No Less than Victory

No Less than Victory--Jeff Shaara

Summary--Opening in mid-December 1944, the novel covers the Battle of the Bulge and the fall of the Third Reich, including the death of Adolf Hitler. It also covers the Allied discoveries of concentration camps at Ohrdruf, Buchenwald, and Dachau. The main characters are George S. Patton, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and two young soldiers named Eddie Benson and Sergeant Buckley. Portions of the narrative are also told from viewpoints on the Nazi side of the war, primarily Albert Speer and Gerd von Rundstedt.(from Wikipidia)

Con's--I was always on the verge of pitching this book out my window--the language was terrible. It seemed like just about every five words there would be a word I didn't appreciate. There were a very few off-color comments as well. Also, I did not find this book captivating, if it hadn't been for my love of history I would never have read it. As it was, it took the somewhere around three months to finish. There was nothing I could point as a wrong with Shaara's writing, it just was not gripping.

Pro's--As you have probably figured out by now I am a sucker for history. This book was simply a medly of first hand accounts of historical events. The persepectives changed from a private in the Ardennes, to General Patton, General Eisenhower, and even over to the German side with Albert Speer, Hitler's "Golden Boy" and Gerd von Rundstedt. I usually like changing perspectives because I feel that I get a more balanced picture that way. Shaara did a good job not making the character changes confusing for his readers.

I wouldn't really recommend this book. I think the history could be got better elsewhere without the nasty language.

Ages 18 and up. 2 out of 5 stars.