*Have You Heard? * Audiobooks For Your Listening Pleasure* The Winds of War and War & Remembrance by Herman Wouk

War and Remembrance by Herman Wouk
Also by this author:
Published by Pocket Books, Audible Studios, Brilliance Audio, Little Brown & Co. on October 1978
Genres: Classics, Historical Fiction
Pages: 1042
Format: Audiobook
ISBN: 0671463144
ASIN: 031695501
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Herman Wouk's sweeping epic of WWII, which begins with The Winds of War and continues here in War and Remembrance, stands as the crowning achievement of one of America's most celebrated storytellers. Like no other books about the war, Wouk's spellbinding narrative captures the tide of global events--and all the drama, romance, heroism & tragedy of WWII--as it immerses us in the lives of a single American family drawn into the very center of the war's maelstrom.

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Because today is the day upon which we remember our honored dead who lost their lives in the attack on Pearl Harbor so many years ago, I wanted to recommend a couple of audiobooks which will be a special treat for those who love history as well as those who love fiction. From time to time I enjoy rereading books that I originally read years ago because I loved the story at the time as well as to see if the author’s work has stood the test of time. I also like to listen to the audio versions of books I particularly enjoyed.  So it wasn’t exactly an act of serendipity when I began listening to the audio version of War and Remembrance, Herman Wouk’s epic novel about World War 2 and the sequel to The Winds of War. Last year I listened to The Winds of War which chronicles the years leading up to the war and the bombing of Pearl Harbor.  In War and Remembrance, the characters introduced to me move through the war years and post-war years. What a stroke of pure irony it was when I found myself listening to War and Remembrance on this past Memorial Day as one the main characters lost his life at Midway, a pivotal battle in WW2 and the one experts agree sealed the doom of the Japanese. Yes, I cried for this fictional hero as well as for all the men and women who have unselfishly gone to war for the rest of us.  Some returned as heroes; others died as heroes. All were prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice.

I was further touched that in a work of fiction, in order to honor the young men who flew into battle briefly trained and virtually untested, the author chose to list the real names of the crew members of the three squadrons of planes which were, for the most part, annihilated in this historic battle. I would challenge anyone to keep a dry eye while hearing their names read by the brilliant narrator Kevin Pariseau.  Even though I loved this book when I originally read it in hard copy, Mr. Pariseau brings the story to life in a way I did not anticipate. I can’t say enough about this narrator who undertook the narration of these two lengthy books. Challenged with characters who have a plethora of accents and a story which is emotionally charged as well as being long on historical detail, he gives an exceptional performance.

Finally, I want to say a few words about the author, Herman Wouk, who actually celebrated his 100th birthday on May 27 while I was listening to War and Remembrance. I won’t go into biographical details, although I do encourage you to click on Mr. Wouk’s name in the author information below to read more about this fascinating man. I am just deeply appreciative that a gifted storyteller chose to present us with two books documenting a decisive time in our history in such an entertaining fashion.