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What Members Thought
I've never experienced war.
I know almost nothing about battles.
For the last four months, I've been reading Barbara Tuchman's Pulitzer Prize-winning book, The Guns of August.
The Guns of August tells the story of the outbreak of World War I. It's absolutely mesmerizing to read, seeing the lies told by the Germans to justify their invasion of their fellow Europeans, the brutality of the Germans as they occupy and take over other countries, as well as the missteps of the unprepared Belgians and Fren ...more
I know almost nothing about battles.
For the last four months, I've been reading Barbara Tuchman's Pulitzer Prize-winning book, The Guns of August.
The Guns of August tells the story of the outbreak of World War I. It's absolutely mesmerizing to read, seeing the lies told by the Germans to justify their invasion of their fellow Europeans, the brutality of the Germans as they occupy and take over other countries, as well as the missteps of the unprepared Belgians and Fren ...more
I really wanted to like this and I started out with a bang…. But that’s when I discovered that while I love complicated stories about human foibles in history, long sections of troop movements absolutely makes my eyes glaze over. I just can’t.
Her best book.
Fantastic history of the lead up and first month of WWI. It's almost like watching a movie but even more heart-thumping. I struggled a little bit with following the different army movements in the beginning but by the end, I was frantically turning the page to see what was going to happen.
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Go ahead and criticize Tuchman's "unscholarly" approach all you want, this book makes the beginning of WW I clear and understandable for the lay reader. She managed to keep me clear on the identities and roles of many, many historical figures whom I had never encountered before and keep my interest throughout the events. I felt compelled to keep reading. Her books are a gift to those of us who are not scholars of the period but want to understand one of the pivotal events of our time.
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Among the best-written non-fiction books ever.
Sep 18, 2021
Wes F
marked it as to-read
Mar 06, 2022
Jonathan
marked it as to-read
Aug 23, 2022
Anne
marked it as to-read
Jan 19, 2023
Stacey Sagers
marked it as to-read
