I had the recent pleasure of reading this novel prior to its release. All I can say is, if you’re into historical fiction based in World War II—or just want a great read, period—get this book. Here’s my review:
“They shuffled ahead to where a German private had ladled soup from a barrel into small metal bowls. Fish heads floating in water, that’s what the Germans called soup for the prisoners on the eastern front.”
With that telling description of life as a Red Army POW, one can sense the despair and futility that fell upon these poor souls trapped beneath the steel heels of German agression during World War II. In Scott Bury’s exceptional novel—based on the real-life accounts of his father-in-law, Maurice Bury, a Canadian-born Ukrainian conscripted by the Soviets—Army of Worn Soles takes you not only into enemy territory, but uncharted territory seen through human eyes: The hell of war.
Though told in novel form, historical facts are not only accurate, but shocking, tightly woven into a fast-moving story that gets to the heart of one man and his struggle to stay alive in a time where death could come at any moment. Well-written and stylish, Army of Worn Soles is as gripping as it is heartwarming—and a perfect read for World War II history buffs who thought they’d read it all.
“They shuffled ahead to where a German private had ladled soup from a barrel into small metal bowls. Fish heads floating in water, that’s what the Germans called soup for the prisoners on the eastern front.”
With that telling description of life as a Red Army POW, one can sense the despair and futility that fell upon these poor souls trapped beneath the steel heels of German agression during World War II. In Scott Bury’s exceptional novel—based on the real-life accounts of his father-in-law, Maurice Bury, a Canadian-born Ukrainian conscripted by the Soviets—Army of Worn Soles takes you not only into enemy territory, but uncharted territory seen through human eyes: The hell of war.
Though told in novel form, historical facts are not only accurate, but shocking, tightly woven into a fast-moving story that gets to the heart of one man and his struggle to stay alive in a time where death could come at any moment. Well-written and stylish, Army of Worn Soles is as gripping as it is heartwarming—and a perfect read for World War II history buffs who thought they’d read it all.