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 Customer Reviews
The National Reviews So Far, 12 Oct 2008
Reviews of Masters and Commanders
`Writing with clarity and elegance, Mr Roberts conveys how his four principals and their armies of aides and staff officers thrashed out the formulae for victory. This is an important book which, in its layered references to Waterloo, the Crimea and the Somme, sees Mr Roberts lay claim to the title of Britain's finest contemporary military historian.'
The Economist
`Despite eschewing the visceral drama of the battlefield for the less deadly, if no less hard-fought, debates of various Allied conferences, cabinets and committees, Roberts has produced a surprisingly gripping read. He has marshalled his material superbly and his warts-and-all assessment of his four subjects is invariable spot-on. Exhaustively researched and judiciously written, with a gimlet eye for telling detail, this may be his finest book yet.'
Saul David, Sunday Telegraph
`In Masters and Commanders, Roberts offers us a compelling analysis of American and British strategy during the war. He also tells a profoundly human story - of two soldiers who loyally served their masters, only to be each denied at the end the prize that would have made one of them world famous.'
Laurence Rees, Sunday Times
`Roberts displays a profound understanding of the interactions between strategy and politics, and his interpretation of British/US strategic relations between 1941 and 1945 is unlikely to be superseded.'
Prof Vernon Bogdanor, Financial Times
`Couched in elegant prose, this book is a masterpiece of robust historical analysis, steeped in scholarship and alive to every nuance of personality. Roberts re-evaluates each of the masters and commanders with scrupulous fairness.'
Christopher Silvester, Daily Express
`The author has crafted a masterly and fresh interpretation of the grand strategy of World War II. Roberts's pen-portraits, with their wealth of amusing and often acerbic anecdotes, reveal the evolution of that strategy by the master statesmen.'
John Crossland, Daily Mail
`The strength of Masters and Commanders lies in the power of the narrative and the fascinating detail used to construct it. Roberts has exploited a rich mine of private papers to fill in missing parts of the story, and although there is little new to be learned about the long strategic arguments between the British and the Americans over the best way to defeat Hitler, there is a lot to learn about the way that argument took place. Roberts has a shrewd grasp of the ins and outs of decision making.'
Prof Richard Overy, Literary Review
`Marshal Foch famously said that he had "less respect for Napoleon, now that I know what a coalition is". The high quality of the leadership of the coalition Andrew Roberts so expertly describes was a decisive factor in their success.'
Conrad Black, Mail on Sunday
`A wonderful page-turner, a really good read.'
Chris Patten, Start the Week
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Customer Reviews
The National Reviews So Far, 12 Oct 2008
Reviews of Masters and Commanders
`Writing with clarity and elegance, Mr Roberts conveys how his four principals and their armies of aides and staff officers thrashed out the formulae for victory. This is an important book which, in its layered references to Waterloo, the Crimea and the Somme, sees Mr Roberts lay claim to the title of Britain's finest contemporary military historian.'
The Economist
`Despite eschewing the visceral drama of the battlefield for the less deadly, if no less hard-fought, debates of various Allied conferences, cabinets and committees, Roberts has produced a surprisingly gripping read. He has marshalled his material superbly and his warts-and-all assessment of his four subjects is invariable spot-on. Exhaustively researched and judiciously written, with a gimlet eye for telling detail, this may be his finest book yet.'
Saul David, Sunday Telegraph
`In Masters and Commanders, Roberts offers us a compelling analysis of American and British strategy during the war. He also tells a profoundly human story - of two soldiers who loyally served their masters, only to be each denied at the end the prize that would have made one of them world famous.'
Laurence Rees, Sunday Times
`Roberts displays a profound understanding of the interactions between strategy and politics, and his interpretation of British/US strategic relations between 1941 and 1945 is unlikely to be superseded.'
Prof Vernon Bogdanor, Financial Times
`Couched in elegant prose, this book is a masterpiece of robust historical analysis, steeped in scholarship and alive to every nuance of personality. Roberts re-evaluates each of the masters and commanders with scrupulous fairness.'
Christopher Silvester, Daily Express
`The author has crafted a masterly and fresh interpretation of the grand strategy of World War II. Roberts's pen-portraits, with their wealth of amusing and often acerbic anecdotes, reveal the evolution of that strategy by the master statesmen.'
John Crossland, Daily Mail
`The strength of Masters and Commanders lies in the power of the narrative and the fascinating detail used to construct it. Roberts has exploited a rich mine of private papers to fill in missing parts of the story, and although there is little new to be learned about the long strategic arguments between the British and the Americans over the best way to defeat Hitler, there is a lot to learn about the way that argument took place. Roberts has a shrewd grasp of the ins and outs of decision making.'
Prof Richard Overy, Literary Review
`Marshal Foch famously said that he had "less respect for Napoleon, now that I know what a coalition is". The high quality of the leadership of the coalition Andrew Roberts so expertly describes was a decisive factor in their success.'
Conrad Black, Mail on Sunday
`A wonderful page-turner, a really good read.'
Chris Patten, Start the Week
Excellent book, 27 Sep 2008
I took this book on holiday with me and I feel a week by the pool is a perfect way to enjoy this book.
I really enjoyed the pace of this work. I felt it gave just the right amount of detail without dwelling on unimportant facts.
For me it was constantly enthralling. As a 23 year-old I certainly learnt a great deal. The detail is far greater than the BBC series that accompanied the book. My only doubt is whether had I lived through the times discussed I would have found it a little lightweight.
History at its best, 26 Sep 2008
I found this book a real pleasure to read. It is a penetrating and scholarly account of Britain's post-war history. It is brilliantly researched and beautifully written - the author has a good eye for the amusing bon mot - yet it deals in a balanced and sensible way with the key developments and personalities of the post-war era. If a better book has been published in the past year, then I have not come across it.
A future school textbook - and useful now., 29 Aug 2008
This book was updated for its paperback release and having read it carefully I suspect that many of the errors referred to by other reviewers were removed at that point. Having lived out of Britain for a sizeable chunk of my adult life, I found that I had much to learn from the pages - several large gaps in my knowledge were filled in.
I found it difficult to detect any signs of bias, and Andrew Marr's easy writing style made it a pleasure to read. This is almost as far removed from the dry history textbook that I wrestled with as a young student as it is possible to be. For anyone wanting a crash course on British modern history, this could not be bettered. Well researched and referenced, this deserves to become a standard.
I learnt all I should have at school, 26 Aug 2008
If I hadn't been taught some trendy (in the 1970's) History O Level course I may have learned some modern history and have subsequently been on catch up since!
This is the most readable book I have read covering the post war period and having seen the TV programme the writers voice is audible. It's a must read for a holiday (preferably with understanding people who don't want to talk very much as being interrupted reading won't go down too well)
A Superficial History of Modern Britain. , 12 Aug 2008
Andrew Marr's book is, if not a totally one-way glass facade, then certainly a pretty smeared window upon society that is clearly influenced by the naive, PC stupidity of those many refer to as the 'chattering classes'. Shallow and childlike. The professional intelligentsia, and their private armchair and public media imitators, will surely love it.
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Customer Reviews
The National Reviews So Far, 12 Oct 2008
Reviews of Masters and Commanders
`Writing with clarity and elegance, Mr Roberts conveys how his four principals and their armies of aides and staff officers thrashed out the formulae for victory. This is an important book which, in its layered references to Waterloo, the Crimea and the Somme, sees Mr Roberts lay claim to the title of Britain's finest contemporary military historian.'
The Economist
`Despite eschewing the visceral drama of the battlefield for the less deadly, if no less hard-fought, debates of various Allied conferences, cabinets and committees, Roberts has produced a surprisingly gripping read. He has marshalled his material superbly and his warts-and-all assessment of his four subjects is invariable spot-on. Exhaustively researched and judiciously written, with a gimlet eye for telling detail, this may be his finest book yet.'
Saul David, Sunday Telegraph
`In Masters and Commanders, Roberts offers us a compelling analysis of American and British strategy during the war. He also tells a profoundly human story - of two soldiers who loyally served their masters, only to be each denied at the end the prize that would have made one of them world famous.'
Laurence Rees, Sunday Times
`Roberts displays a profound understanding of the interactions between strategy and politics, and his interpretation of British/US strategic relations between 1941 and 1945 is unlikely to be superseded.'
Prof Vernon Bogdanor, Financial Times
`Couched in elegant prose, this book is a masterpiece of robust historical analysis, steeped in scholarship and alive to every nuance of personality. Roberts re-evaluates each of the masters and commanders with scrupulous fairness.'
Christopher Silvester, Daily Express
`The author has crafted a masterly and fresh interpretation of the grand strategy of World War II. Roberts's pen-portraits, with their wealth of amusing and often acerbic anecdotes, reveal the evolution of that strategy by the master statesmen.'
John Crossland, Daily Mail
`The strength of Masters and Commanders lies in the power of the narrative and the fascinating detail used to construct it. Roberts has exploited a rich mine of private papers to fill in missing parts of the story, and although there is little new to be learned about the long strategic arguments between the British and the Americans over the best way to defeat Hitler, there is a lot to learn about the way that argument took place. Roberts has a shrewd grasp of the ins and outs of decision making.'
Prof Richard Overy, Literary Review
`Marshal Foch famously said that he had "less respect for Napoleon, now that I know what a coalition is". The high quality of the leadership of the coalition Andrew Roberts so expertly describes was a decisive factor in their success.'
Conrad Black, Mail on Sunday
`A wonderful page-turner, a really good read.'
Chris Patten, Start the Week
Excellent book, 27 Sep 2008
I took this book on holiday with me and I feel a week by the pool is a perfect way to enjoy this book.
I really enjoyed the pace of this work. I felt it gave just the right amount of detail without dwelling on unimportant facts.
For me it was constantly enthralling. As a 23 year-old I certainly learnt a great deal. The detail is far greater than the BBC series that accompanied the book. My only doubt is whether had I lived through the times discussed I would have found it a little lightweight.
History at its best, 26 Sep 2008
I found this book a real pleasure to read. It is a penetrating and scholarly account of Britain's post-war history. It is brilliantly researched and beautifully written - the author has a good eye for the amusing bon mot - yet it deals in a balanced and sensible way with the key developments and personalities of the post-war era. If a better book has been published in the past year, then I have not come across it.
A future school textbook - and useful now., 29 Aug 2008
This book was updated for its paperback release and having read it carefully I suspect that many of the errors referred to by other reviewers were removed at that point. Having lived out of Britain for a sizeable chunk of my adult life, I found that I had much to learn from the pages - several large gaps in my knowledge were filled in.
I found it difficult to detect any signs of bias, and Andrew Marr's easy writing style made it a pleasure to read. This is almost as far removed from the dry history textbook that I wrestled with as a young student as it is possible to be. For anyone wanting a crash course on British modern history, this could not be bettered. Well researched and referenced, this deserves to become a standard.
I learnt all I should have at school, 26 Aug 2008
If I hadn't been taught some trendy (in the 1970's) History O Level course I may have learned some modern history and have subsequently been on catch up since!
This is the most readable book I have read covering the post war period and having seen the TV programme the writers voice is audible. It's a must read for a holiday (preferably with understanding people who don't want to talk very much as being interrupted reading won't go down too well)
A Superficial History of Modern Britain. , 12 Aug 2008
Andrew Marr's book is, if not a totally one-way glass facade, then certainly a pretty smeared window upon society that is clearly influenced by the naive, PC stupidity of those many refer to as the 'chattering classes'. Shallow and childlike. The professional intelligentsia, and their private armchair and public media imitators, will surely love it.
The story of a True Heroine, 11 Sep 2008
When the German army invaded Paris in 1940, Agnes Humbert a strong minded, politically aware art historian, immediately knew that she had to 'do something', the thought of accepting the invasion was anathema to her and she helped to form one of the first organised groups of the French Resistance. The speed with which this was set up and began to operate was staggering. She had excellent contacts and friends in literary and journalistic circles and an underground newspaper, combating the German propaganda machine, was printed and circulated around Paris. It was simply amazing that they managed to keep this going and out of the hands of the authorities for nearly a year before they were betrayed and she was arrested and thrown into prison. Seven of the men who founded the group died by firing squad and Agnes, while escaping the death penalty, was sentenced to five years in a German labour camp.
She had kept a diary up to her imprisonment and she completed it after liberation in 1945. Unable to keep a written record of her experiences she recreated them afterwards, relying on her memory alone. This gives this fascinating book a contrast in writing, the earlier diary memories dashed down quickly on a daily basis, breathless and eager to get everything on paper as it happened; the later reflections more considered even though she wrote at top speed in 1945 after the was liberated and before her memories faded. 'I remember everything as clearly as it it was written in notebooks' everything was recorded in memory and all she had to do was slowly turn the pages.
She worked in a factory spinning materials for uniforms for the German troops, often working a 12 hour shift, with little food and having to stand for hours, weak with fatigue
"My feet are absolute agony and we'll be standing here for hours. I have a brainwave. I ask permission to take off my awful shoes (my insteps are bleeding) and wrap my feet in the lengths of rayon that are scattered all round........the director on Anrath (the factory) is going to carry out an inspection and I was told I should stand to attention when he arrives....he stops in front of me asking me viciously why I have taken off my shoes. I explain. He replies: 'Very good you will be severely punished' and with that promise he leaves me'.
Despite all this Agnes makes sure that she causes the cotton to knot and break and does her best to carry out minor acts of sabotage which will cause maximum inconvenience. Later, when she is set to making boxes, once she has hammered in the nails, she makes sure she shears them off so that the crates will fall apart as soon as possible. Such actions continue throughout her five years and these small rebellions strengthen her will and help to keep her going even when her weight plummets and she is given the nickname 'Ghandi' as she is so bony and skeletal.
In this closed world, with teachers and professors working cheek by jowl with prostitutes and murderers, the solidarity and camaraderie among the prisoners assumes the importance of life saving proportions. Friendships of exceptional intensity are formed, generally between prisoners who hardly ever see each others faces and who have little time for intimate chat or gossip though at first Agnes had harsh words for the criminals with whom she was in such close proximity: 'Wretched faces, vicious and primitive, a collection of gallows birds, thieves, syphilitic prostitutes and murderers'.
Once liberation took place and the prisoners were all released by the incoming American army, Agnes embarked on important work with them. With her fluent German and English and her knowledge of the workings of the Nazi camp system, she made herself indispensable and In an amazingly short space of time her authority and energy restored, she was put in charge of administration of the town where they were billeted organising local prison camps, provision of shelter and food and first aid to refugees.
The rapidity with which she shed her identity as a political prisoner after four years of imprisonment is quite astounding and a tribute to her strength of personality and intelligence. After the war she became a founder and president of her local group of a left wing organisation Fighters for Freedom, and in 1949 was awarded the Croix de Guerre.
For many years this book Notre Guerre, was out of print and unobtainable though when it was first published in 1946 it caused quite a stir. It was one of the first books written about the Resistance and written while memories were fresh and, according to the Afterword, historians were immediately aware of this testimony and its value has continued to be recognised ever since.
I found Agnes' story to be profoundly moving, it took my breath away at times and also made me laugh, as she had a wicked sense of humour. Whenever I read a book such as this, and one that is a true story as well, I am staggered at the bravery displayed under fire. It makes me feel very humble and also makes me wonder just how I would behave and act if placed in such circumstances. I am thankful that I have never had to find out, but gosh a document such as this does make you think.
A truly wonderful book and I have no hesitation if giving it five stars. Do buy and read - you won't regret it.
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Customer Reviews
The National Reviews So Far, 12 Oct 2008
Reviews of Masters and Commanders
`Writing with clarity and elegance, Mr Roberts conveys how his four principals and their armies of aides and staff officers thrashed out the formulae for victory. This is an important book which, in its layered references to Waterloo, the Crimea and the Somme, sees Mr Roberts lay claim to the title of Britain's finest contemporary military historian.'
The Economist
`Despite eschewing the visceral drama of the battlefield for the less deadly, if no less hard-fought, debates of various Allied conferences, cabinets and committees, Roberts has produced a surprisingly gripping read. He has marshalled his material superbly and his warts-and-all assessment of his four subjects is invariable spot-on. Exhaustively researched and judiciously written, with a gimlet eye for telling detail, this may be his finest book yet.'
Saul David, Sunday Telegraph
`In Masters and Commanders, Roberts offers us a compelling analysis of American and British strategy during the war. He also tells a profoundly human story - of two soldiers who loyally served their masters, only to be each denied at the end the prize that would have made one of them world famous.'
Laurence Rees, Sunday Times
`Roberts displays a profound understanding of the interactions between strategy and politics, and his interpretation of British/US strategic relations between 1941 and 1945 is unlikely to be superseded.'
Prof Vernon Bogdanor, Financial Times
`Couched in elegant prose, this book is a masterpiece of robust historical analysis, steeped in scholarship and alive to every nuance of personality. Roberts re-evaluates each of the masters and commanders with scrupulous fairness.'
Christopher Silvester, Daily Express
`The author has crafted a masterly and fresh interpretation of the grand strategy of World War II. Roberts's pen-portraits, with their wealth of amusing and often acerbic anecdotes, reveal the evolution of that strategy by the master statesmen.'
John Crossland, Daily Mail
`The strength of Masters and Commanders lies in the power of the narrative and the fascinating detail used to construct it. Roberts has exploited a rich mine of private papers to fill in missing parts of the story, and although there is little new to be learned about the long strategic arguments between the British and the Americans over the best way to defeat Hitler, there is a lot to learn about the way that argument took place. Roberts has a shrewd grasp of the ins and outs of decision making.'
Prof Richard Overy, Literary Review
`Marshal Foch famously said that he had "less respect for Napoleon, now that I know what a coalition is". The high quality of the leadership of the coalition Andrew Roberts so expertly describes was a decisive factor in their success.'
Conrad Black, Mail on Sunday
`A wonderful page-turner, a really good read.'
Chris Patten, Start the Week
Excellent book, 27 Sep 2008
I took this book on holiday with me and I feel a week by the pool is a perfect way to enjoy this book.
I really enjoyed the pace of this work. I felt it gave just the right amount of detail without dwelling on unimportant facts.
For me it was constantly enthralling. As a 23 year-old I certainly learnt a great deal. The detail is far greater than the BBC series that accompanied the book. My only doubt is whether had I lived through the times discussed I would have found it a little lightweight.
History at its best, 26 Sep 2008
I found this book a real pleasure to read. It is a penetrating and scholarly account of Britain's post-war history. It is brilliantly researched and beautifully written - the author has a good eye for the amusing bon mot - yet it deals in a balanced and sensible way with the key developments and personalities of the post-war era. If a better book has been published in the past year, then I have not come across it.
A future school textbook - and useful now., 29 Aug 2008
This book was updated for its paperback release and having read it carefully I suspect that many of the errors referred to by other reviewers were removed at that point. Having lived out of Britain for a sizeable chunk of my adult life, I found that I had much to learn from the pages - several large gaps in my knowledge were filled in.
I found it difficult to detect any signs of bias, and Andrew Marr's easy writing style made it a pleasure to read. This is almost as far removed from the dry history textbook that I wrestled with as a young student as it is possible to be. For anyone wanting a crash course on British modern history, this could not be bettered. Well researched and referenced, this deserves to become a standard.
I learnt all I should have at school, 26 Aug 2008
If I hadn't been taught some trendy (in the 1970's) History O Level course I may have learned some modern history and have subsequently been on catch up since!
This is the most readable book I have read covering the post war period and having seen the TV programme the writers voice is audible. It's a must read for a holiday (preferably with understanding people who don't want to talk very much as being interrupted reading won't go down too well)
A Superficial History of Modern Britain. , 12 Aug 2008
Andrew Marr's book is, if not a totally one-way glass facade, then certainly a pretty smeared window upon society that is clearly influenced by the naive, PC stupidity of those many refer to as the 'chattering classes'. Shallow and childlike. The professional intelligentsia, and their private armchair and public media imitators, will surely love it.
The story of a True Heroine, 11 Sep 2008
When the German army invaded Paris in 1940, Agnes Humbert a strong minded, politically aware art historian, immediately knew that she had to 'do something', the thought of accepting the invasion was anathema to her and she helped to form one of the first organised groups of the French Resistance. The speed with which this was set up and began to operate was staggering. She had excellent contacts and friends in literary and journalistic circles and an underground newspaper, combating the German propaganda machine, was printed and circulated around Paris. It was simply amazing that they managed to keep this going and out of the hands of the authorities for nearly a year before they were betrayed and she was arrested and thrown into prison. Seven of the men who founded the group died by firing squad and Agnes, while escaping the death penalty, was sentenced to five years in a German labour camp.
She had kept a diary up to her imprisonment and she completed it after liberation in 1945. Unable to keep a written record of her experiences she recreated them afterwards, relying on her memory alone. This gives this fascinating book a contrast in writing, the earlier diary memories dashed down quickly on a daily basis, breathless and eager to get everything on paper as it happened; the later reflections more considered even though she wrote at top speed in 1945 after the was liberated and before her memories faded. 'I remember everything as clearly as it it was written in notebooks' everything was recorded in memory and all she had to do was slowly turn the pages.
She worked in a factory spinning materials for uniforms for the German troops, often working a 12 hour shift, with little food and having to stand for hours, weak with fatigue
"My feet are absolute agony and we'll be standing here for hours. I have a brainwave. I ask permission to take off my awful shoes (my insteps are bleeding) and wrap my feet in the lengths of rayon that are scattered all round........the director on Anrath (the factory) is going to carry out an inspection and I was told I should stand to attention when he arrives....he stops in front of me asking me viciously why I have taken off my shoes. I explain. He replies: 'Very good you will be severely punished' and with that promise he leaves me'.
Despite all this Agnes makes sure that she causes the cotton to knot and break and does her best to carry out minor acts of sabotage which will cause maximum inconvenience. Later, when she is set to making boxes, once she has hammered in the nails, she makes sure she shears them off so that the crates will fall apart as soon as possible. Such actions continue throughout her five years and these small rebellions strengthen her will and help to keep her going even when her weight plummets and she is given the nickname 'Ghandi' as she is so bony and skeletal.
In this closed world, with teachers and professors working cheek by jowl with prostitutes and murderers, the solidarity and camaraderie among the prisoners assumes the importance of life saving proportions. Friendships of exceptional intensity are formed, generally between prisoners who hardly ever see each others faces and who have little time for intimate chat or gossip though at first Agnes had harsh words for the criminals with whom she was in such close proximity: 'Wretched faces, vicious and primitive, a collection of gallows birds, thieves, syphilitic prostitutes and murderers'.
Once liberation took place and the prisoners were all released by the incoming American army, Agnes embarked on important work with them. With her fluent German and English and her knowledge of the workings of the Nazi camp system, she made herself indispensable and In an amazingly short space of time her authority and energy restored, she was put in charge of administration of the town where they were billeted organising local prison camps, provision of shelter and food and first aid to refugees.
The rapidity with which she shed her identity as a political prisoner after four years of imprisonment is quite astounding and a tribute to her strength of personality and intelligence. After the war she became a founder and president of her local group of a left wing organisation Fighters for Freedom, and in 1949 was awarded the Croix de Guerre.
For many years this book Notre Guerre, was out of print and unobtainable though when it was first published in 1946 it caused quite a stir. It was one of the first books written about the Resistance and written while memories were fresh and, according to the Afterword, historians were immediately aware of this testimony and its value has continued to be recognised ever since.
I found Agnes' story to be profoundly moving, it took my breath away at times and also made me laugh, as she had a wicked sense of humour. Whenever I read a book such as this, and one that is a true story as well, I am staggered at the bravery displayed under fire. It makes me feel very humble and also makes me wonder just how I would behave and act if placed in such circumstances. I am thankful that I have never had to find out, but gosh a document such as this does make you think.
A truly wonderful book and I have no hesitation if giving it five stars. Do buy and read - you won't regret it.
Another great slice of 40s life, 02 Oct 2008
If you enjoyed the original 'Nella Last's War' then you will enjoy this second volume just the same. The end of hostilities doesn't mean the end of either Nella's writing, or her talent with words and observation. It also certainly does not mean the end of hardship and difficulty. I drove to Barrow on the strength of the first diary and was very fortunate to meet the present owners of Nella's old house - they actually bought it off the Last family forty years ago. Just sitting in her old living room, where all those words had poured onto the page, brought Nella and her time tangibly closer. I heartily recommend this book.
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Customer Reviews
The National Reviews So Far, 12 Oct 2008
Reviews of Masters and Commanders
`Writing with clarity and elegance, Mr Roberts conveys how his four principals and their armies of aides and staff officers thrashed out the formulae for victory. This is an important book which, in its layered references to Waterloo, the Crimea and the Somme, sees Mr Roberts lay claim to the title of Britain's finest contemporary military historian.'
The Economist
`Despite eschewing the visceral drama of the battlefield for the less deadly, if no less hard-fought, debates of various Allied conferences, cabinets and committees, Roberts has produced a surprisingly gripping read. He has marshalled his material superbly and his warts-and-all assessment of his four subjects is invariable spot-on. Exhaustively researched and judiciously written, with a gimlet eye for telling detail, this may be his finest book yet.'
Saul David, Sunday Telegraph
`In Masters and Commanders, Roberts offers us a compelling analysis of American and British strategy during the war. He also tells a profoundly human story - of two soldiers who loyally served their masters, only to be each denied at the end the prize that would have made one of them world famous.'
Laurence Rees, Sunday Times
`Roberts displays a profound understanding of the interactions between strategy and politics, and his interpretation of British/US strategic relations between 1941 and 1945 is unlikely to be superseded.'
Prof Vernon Bogdanor, Financial Times
`Couched in elegant prose, this book is a masterpiece of robust historical analysis, steeped in scholarship and alive to every nuance of personality. Roberts re-evaluates each of the masters and commanders with scrupulous fairness.'
Christopher Silvester, Daily Express
`The author has crafted a masterly and fresh interpretation of the grand strategy of World War II. Roberts's pen-portraits, with their wealth of amusing and often acerbic anecdotes, reveal the evolution of that strategy by the master statesmen.'
John Crossland, Daily Mail
`The strength of Masters and Commanders lies in the power of the narrative and the fascinating detail used to construct it. Roberts has exploited a rich mine of private papers to fill in missing parts of the story, and although there is little new to be learned about the long strategic arguments between the British and the Americans over the best way to defeat Hitler, there is a lot to learn about the way that argument took place. Roberts has a shrewd grasp of the ins and outs of decision making.'
Prof Richard Overy, Literary Review
`Marshal Foch famously said that he had "less respect for Napoleon, now that I know what a coalition is". The high quality of the leadership of the coalition Andrew Roberts so expertly describes was a decisive factor in their success.'
Conrad Black, Mail on Sunday
`A wonderful page-turner, a really good read.'
Chris Patten, Start the Week
Excellent book, 27 Sep 2008
I took this book on holiday with me and I feel a week by the pool is a perfect way to enjoy this book.
I really enjoyed the pace of this work. I felt it gave just the right amount of detail without dwelling on unimportant facts.
For me it was constantly enthralling. As a 23 year-old I certainly learnt a great deal. The detail is far greater than the BBC series that accompanied the book. My only doubt is whether had I lived through the times discussed I would have found it a little lightweight.
History at its best, 26 Sep 2008
I found this book a real pleasure to read. It is a penetrating and scholarly account of Britain's post-war history. It is brilliantly researched and beautifully written - the author has a good eye for the amusing bon mot - yet it deals in a balanced and sensible way with the key developments and personalities of the post-war era. If a better book has been published in the past year, then I have not come across it.
A future school textbook - and useful now., 29 Aug 2008
This book was updated for its paperback release and having read it carefully I suspect that many of the errors referred to by other reviewers were removed at that point. Having lived out of Britain for a sizeable chunk of my adult life, I found that I had much to learn from the pages - several large gaps in my knowledge were filled in.
I found it difficult to detect any signs of bias, and Andrew Marr's easy writing style made it a pleasure to read. This is almost as far removed from the dry history textbook that I wrestled with as a young student as it is possible to be. For anyone wanting a crash course on British modern history, this could not be bettered. Well researched and referenced, this deserves to become a standard.
I learnt all I should have at school, 26 Aug 2008
If I hadn't been taught some trendy (in the 1970's) History O Level course I may have learned some modern history and have subsequently been on catch up since!
This is the most readable book I have read covering the post war period and having seen the TV programme the writers voice is audible. It's a must read for a holiday (preferably with understanding people who don't want to talk very much as being interrupted reading won't go down too well)
A Superficial History of Modern Britain. , 12 Aug 2008
Andrew Marr's book is, if not a totally one-way glass facade, then certainly a pretty smeared window upon society that is clearly influenced by the naive, PC stupidity of those many refer to as the 'chattering classes'. Shallow and childlike. The professional intelligentsia, and their private armchair and public media imitators, will surely love it.
The story of a True Heroine, 11 Sep 2008
When the German army invaded Paris in 1940, Agnes Humbert a strong minded, politically aware art historian, immediately knew that she had to 'do something', the thought of accepting the invasion was anathema to her and she helped to form one of the first organised groups of the French Resistance. The speed with which this was set up and began to operate was staggering. She had excellent contacts and friends in literary and journalistic circles and an underground newspaper, combating the German propaganda machine, was printed and circulated around Paris. It was simply amazing that they managed to keep this going and out of the hands of the authorities for nearly a year before they were betrayed and she was arrested and thrown into prison. Seven of the men who founded the group died by firing squad and Agnes, while escaping the death penalty, was sentenced to five years in a German labour camp.
She had kept a diary up to her imprisonment and she completed it after liberation in 1945. Unable to keep a written record of her experiences she recreated them afterwards, relying on her memory alone. This gives this fascinating book a contrast in writing, the earlier diary memories dashed down quickly on a daily basis, breathless and eager to get everything on paper as it happened; the later reflections more considered even though she wrote at top speed in 1945 after the was liberated and before her memories faded. 'I remember everything as clearly as it it was written in notebooks' everything was recorded in memory and all she had to do was slowly turn the pages.
She worked in a factory spinning materials for uniforms for the German troops, often working a 12 hour shift, with little food and having to stand for hours, weak with fatigue
"My feet are absolute agony and we'll be standing here for hours. I have a brainwave. I ask permission to take off my awful shoes (my insteps are bleeding) and wrap my feet in the lengths of rayon that are scattered all round........the director on Anrath (the factory) is going to carry out an inspection and I was told I should stand to attention when he arrives....he stops in front of me asking me viciously why I have taken off my shoes. I explain. He replies: 'Very good you will be severely punished' and with that promise he leaves me'.
Despite all this Agnes makes sure that she causes the cotton to knot and break and does her best to carry out minor acts of sabotage which will cause maximum inconvenience. Later, when she is set to making boxes, once she has hammered in the nails, she makes sure she shears them off so that the crates will fall apart as soon as possible. Such actions continue throughout her five years and these small rebellions strengthen her will and help to keep her going even when her weight plummets and she is given the nickname 'Ghandi' as she is so bony and skeletal.
In this closed world, with teachers and professors working cheek by jowl with prostitutes and murderers, the solidarity and camaraderie among the prisoners assumes the importance of life saving proportions. Friendships of exceptional intensity are formed, generally between prisoners who hardly ever see each others faces and who have little time for intimate chat or gossip though at first Agnes had harsh words for the criminals with whom she was in such close proximity: 'Wretched faces, vicious and primitive, a collection of gallows birds, thieves, syphilitic prostitutes and murderers'.
Once liberation took place and the prisoners were all released by the incoming American army, Agnes embarked on important work with them. With her fluent German and English and her knowledge of the workings of the Nazi camp system, she made herself indispensable and In an amazingly short space of time her authority and energy restored, she was put in charge of administration of the town where they were billeted organising local prison camps, provision of shelter and food and first aid to refugees.
The rapidity with which she shed her identity as a political prisoner after four years of imprisonment is quite astounding and a tribute to her strength of personality and intelligence. After the war she became a founder and president of her local group of a left wing organisation Fighters for Freedom, and in 1949 was awarded the Croix de Guerre.
For many years this book Notre Guerre, was out of print and unobtainable though when it was first published in 1946 it caused quite a stir. It was one of the first books written about the Resistance and written while memories were fresh and, according to the Afterword, historians were immediately aware of this testimony and its value has continued to be recognised ever since.
I found Agnes' story to be profoundly moving, it took my breath away at times and also made me laugh, as she had a wicked sense of humour. Whenever I read a book such as this, and one that is a true story as well, I am staggered at the bravery displayed under fire. It makes me feel very humble and also makes me wonder just how I would behave and act if placed in such circumstances. I am thankful that I have never had to find out, but gosh a document such as this does make you think.
A truly wonderful book and I have no hesitation if giving it five stars. Do buy and read - you won't regret it.
Another great slice of 40s life, 02 Oct 2008
If you enjoyed the original 'Nella Last's War' then you will enjoy this second volume just the same. The end of hostilities doesn't mean the end of either Nella's writing, or her talent with words and observation. It also certainly does not mean the end of hardship and difficulty. I drove to Barrow on the strength of the first diary and was very fortunate to meet the present owners of Nella's old house - they actually bought it off the Last family forty years ago. Just sitting in her old living room, where all those words had poured onto the page, brought Nella and her time tangibly closer. I heartily recommend this book.
A privilege to read, and a joy too, 01 Oct 2008
I've just finished reading this - a book I devoured almost without putting it down. That 112 year old can really write!
Henry Allingham is a fascinating character - the only man alive who saw the Grand Fleet steaming towards Jutland, and also the last of those who fought in the first air war in history. Mr. Allingham has a dry, self-deprecating style which is highly engaging. I was drawn into his autobiographical tale, almost as if he had been talking to me directly.
The narrative of this remarkable 112 year old is interspersed with short passages of historical scene-setting, filling in the background to Henry's story. Consequently they add rather than detract from the narrative.
The whole book is delightful - a personal narrative by an extremely personable old man. I've read several first-hand accounts by Great War veterans before, but this is in a league all of its own, both for the scope of Henry's story, and for the engaging way he tells it.
I can't recommend this book too highly.
A fitting account of our hero...Well done Henry. Fantastic!!!!, 29 Sep 2008
I just love to read these accounts of the life of a true hero that has lived through numerous decades and gives us an insight into the daily lives during each era. This book also gives us a birds eye view of life in the great war. If ever there was a book that should be read by everyone then this is it.
I would also recommend Harry Patch's book,"the last fighting tommy", with equal status.
These two fine books should sit alongside each other on every bookshelf across the country to be read time and time again.
Thank you Henry for giving us this account and it is a true hero that still talks with such compassion for his lost but never forgotten colleagues. Brothers in arms has never had more meaning.
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Customer Reviews
The National Reviews So Far, 12 Oct 2008
Reviews of Masters and Commanders
`Writing with clarity and elegance, Mr Roberts conveys how his four principals and their armies of aides and staff officers thrashed out the formulae for victory. This is an important book which, in its layered references to Waterloo, the Crimea and the Somme, sees Mr Roberts lay claim to the title of Britain's finest contemporary military historian.'
The Economist
`Despite eschewing the visceral drama of the battlefield for the less deadly, if no less hard-fought, debates of various Allied conferences, cabinets and committees, Roberts has produced a surprisingly gripping read. He has marshalled his material superbly and his warts-and-all assessment of his four subjects is invariable spot-on. Exhaustively researched and judiciously written, with a gimlet eye for telling detail, this may be his finest book yet.'
Saul David, Sunday Telegraph
`In Masters and Commanders, Roberts offers us a compelling analysis of American and British strategy during the war. He also tells a profoundly human story - of two soldiers who loyally served their masters, only to be each denied at the end the prize that would have made one of them world famous.'
Laurence Rees, Sunday Times
`Roberts displays a profound understanding of the interactions between strategy and politics, and his interpretation of British/US strategic relations between 1941 and 1945 is unlikely to be superseded.'
Prof Vernon Bogdanor, Financial Times
`Couched in elegant prose, this book is a masterpiece of robust historical analysis, steeped in scholarship and alive to every nuance of personality. Roberts re-evaluates each of the masters and commanders with scrupulous fairness.'
Christopher Silvester, Daily Express
`The author has crafted a masterly and fresh interpretation of the grand strategy of World War II. Roberts's pen-portraits, with their wealth of amusing and often acerbic anecdotes, reveal the evolution of that strategy by the master statesmen.'
John Crossland, Daily Mail
`The strength of Masters and Commanders lies in the power of the narrative and the fascinating detail used to construct it. Roberts has exploited a rich mine of private papers to fill in missing parts of the story, and although there is little new to be learned about the long strategic arguments between the British and the Americans over the best way to defeat Hitler, there is a lot to learn about the way that argument took place. Roberts has a shrewd grasp of the ins and outs of decision making.'
Prof Richard Overy, Literary Review
`Marshal Foch famously said that he had "less respect for Napoleon, now that I know what a coalition is". The high quality of the leadership of the coalition Andrew Roberts so expertly describes was a decisive factor in their success.'
Conrad Black, Mail on Sunday
`A wonderful page-turner, a really good read.'
Chris Patten, Start the Week
Excellent book, 27 Sep 2008
I took this book on holiday with me and I feel a week by the pool is a perfect way to enjoy this book.
I really enjoyed the pace of this work. I felt it gave just the right amount of detail without dwelling on unimportant facts.
For me it was constantly enthralling. As a 23 year-old I certainly learnt a great deal. The detail is far greater than the BBC series that accompanied the book. My only doubt is whether had I lived through the times discussed I would have found it a little lightweight.
History at its best, 26 Sep 2008
I found this book a real pleasure to read. It is a penetrating and scholarly account of Britain's post-war history. It is brilliantly researched and beautifully written - the author has a good eye for the amusing bon mot - yet it deals in a balanced and sensible way with the key developments and personalities of the post-war era. If a better book has been published in the past year, then I have not come across it.
A future school textbook - and useful now., 29 Aug 2008
This book was updated for its paperback release and having read it carefully I suspect that many of the errors referred to by other reviewers were removed at that point. Having lived out of Britain for a sizeable chunk of my adult life, I found that I had much to learn from the pages - several large gaps in my knowledge were filled in.
I found it difficult to detect any signs of bias, and Andrew Marr's easy writing style made it a pleasure to read. This is almost as far removed from the dry history textbook that I wrestled with as a young student as it is possible to be. For anyone wanting a crash course on British modern history, this could not be bettered. Well researched and referenced, this deserves to become a standard.
I learnt all I should have at school, 26 Aug 2008
If I hadn't been taught some trendy (in the 1970's) History O Level course I may have learned some modern history and have subsequently been on catch up since!
This is the most readable book I have read covering the post war period and having seen the TV programme the writers voice is audible. It's a must read for a holiday (preferably with understanding people who don't want to talk very much as being interrupted reading won't go down too well)
A Superficial History of Modern Britain. , 12 Aug 2008
Andrew Marr's book is, if not a totally one-way glass facade, then certainly a pretty smeared window upon society that is clearly influenced by the naive, PC stupidity of those many refer to as the 'chattering classes'. Shallow and childlike. The professional intelligentsia, and their private armchair and public media imitators, will surely love it.
The story of a True Heroine, 11 Sep 2008
When the German army invaded Paris in 1940, Agnes Humbert a strong minded, politically aware art historian, immediately knew that she had to 'do something', the thought of accepting the invasion was anathema to her and she helped to form one of the first organised groups of the French Resistance. The speed with which this was set up and began to operate was staggering. She had excellent contacts and friends in literary and journalistic circles and an underground newspaper, combating the German propaganda machine, was printed and circulated around Paris. It was simply amazing that they managed to keep this going and out of the hands of the authorities for nearly a year before they were betrayed and she was arrested and thrown into prison. Seven of the men who founded the group died by firing squad and Agnes, while escaping the death penalty, was sentenced to five years in a German labour camp.
She had kept a diary up to her imprisonment and she completed it after liberation in 1945. Unable to keep a written record of her experiences she recreated them afterwards, relying on her memory alone. This gives this fascinating book a contrast in writing, the earlier diary memories dashed down quickly on a daily basis, breathless and eager to get everything on paper as it happened; the later reflections more considered even though she wrote at top speed in 1945 after the was liberated and before her memories faded. 'I remember everything as clearly as it it was written in notebooks' everything was recorded in memory and all she had to do was slowly turn the pages.
She worked in a factory spinning materials for uniforms for the German troops, often working a 12 hour shift, with little food and having to stand for hours, weak with fatigue
"My feet are absolute agony and we'll be standing here for hours. I have a brainwave. I ask permission to take off my awful shoes (my insteps are bleeding) and wrap my feet in the lengths of rayon that are scattered all round........the director on Anrath (the factory) is going to carry out an inspection and I was told I should stand to attention when he arrives....he stops in front of me asking me viciously why I have taken off my shoes. I explain. He replies: 'Very good you will be severely punished' and with that promise he leaves me'.
Despite all this Agnes makes sure that she causes the cotton to knot and break and does her best to carry out minor acts of sabotage which will cause maximum inconvenience. Later, when she is set to making boxes, once she has hammered in the nails, she makes sure she shears them off so that the crates will fall apart as soon as possible. Such actions continue throughout her five years and these small rebellions strengthen her will and help to keep her going even when her weight plummets and she is given the nickname 'Ghandi' as she is so bony and skeletal.
In this closed world, with teachers and professors working cheek by jowl with prostitutes and murderers, the solidarity and camaraderie among the prisoners assumes the importance of life saving proportions. Friendships of exceptional intensity are formed, generally between prisoners who hardly ever see each others faces and who have little time for intimate chat or gossip though at first Agnes had harsh words for the criminals with whom she was in such close proximity: 'Wretched faces, vicious and primitive, a collection of gallows birds, thieves, syphilitic prostitutes and murderers'.
Once liberation took place and the prisoners were all released by the incoming American army, Agnes embarked on important work with them. With her fluent German and English and her knowledge of the workings of the Nazi camp system, she made herself indispensable and In an amazingly short space of time her authority and energy restored, she was put in charge of administration of the town where they were billeted organising local prison camps, provision of shelter and food and first aid to refugees.
The rapidity with which she shed her identity as a political prisoner after four years of imprisonment is quite astounding and a tribute to her strength of personality and intelligence. After the war she became a founder and president of her local group of a left wing organisation Fighters for Freedom, and in 1949 was awarded the Croix de Guerre.
For many years this book Notre Guerre, was out of print and unobtainable though when it was first published in 1946 it caused quite a stir. It was one of the first books written about the Resistance and written while memories were fresh and, according to the Afterword, historians were immediately aware of this testimony and its value has continued to be recognised ever since.
I found Agnes' story to be profoundly moving, it took my breath away at times and also made me laugh, as she had a wicked sense of humour. Whenever I read a book such as this, and one that is a true story as well, I am staggered at the bravery displayed under fire. It makes me feel very humble and also makes me wonder just how I would behave and act if placed in such circumstances. I am thankful that I have never had to find out, but gosh a document such as this does make you think.
A truly wonderful book and I have no hesitation if giving it five stars. Do buy and read - you won't regret it.
Another great slice of 40s life, 02 Oct 2008
If you enjoyed the original 'Nella Last's War' then you will enjoy this second volume just the same. The end of hostilities doesn't mean the end of either Nella's writing, or her talent with words and observation. It also certainly does not mean the end of hardship and difficulty. I drove to Barrow on the strength of the first diary and was very fortunate to meet the present owners of Nella's old house - they actually bought it off the Last family forty years ago. Just sitting in her old living room, where all those words had poured onto the page, brought Nella and her time tangibly closer. I heartily recommend this book.
A privilege to read, and a joy too, 01 Oct 2008
I've just finished reading this - a book I devoured almost without putting it down. That 112 year old can really write!
Henry Allingham is a fascinating character - the only man alive who saw the Grand Fleet steaming towards Jutland, and also the last of those who fought in the first air war in history. Mr. Allingham has a dry, self-deprecating style which is highly engaging. I was drawn into his autobiographical tale, almost as if he had been talking to me directly.
The narrative of this remarkable 112 year old is interspersed with short passages of historical scene-setting, filling in the background to Henry's story. Consequently they add rather than detract from the narrative.
The whole book is delightful - a personal narrative by an extremely personable old man. I've read several first-hand accounts by Great War veterans before, but this is in a league all of its own, both for the scope of Henry's story, and for the engaging way he tells it.
I can't recommend this book too highly.
A fitting account of our hero...Well done Henry. Fantastic!!!!, 29 Sep 2008
I just love to read these accounts of the life of a true hero that has lived through numerous decades and gives us an insight into the daily lives during each era. This book also gives us a birds eye view of life in the great war. If ever there was a book that should be read by everyone then this is it.
I would also recommend Harry Patch's book,"the last fighting tommy", with equal status.
These two fine books should sit alongside each other on every bookshelf across the country to be read time and time again.
Thank you Henry for giving us this account and it is a true hero that still talks with such compassion for his lost but never forgotten colleagues. Brothers in arms has never had more meaning.
A superb finish!, 10 Oct 2008
Like the previous reviewer I waited for this third instalment with impatience. I was not disappointed, impassioned writing tempered by impeccable scholarship and judicious use of the vast sources on the subject. I can do no better than refer prospective readers to the excellent and substantial review by Nicholas Stargardt in the Times Literary Supplement of 10 October 2008 (pages 8-9).
As for me, I was glad to see the author has been able to incorporate references to recent works by other scholars. For instance, Evans cites extensively the highly praised and enormously informative book by Adam Tooze "The Wages of Destruction" (2006) on the economic history of the Third Reich. However, Evans does not always agree with that author and when it comes to exactly what went on at the infamous Wannsee Conference I am emphatically with him (see page 265) in holding that the major pupose of that meeting was to "discuss the logistics of extermination".
A brilliant and essential book, and page-turningly readable too. In particular the interspersion of contemporary everyday diary entries (like those of schoolteacher Luise Solmitz) illuminates and adds greatly to our feeling of actually being inside the Reich during the war years.
A Superb Study now Rounded Out., 07 Oct 2008
Richard Shaw's superbly crafted, eminently readable and scholarly third volume has been well worth the wait (on order since 2006). The trilogy must now surely take its place among the truly great historical narratives of this, or any, century. For historians - or indeed anyone - who wishes to expand his general and underlying knowledge of this ghastly period of history, Richard Shaw's opus is surely without peer.The Third Reich at War: How the Nazis Led Germany from Conquest to Disaster (Allen Lane History)
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Customer Reviews
The National Reviews So Far, 12 Oct 2008
Reviews of Masters and Commanders
`Writing with clarity and elegance, Mr Roberts conveys how his four principals and their armies of aides and staff officers thrashed out the formulae for victory. This is an important book which, in its layered references to Waterloo, the Crimea and the Somme, sees Mr Roberts lay claim to the title of Britain's finest contemporary military historian.'
The Economist
`Despite eschewing the visceral drama of the battlefield for the less deadly, if no less hard-fought, debates of various Allied conferences, cabinets and committees, Roberts has produced a surprisingly gripping read. He has marshalled his material superbly and his warts-and-all assessment of his four subjects is invariable spot-on. Exhaustively researched and judiciously written, with a gimlet eye for telling detail, this may be his finest book yet.'
Saul David, Sunday Telegraph
`In Masters and Commanders, Roberts offers us a compelling analysis of American and British strategy during the war. He also tells a profoundly human story - of two soldiers who loyally served their masters, only to be each denied at the end the prize that would have made one of them world famous.'
Laurence Rees, Sunday Times
`Roberts displays a profound understanding of the interactions between strategy and politics, and his interpretation of British/US strategic relations between 1941 and 1945 is unlikely to be superseded.'
Prof Vernon Bogdanor, Financial Times
`Couched in elegant prose, this book is a masterpiece of robust historical analysis, steeped in scholarship and alive to every nuance of personality. Roberts re-evaluates each of the masters and commanders with scrupulous fairness.'
Christopher Silvester, Daily Express
`The author has crafted a masterly and fresh interpretation of the grand strategy of World War II. Roberts's pen-portraits, with their wealth of amusing and often acerbic anecdotes, reveal the evolution of that strategy by the master statesmen.'
John Crossland, Daily Mail
`The strength of Masters and Commanders lies in the power of the narrative and the fascinating detail used to construct it. Roberts has exploited a rich mine of private papers to fill in missing parts of the story, and although there is little new to be learned about the long strategic arguments between the British and the Americans over the best way to defeat Hitler, there is a lot to learn about the way that argument took place. Roberts has a shrewd grasp of the ins and outs of decision making.'
Prof Richard Overy, Literary Review
`Marshal Foch famously said that he had "less respect for Napoleon, now that I know what a coalition is". The high quality of the leadership of the coalition Andrew Roberts so expertly describes was a decisive factor in their success.'
Conrad Black, Mail on Sunday
`A wonderful page-turner, a really good read.'
Chris Patten, Start the Week
Excellent book, 27 Sep 2008
I took this book on holiday with me and I feel a week by the pool is a perfect way to enjoy this book.
I really enjoyed the pace of this work. I felt it gave just the right amount of detail without dwelling on unimportant facts.
For me it was constantly enthralling. As a 23 year-old I certainly learnt a great deal. The detail is far greater than the BBC series that accompanied the book. My only doubt is whether had I lived through the times discussed I would have found it a little lightweight.
History at its best, 26 Sep 2008
I found this book a real pleasure to read. It is a penetrating and scholarly account of Britain's post-war history. It is brilliantly researched and beautifully written - the author has a good eye for the amusing bon mot - yet it deals in a balanced and sensible way with the key developments and personalities of the post-war era. If a better book has been published in the past year, then I have not come across it.
A future school textbook - and useful now., 29 Aug 2008
This book was updated for its paperback release and having read it carefully I suspect that many of the errors referred to by other reviewers were removed at that point. Having lived out of Britain for a sizeable chunk of my adult life, I found that I had much to learn from the pages - several large gaps in my knowledge were filled in.
I found it difficult to detect any signs of bias, and Andrew Marr's easy writing style made it a pleasure to read. This is almost as far removed from the dry history textbook that I wrestled with as a young student as it is possible to be. For anyone wanting a crash course on British modern history, this could not be bettered. Well researched and referenced, this deserves to become a standard.
I learnt all I should have at school, 26 Aug 2008
If I hadn't been taught some trendy (in the 1970's) History O Level course I may have learned some modern history and have subsequently been on catch up since!
This is the most readable book I have read covering the post war period and having seen the TV programme the writers voice is audible. It's a must read for a holiday (preferably with understanding people who don't want to talk very much as being interrupted reading won't go down too well)
A Superficial History of Modern Britain. , 12 Aug 2008
Andrew Marr's book is, if not a totally one-way glass facade, then certainly a pretty smeared window upon society that is clearly influenced by the naive, PC stupidity of those many refer to as the 'chattering classes'. Shallow and childlike. The professional intelligentsia, and their private armchair and public media imitators, will surely love it.
The story of a True Heroine, 11 Sep 2008
When the German army invaded Paris in 1940, Agnes Humbert a strong minded, politically aware art historian, immediately knew that she had to 'do something', the thought of accepting the invasion was anathema to her and she helped to form one of the first organised groups of the French Resistance. The speed with which this was set up and began to operate was staggering. She had excellent contacts and friends in literary and journalistic circles and an underground newspaper, combating the German propaganda machine, was printed and circulated around Paris. It was simply amazing that they managed to keep this going and out of the hands of the authorities for nearly a year before they were betrayed and she was arrested and thrown into prison. Seven of the men who founded the group died by firing squad and Agnes, while escaping the death penalty, was sentenced to five years in a German labour camp.
She had kept a diary up to her imprisonment and she completed it after liberation in 1945. Unable to keep a written record of her experiences she recreated them afterwards, relying on her memory alone. This gives this fascinating book a contrast in writing, the earlier diary memories dashed down quickly on a daily basis, breathless and eager to get everything on paper as it happened; the later reflections more considered even though she wrote at top speed in 1945 after the was liberated and before her memories faded. 'I remember everything as clearly as it it was written in notebooks' everything was recorded in memory and all she had to do was slowly turn the pages.
She worked in a factory spinning materials for uniforms for the German troops, often working a 12 hour shift, with little food and having to stand for hours, weak with fatigue
"My feet are absolute agony and we'll be standing here for hours. I have a brainwave. I ask permission to take off my awful shoes (my insteps are bleeding) and wrap my feet in the lengths of rayon that are scattered all round........the director on Anrath (the factory) is going to carry out an inspection and I was told I should stand to attention when he arrives....he stops in front of me asking me viciously why I have taken off my shoes. I explain. He replies: 'Very good you will be severely punished' and with that promise he leaves me'.
Despite all this Agnes makes sure that she causes the cotton to knot and break and does her best to carry out minor acts of sabotage which will cause maximum inconvenience. Later, when she is set to making boxes, once she has hammered in the nails, she makes sure she shears them off so that the crates will fall apart as soon as possible. Such actions continue throughout her five years and these small rebellions strengthen her will and help to keep her going even when her weight plummets and she is given the nickname 'Ghandi' as she is so bony and skeletal.
In this closed world, with teachers and professors working cheek by jowl with prostitutes and murderers, the solidarity and camaraderie among the prisoners assumes the importance of life saving proportions. Friendships of exceptional intensity are formed, generally between prisoners who hardly ever see each others faces and who have little time for intimate chat or gossip though at first Agnes had harsh words for the criminals with whom she was in such close proximity: 'Wretched faces, vicious and primitive, a collection of gallows birds, thieves, syphilitic prostitutes and murderers'.
Once liberation took place and the prisoners were all released by the incoming American army, Agnes embarked on important work with them. With her fluent German and English and her knowledge of the workings of the Nazi camp system, she made herself indispensable and In an amazingly short space of time her authority and energy restored, she was put in charge of administration of the town where they were billeted organising local prison camps, provision of shelter and food and first aid to refugees.
The rapidity with which she shed her identity as a political prisoner after four years of imprisonment is quite astounding and a tribute to her strength of personality and intelligence. After the war she became a founder and president of her local group of a left wing organisation Fighters for Freedom, and in 1949 was awarded the Croix de Guerre.
For many years this book Notre Guerre, was out of print and unobtainable though when it was first published in 1946 it caused quite a stir. It was one of the first books written about the Resistance and written while memories were fresh and, according to the Afterword, historians were immediately aware of this testimony and its value has continued to be recognised ever since.
I found Agnes' story to be profoundly moving, it took my breath away at times and also made me laugh, as she had a wicked sense of humour. Whenever I read a book such as this, and one that is a true story as well, I am staggered at the bravery displayed under fire. It makes me feel very humble and also makes me wonder just how I would behave and act if placed in such circumstances. I am thankful that I have never had to find out, but gosh a document such as this does make you think.
A truly wonderful book and I have no hesitation if giving it five stars. Do buy and read - you won't regret it.
Another great slice of 40s life, 02 Oct 2008
If you enjoyed the original 'Nella Last's War' then you will enjoy this second volume just the same. The end of hostilities doesn't mean the end of either Nella's writing, or her talent with words and observation. It also certainly does not mean the end of hardship and difficulty. I drove to Barrow on the strength of the first diary and was very fortunate to meet the present owners of Nella's old house - they actually bought it off the Last family forty years ago. Just sitting in her old living room, where all those words had poured onto the page, brought Nella and her time tangibly closer. I heartily recommend this book.
A privilege to read, and a joy too, 01 Oct 2008
I've just finished reading this - a book I devoured almost without putting it down. That 112 year old can really write!
Henry Allingham is a fascinating character - the only man alive who saw the Grand Fleet steaming towards Jutland, and also the last of those who fought in the first air war in history. Mr. Allingham has a dry, self-deprecating style which is highly engaging. I was drawn into his autobiographical tale, almost as if he had been talking to me directly.
The narrative of this remarkable 112 year old is interspersed with short passages of historical scene-setting, filling in the background to Henry's story. Consequently they add rather than detract from the narrative.
The whole book is delightful - a personal narrative by an extremely personable old man. I've read several first-hand accounts by Great War veterans before, but this is in a league all of its own, both for the scope of Henry's story, and for the engaging way he tells it.
I can't recommend this book too highly.
A fitting account of our hero...Well done Henry. Fantastic!!!!, 29 Sep 2008
I just love to read these accounts of the life of a true hero that has lived through numerous decades and gives us an insight into the daily lives during each era. This book also gives us a birds eye view of life in the great war. If ever there was a book that should be read by everyone then this is it.
I would also recommend Harry Patch's book,"the last fighting tommy", with equal status.
These two fine books should sit alongside each other on every bookshelf across the country to be read time and time again.
Thank you Henry for giving us this account and it is a true hero that still talks with such compassion for his lost but never forgotten colleagues. Brothers in arms has never had more meaning.
A superb finish!, 10 Oct 2008
Like the previous reviewer I waited for this third instalment with impatience. I was not disappointed, impassioned writing tempered by impeccable scholarship and judicious use of the vast sources on the subject. I can do no better than refer prospective readers to the excellent and substantial review by Nicholas Stargardt in the Times Literary Supplement of 10 October 2008 (pages 8-9).
As for me, I was glad to see the author has been able to incorporate references to recent works by other scholars. For instance, Evans cites extensively the highly praised and enormously informative book by Adam Tooze "The Wages of Destruction" (2006) on the economic history of the Third Reich. However, Evans does not always agree with that author and when it comes to exactly what went on at the infamous Wannsee Conference I am emphatically with him (see page 265) in holding that the major pupose of that meeting was to "discuss the logistics of extermination".
A brilliant and essential book, and page-turningly readable too. In particular the interspersion of contemporary everyday diary entries (like those of schoolteacher Luise Solmitz) illuminates and adds greatly to our feeling of actually being inside the Reich during the war years.
A Superb Study now Rounded Out., 07 Oct 2008
Richard Shaw's superbly crafted, eminently readable and scholarly third volume has been well worth the wait (on order since 2006). The trilogy must now surely take its place among the truly great historical narratives of this, or any, century. For historians - or indeed anyone - who wishes to expand his general and underlying knowledge of this ghastly period of history, Richard Shaw's opus is surely without peer.The Third Reich at War: How the Nazis Led Germany from Conquest to Disaster (Allen Lane History)
BRITISH PACIFIC FORCE?, 14 Aug 2008
At the Winchester Festival, reviewing his book, Hastings made a misguided and alarming remark, "that the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm, other than Taranto Raid, played no significant part in WW2". It is therefore no wonder that he has omitted to include in his book the British Pacific Forces's successful attack on the Japanese oil refineries at Palembang (Samatra) in January 1945. Four British fleet carriers with 244 aircraft embarked disabled the refineries that were supplying Japan precious aviation fuel. He has also failed to document one of two VC's won my Fleet Air Arm pilots during WWII - Lt Gray with his plane on fire, pressed home his attack and sank a Japanese destoyer. Glancing through the book Hastings does not do justice to the Royal Navy in the Far East during 1944-45 period, until he educates himselve on the Fleet Air Arm's war effort, I will stay clear of his books. Question for you Max, which allied torpedo bomber aircraft sank more enemy shipping (by tonnage) then any other aircraft acting in the same role during WW2? Clue it is the same aircraft that disabled the Bismarck's steering, enabling the Royal Navy to sink it.
When you go home, tell them of us and say, for your tomorrow, we gave our today, 25 Mar 2008
"When you go home, tell them of us and say, for your tomorrow, we gave our today," is inscribed on the War Memorial at Kohima. It commemorates a forgotten battle fought by forgotten soldiers of a forgotten army of a forgotten empire for a forgotten cause against a forgotten foe - I exaggerate only slightly, for what school child in any of the great democracies (assisted only at its dénouement by the dreadful Soviet dictatorship of 'Uncle' Joe Stalin) that eventually triumphed over a monstrous and militarist enemy can tell today of Kohima, of Imphal, of Leyte Gulf, of Iwo Jima, of Okinawa? Not many, I guess. I am deeply regretful that so few of our young know anything of the above. Max Hastings has performed a first-class service for those who know little or nothing of what happened then or of the need to destroy that 'monstrous and militarist enemy,' the Japan of Hirohito. Those of us who know of the need must never forget, nor permit others so to do. Read this book in order to know why!
Not history, but rather slapdash journalism, 26 Feb 2008
If you like your history personalised and trivialised, enjoy 'knocking copy' but are not much interested in facts nor concerned with accuracy, this is your book. Do not be bluffed by its bulk and the plethora of end-notes; it lacks a bibliography, making it impossible to decide which howlers stem from ignorance of sources and which from misusing them.
I bought 'Nemesis' because I learned that Hastings quotes from my uncle's book 'War Bush: 81 (West African) Division in Burma 1943-1945' by J.A.L.Hamilton (Norwich: Michael Russell, 2001) in his first chapter on the war in Burma. He quotes from it with acknowledgement four times, each time with one or more errors, and uses it in six more without acknowledgement. My uncle's book closes with the opinion of the Japanese Arakan army, that of the troops opposed to them for more than a year the Africans were 'undoubtedly (the Allies') best jungle fighters'. Hastings, who was not there, knows better: 'The War Office was seized by a belief that jungle warfare would suit Africans; this though most had never seen such terrain.' He backs this up by quoting a British general's views that 'The African has not a fighting history' and 'The African....cannot react quickly....due to an inherent....lack of intelligence', and considers it relevant to cite a Gurkha officer's report of his men gazing with awe, when snooping on Africans bathing, at the 'extravagant proportion of their black comrades' private parts', as if this titbit of schoolboy smut affected their performance as soldiers. It is typical that they are said to be West Africans, though in the Kabaw Valley, where 11 (East African) Division campaigned. He thinks there were only two African divisions, and only one from West Africa, which sent two, making three. He tries to belittle the share of British troops in the Burma fighting - 'only a fraction....two divisions....one in thirteen of the ground troops'. There were three, one broken up to form Chindit brigades, and in addition one-third of the infantry and half or more of the artillery in an 'Indian' division were British units. On numbers the British were 100,000 out of 605,000, almost one in six. He quotes figures without a source, and overestimates the Japanese killed in Burma after the invasion by subtracting the number killed then from the total of all Japanese casualties (KIA, wounded and missing).
The narrative is bulked out by personal reminiscences and anecdotes, many used as a basis for sweeping, often dubious, generalisations; there is an evident relish for horror stories. Hard facts are scanty, and many incorrect even though well-known - wrong dates for the start of Operation Thursday and the death of Wingate, the wrong division landing at Rangoon, on the wrong day. Sources are mis-quoted, not acknowledged, their evidence distorted. How can one trust the rest of the book? This is not history, but rather slapdash journalism; as Kipling wrote, 'Once a journalist, always and forever a journalist'.
A Very Good Lucid Overview of the Subject, 27 Jan 2008
This book gives a good overview of the campaign against Japan during the years 1944 to 1945. Hastings' fluid style and excellent layout of the book make the somewhat daunting 600 page narrative a reasonably easy read. Many interviews have been conducted with combatants of all the nations involved in the campaign and these add an insight into what some of the terrible battles were actually like for the participants. The experiences of the occupied and imprisoned are also included. Hastings is excellent at drawing character sketches of all the leading figures, military and civilian, who played a part and these add much to the interest of the story. The familiar actions in Burma, the US naval war, the Philippines, Iwo Jima and Okinawa are covered. A critical appraisal of LeMay's B29 devastation of Japanese cities versus the less well known American submarine blockade of Japan will be new to many readers. The war in China is also covered to some extent as are the roles of the Chinese Nationalist and Communist armies, again perhaps, unfamiliar ground. Surprisingly the least well handled section is that on the use of the atomic bombs where the narrative thrust becomes lost in a web of argument and counter-argument as Hastings clearly tries to cover all points. Although not a definitive account of the subject this is, nevertheless, a very good book.
A masterpiece, 12 Jan 2008
There can be few, even knowledgeable, students of the Second World War who will not learn much from this really impressive book. Max Hastings has already contributed some masterly WW2 histories but this must be his finest. It is one of the best histories of the War that I have ever read.
What impresses most is the scope and breadth of this book. All the major campaigns are covered and their relative importance made clear. The British campaign in Burma was never much more than a side-show, no matter how that fact must pain the dogged combatants under Bill Slim who drove the Japanese out. The relatively little known but hugely successful American submarine war against Japan's shipping is given its proper due.
None of the combatants fought a very clean war (if there can be such a thing). The Americans slaughtered many Japanese civilians and prisoners and their campaign seems to have been fuelled by a hatred of Japanese that they did not feel towards the Germans. However, upon reading of the many and hideous atrocities perpetrated by the Japanese - many denied or overlooked by Japan even today - the hatred of them by their opponents seems all too understandable. The last-minute declaration of war against Japan by Stalin, that cynical opportunist, unleashed the Red Army upon Manchuria, in the full plunder and rape mode that made them dreaded for decades to come.
Even today the dropping of atomic bombs by the United States upon Hiroshima and Nagasaki remains perhaps the most controversial act of the War and some think the greatest atrocity. Hastings gives much of the detail of the attacks themselves and the thinking behind them. He also reveals that the planned November 1945 invasion of Kyushu, Japan's southern island, by the Americans was not that likely to be undertaken. The Americans were coming round more to a strategy of bombing and starving the Japanese into submission, rather than suffer the appalling casualties that an invasion of Kyushu would produce. It also seems to have been conventional wisdom up to now that the two atomic weapons dropped on Japan on the 6th and 9th of August 1945 were the only ones in the American armoury and that no more would be available for several months at least. However, it seems that a third weapon would have been available by 19th August and that the target could have been Tokyo.
Fortunately, the third atomic bomb was not necessary. The Japanese Emperor, Hirohito, who had allowed, on the most charitable view, the military to take over the running of the country and plunge it into a war dominated by Japanese atrocities, at last partially redeemed himself and ordered them to surrender unconditionally. The atomic bombs had definitely changed Japanese thinking and brought the War to a premature end - there seems little doubt that the countless lives saved more than outweighed the casualties at Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
In many ways this is a sickening book to read. The ruinous potential for Man's inhumanity to Man comes over with great force. It should be compulsory reading for all the World's leaders. The desperate problems posed to Civilisation by the Axis were solved by going to war but the cost was prohibitive and atomic weapons raised that cost to insupportable levels. There can only ever be one more War like it - the last.
Max Hastings has done a considerable service by writing this book and reminding present generations of the truly appalling costs in blood and treasure of the last World War. It does help to give a better perspective on the different, and I suggest less difficult, problems that we face today.
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Customer Reviews
The National Reviews So Far, 12 Oct 2008
Reviews of Masters and Commanders
`Writing with clarity and elegance, Mr Roberts conveys how his four principals and their armies of aides and staff officers thrashed out the formulae for victory. This is an important book which, in its layered references to Waterloo, the Crimea and the Somme, sees Mr Roberts lay claim to the title of Britain's finest contemporary military historian.'
The Economist
`Despite eschewing the visceral drama of the battlefield for the less deadly, if no less hard-fought, debates of various Allied conferences, cabinets and committees, Roberts has produced a surprisingly gripping read. He has marshalled his material superbly and his warts-and-all assessment of his four subjects is invariable spot-on. Exhaustively researched and judiciously written, with a gimlet eye for telling detail, this may be his finest book yet.'
Saul David, Sunday Telegraph
`In Masters and Commanders, Roberts offers us a compelling analysis of American and British strategy during the war. He also tells a profoundly human story - of two soldiers who loyally served their masters, only to be each denied at the end the prize that would have made one of them world famous.'
Laurence Rees, Sunday Times
`Roberts displays a profound understanding of the interactions between strategy and politics, and his interpretation of British/US strategic relations between 1941 and 1945 is unlikely to be superseded.'
Prof Vernon Bogdanor, Financial Times
`Couched in elegant prose, this book is a masterpiece of robust historical analysis, steeped in scholarship and alive to every nuance of personality. Roberts re-evaluates each of the masters and commanders with scrupulous fairness.'
Christopher Silvester, Daily Express
`The author has crafted a masterly and fresh interpretation of the grand strategy of World War II. Roberts's pen-portraits, with their wealth of amusing and often acerbic anecdotes, reveal the evolution of that strategy by the master statesmen.'
John Crossland, Daily Mail
`The strength of Masters and Commanders lies in the power of the narrative and the fascinating detail used to construct it. Roberts has exploited a rich mine of private papers to fill in missing parts of the story, and although there is little new to be learned about the long strategic arguments between the British and the Americans over the best way to defeat Hitler, there is a lot to learn about the way that argument took place. Roberts has a shrewd grasp of the ins and outs of decision making.'
Prof Richard Overy, Literary Review
`Marshal Foch famously said that he had "less respect for Napoleon, now that I know what a coalition is". The high quality of the leadership of the coalition Andrew Roberts so expertly describes was a decisive factor in their success.'
Conrad Black, Mail on Sunday
`A wonderful page-turner, a really good read.'
Chris Patten, Start the Week
Excellent book, 27 Sep 2008
I took this book on holiday with me and I feel a week by the pool is a perfect way to enjoy this book.
I really enjoyed the pace of this work. I felt it gave just the right amount of detail without dwelling on unimportant facts.
For me it was constantly enthralling. As a 23 year-old I certainly learnt a great deal. The detail is far greater than the BBC series that accompanied the book. My only doubt is whether had I lived through the times discussed I would have found it a little lightweight.
History at its best, 26 Sep 2008
I found this book a real pleasure to read. It is a penetrating and scholarly account of Britain's post-war history. It is brilliantly researched and beautifully written - the author has a good eye for the amusing bon mot - yet it deals in a balanced and sensible way with the key developments and personalities of the post-war era. If a better book has been published in the past year, then I have not come across it.
A future school textbook - and useful now., 29 Aug 2008
This book was updated for its paperback release and having read it carefully I suspect that many of the errors referred to by other reviewers were removed at that point. Having lived out of Britain for a sizeable chunk of my adult life, I found that I had much to learn from the pages - several large gaps in my knowledge were filled in.
I found it difficult to detect any signs of bias, and Andrew Marr's easy writing style made it a pleasure to read. This is almost as far removed from the dry history textbook that I wrestled with as a young student as it is possible to be. For anyone wanting a crash course on British modern history, this could not be bettered. Well researched and referenced, this deserves to become a standard.
I learnt all I should have at school, 26 Aug 2008
If I hadn't been taught some trendy (in the 1970's) History O Level course I may have learned some modern history and have subsequently been on catch up since!
This is the most readable book I have read covering the post war period and having seen the TV programme the writers voice is audible. It's a must read for a holiday (preferably with understanding people who don't want to talk very much as being interrupted reading won't go down too well)
A Superficial History of Modern Britain. , 12 Aug 2008
Andrew Marr's book is, if not a tota | | |