzio campaign, in which the author fought, but is clearly distilled from his experience. As fiction it doesn't dwell on the rivalries that existed between armies or their regiments - which is much to its strength. Many modern WWII armchair generals are given over to criticism of various armies or their leaders and pointless debates about the military commanders (Patton vs. Montgomery - that kind of rubbish). Woodruff cuts through all ... Read More:
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."Commando": The Dirty Dozen: The Best 12 "Commando" Books of All Time: The Best 12 "Commando" Books of All Time
City Travel Guides > Books > Second World War
by: George Low

November 07, 2005
I discovered a friend had never heard of, let alone read a Commando book as a child. I was amazed and dismayed. What, I wondered, had the poor chap done to be so deprived? I shudder think what dialogue he made up for his Action Men without access to this rich source material.

Anyway, a brilliant idea to publish this collection - let's have more.

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.Zoo Station
City Travel Guides > Books > Second World War
by: David Downing

March 20, 2007
The seeker of espionage thrills and spills may need to look elsewhere. But where this writer excels is in creating the daily atmosphere of pre-war Germany, and especially Berlin, which serves to grip entirely on its own. I doubt if any modern writer has combined the chilling with the everyday as effectively as David Downing, whether it be the smiling blonde receptionist at Gestapo headquarters or the innocent roadside signposts to the the local concentration camp, devoid of any meaning to ordinary Berliners.

As for the story itself I found it beautifully constructed, the 'in-too-deep' clamminess of its protagonist, John Russell, a domiciled English journalist, all too believable. It's also enhanced by the relationship with his delightful girlfriend, as well as the obvious devotion to ... Read More:
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.Biggles' Dangerous Missions
City Travel Guides > Books > Second World War
by: W.E. Johns

August 04, 2008
The seeker of espionage thrills and spills may need to look elsewhere. But where this writer excels is in creating the daily atmosphere of pre-war Germany, and especially Berlin, which serves to grip entirely on its own. I doubt if any modern writer has combined the chilling with the everyday as effectively as David Downing, whether it be the smiling blonde receptionist at Gestapo headquarters or the innocent roadside signposts to the the local concentration camp, devoid of any meaning to ordinary Berliners.

As for the story itself I found it beautifully constructed, the 'in-too-deep' clamminess of its protagonist, John Russell, a domiciled English journalist, all too believable. It's also enhanced by the relationship with his delightful girlfriend, as well as the obvious devotion to ... Read More:
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.The Wedding Officer
City Travel Guides > Books > Second World War
by: Anthony Capella

March 05, 2007
This novel is a must for lovers of Italy! A frothy Cappuccino, with several shots of strong Espresso; a wonderful blend of love, war, food and the strength of the human spirit. A young British officer, James Gould arrives in Naples in 1943 with the job of vetting all applications for marriage between local girls and British personnel. The majority of the matches are totally unsuitable and the very 'upright' James intends to do everything by the rule book. But .... this is Italy, and Italy has a way of changing people's perspectives; rules are made to be broken, and what happens when the Wedding Officer himself falls in love! This is all set against the background of occupation, with the Germans now occupying the North, whilst the British and Americans push from the South. We're given a strong flavour ... Read More:
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