??Have You Heard???Memorial Day 2018 Special Edition????Remembering Our Fallen Heroes??

by Herman Wouk
Also by this author: War and Remembrance
Published by Brilliance Audio Genres: Historical Fiction
Format: Audiobook

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#MemorialDay2018 #FallenHeroes #HermanWouk #TheWindsofWar #WarandRemembrance #WW2 #KevinPariseau

Today as we remember those who’ve fought and died for our freedom, I’m revisiting (with a bit of editing) a previous review of Herman Wouk’s epic World War 2 novels The Winds of War and War and Remembrance. For those who love history and for those who love our country, these two books will be well worth the time invested in listening. Congratulations to the author who celebrated his 103rd birthday yesterday. It is certainly fitting to honor him and his body of work today.

From December 7, 2015’s blog ?? 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. I enjoy listening to books that I read years ago because I loved the story and to see if the author’s work has stood the test of time. 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 the artist 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. The link associated with Mr. Pariseau’s name will take you to a review of his performance by another listener.

Finally, I want to say a few words about the author, Herman Wouk. I won’t go into biographical details, although I do encourage you to click on Mr. Wouk’s name to read more about this distinguished man. I am 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.