The Rising Tide: A Novel of World War II
Written by Jeff Shaara
Narrated by Larry Pine
4/5
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Currently unavailable
About this audiobook
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.
Jeff Shaara
JEFF SHAARA is the award-winning, New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of seventeen novels, including Rise to Rebellion and The Rising Tide, as well as Gods and Generals and The Last Full Measure - two novels that complete his father's Pulitzer Prize-winning classic, The Killer Angels. Shaara was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, grew up in Tallahassee, Florida, and lives in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
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Reviews for The Rising Tide
214 ratings11 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fascinating story of this part of the war. Set in North Africa as Rommel and the Germans show their force. Excellent story behind the weaknesses brought about when politics and egos get involved in the decision-making process. This is the first part of three about WWII.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This is a personal story about some key and not so key characters from the North African and Sicily campaigns during World War 2. The personal history of Patton, Eisenhower and Rommel is fascinating. However, this book is seriously lacking in detail and facts, enough so that the history suffers. I really enjoyed Shaara's Civil War books, but I feel that due to the complexity of 20th century warfare, this format leaves a bit too much out. For example, because there are no aviators or seamen included, that part of the campaigns is almost completely omitted. That works for a Civil War history, not for WW2.Still good, but not as good as I expected. If you want to learn more about these campaigns, 'An Army At Dawn' by Atkinson is much more detailed, and oddly enough, covers the same time period. It also focuses on the Army though.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This is the first book of a trilogy about WWII. The book explores the lesser known African campaign(s) which began in late1942. Mr. Shaara goes into the minds of such military greats as Eisenhower, Montgomery and Rommel as well as other generals and even the men in the field. The story moves chronologically to the shores of Italy and beyond following the day-to-day events through different eyes, as is the Shaara style.Even though not of Mr. Shaara's best work, I still enjoyed this book keeping in mind that it is "historical fiction" (and so should you). This is an entertaining book but certainly not a historical one and I think Mr. Shaara did not do justice to some of the character development as he did in several of his previous novels.You don't have to be a history buff to love it because..it's not history but "historical fiction". If you're buying this book hoping for a history lesson you are better off buying the engaging WWII books by Stephen Ambrose et al.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I'm not sure where it started but this is another in the historical fiction genre, the success of which depends on historical accuracy as much as the writer's skill at dialogue and characterization. Here the history is accurate and the drama of the book is carried by the magnitude of the events. We are treated to an inside view of the highest command echelons, something the ordinary soldier never sees; and the part played by ordinary soldiers is also addressed, possibly with the same accuracy based on diaries, letters and interviews (although this is speculation on the part of this reviewer). The dialogue is less gripping, though, than the events described and the fictional conversations between major characters seems a little wooden. Also, I would like to see a little more personal detail; the focus is more on the strategic issues. That said, the book is a good read and I intend to read the next in the series.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Like many of his books, this one follows individuals through their various experiences. This particular book begins a trio of books about the United States military actions in African and European theatres of war during WWII. For as long as the book is, there is not overly much detail about specific campaigns or battles. The book would be three times as long. Basic overwiews, maps, troop movements and broad analysis of key fights during the war in northern Africa and into Italy are covered in this volume. Background and viewpoints of Patton, Eisenhower and Rommel are quite interesting.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This is a solid fictional account of the Allies efforts in North Africa, before moving to Sicily. I enjoy the format of the book, but the style is a little dry at times, and heavily biased in favour of the Americans. I was bored of reading about how great America was by the end, and had heard often enough of how the British army slowed them down. You'd never know the Russians were even in the war, but then again that is not the point of this book. At the time of reading I have little knowledge of the historical aspects of the war in North Africa, so I cant' vouch for it's authenticity, but the book is definitely a decent read. I am not sure yet if I will read the other two books in this planned trilogy.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Informative as his books always are. There seem to be gaps in the narrative at the expense of moving the storyline along.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A different way to tell a familiar story. There is very little that is new but it is told in a different way, through the eyes, thoughts, and words of certain participants. It is a very effective way to tell history.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This book is an amazing multi-perspective book about the landings of Sicily and North Africa in World War two. The first person that you get a perspective from is a random British tank commander. Then you get the perspective of the quick witted and charismatic Field Marshal Rommel. Then you get one short chapter of Montgomery's point of view preceding the battle of El Amien which shows up nowhere else in the book. Then you have the invasion of North Africa given from both Eisenhower's and a tank gunner named Logan's point of view. After the invasions and Logan is taken captive then released he is sent home and no more is said about him. Then you meet a paratrooper named Adam who then gets sent to be one of the first men to jump into Sicily. This book ends with the invasion of Italy and the build up to D-day. This book was made good because of the multi-perspective views. The way that Jeff Shaara puts it it has many high brass moments where you can get your thoughts gathered for the next front line experience. This mix of High ranking planning and lowly soldier fighting makes this book great. The Prelude that seems to always be in his latter books also gives you the point of view of an inferior or lesser group of troops also gets you interested. The few seconds of action in this book give flavor to an otherwise flat out history book. The planning is only interesting when put into context with action. Which this author does.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Tight, crisp prose characterize this fact-based retelling of the first part of WW II. That style worked great for the combat scenes, but tended to shortchange individual character development. Nevertheless, Shaara captured the personalities of Rommel, Patton and Eisenhower quite well, in my opinion.
The more interesting stories were of the line soldiers, Adams and Logan. Their daily struggles, precise detail of the essence of combat—chaos, brutality, the waste of life, inner fears—was nicely chronicled.
My preference for historical novels leans toward Leon Uris' style—novels about individuals or small groups set against the background of major world events like WW II. But this book will appeal to fans of WW II who are more interested in the strategy, politics, and high-level power struggles that have the greatest impact on the day-to-day events. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5"He opened his eyes now, felt the cool, dusty air swirling through the tank, focused on the periscope. There was silence in the earphones, no more of the chatter, no more playful insults from Parnell...no more drills and lessons. The training was over."Tank Gunner Logan in Jeff Shaara's "The Rising Tide: A Novel of World War II"Jeff Shaara delivers a detailed world in the first book in his military series focused on World War 2. Built upon a solid foundation of historical fact, "The Rising Tide" puts the reader in the middle of the war by tracing the activities and interactions of a number of characters; some real-life heroes like General Dwight D. Eisenhower and Erwin Rommel, some larger than life wartime personalities like George Patton and Winston Churchill. He also provides a grounds-eye view through the perspective of a pair of troops engaged in the key battles themselves, a tank-gunner in North Africa and a paratrooper on Sicily.Shaara's story is purely plot-driven. If you enjoy military tactics and strategy, with a steady dose of world politics driving the military actions, then you'll love this book. "The Rising Tide" is not a character study of the leaders of WWII, however Shaara integrates the key personalities with a deft and subtle hand, that provides the emotional fuel for the novel.In places, Shaara builds on the legends of mid-20th century personalities. Displaying the clichéd brash bravado from the legendary George Patton, Shaara includes a scene between Eisenhower and Patton. "We’ll do it, Ike...We'll do it or we'll die trying." And in another, Patton sits to write in his diary as he comes to terms with his newly minted promotion which translates to his need to lead from the rear rather than lead from the spear point: "Well, the battle is on. I'm taking off my shoes to go to bed." Shaara provides a generalized attribution to many papers, documents, diaries and letters from the real life players, but without specifically referencing what's real and what's fiction. Ultimately it doesn't matter to me. Shaara writes an energetic, literate and smooth-flowing story.Jeff Shaara's writing style is reminiscent of the battle scenes in his father's "Killer Angels"; a short, clipped style, which favors sparsity of language over verbosity. And sometimes the drama turns a bit melodramatic. In one scene, Eisenhower talks with his Naval Aide, "No matter what anyone says in Washington, no matter how much bitching and doubt falls on Marshall or Churchill or FDR, it's the men in the landing craft and the assault craft who matter, the men who fire the big guns. If they do their job, then you'll have done yours. Sir."But this is the kind of drama I enjoy - heavy, sweeping, life changing, and often dark, drama. We see this in the early military action that the Americans engage in against Germany's famed Erwin Rommel in North Africa. After an easy entry onto the continent, the Americans inevitably come up against Rommel's powerful Panzer Army. The tank gunner, Logan, actualizes that they are no longer playing at war, but dealing with a very harsh reality: "Are we ready for this? Do we know what will happen when we face a real enemy?"This series will be my personal introduction to many aspects of World War II. I'm not interested (yet) in reading deep and onerous histories of the time, but I'm thoroughly enjoying the military and political machinations as drawn out by historical novelist Shaara. I highly recommend "The Rising Tide" by Jeff Shaara.