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megsbookquery's review against another edition
5.0
A fabulous review of the Big Three. I learned so much I didn't previously know and it was an incredible ride of a book. Highly recommend. You will not be disappointed!
crystals_library's review against another edition
4.0
I really appreciated the way this book was laid out. The book starts out describing each of the men's upbringings and childhoods. Then it goes on to describe how they came to power. Lastly, it describes how they came to become Allies.
This book is perfect for someone who wants to get an in-depth knowledge of these three men, but don't want to read separate books. I love reading historical fiction about WWII and this book really added to my knowledge base.
The author also used photos and fun footnotes that added to the book. It was clearly well researched and well written. I did not find The Allies to be too tedious, but it could be a slow read.
This book is perfect for someone who wants to get an in-depth knowledge of these three men, but don't want to read separate books. I love reading historical fiction about WWII and this book really added to my knowledge base.
The author also used photos and fun footnotes that added to the book. It was clearly well researched and well written. I did not find The Allies to be too tedious, but it could be a slow read.
farquharsonba's review against another edition
5.0
In high school, I always viewed WWII as sort of a cliche topic. One of my professors referred to it as "the sexy war" because you had all these things like spies, Nazis, bombs, and other forms of international intrigue. Unfortunately, very few aspects of the war have really sparked my interest unless it had a sort of personal significance to me.
Then, this book caught my eye in Wal Mart. I wanted to learn more about WWII in order to teach it better in the future, so I bought it and practically inhaled it.
Winston Groom (author of Forrest Gump) presents the "Big Three" in a sort of narrative style. Honestly, only half of the book is spent talking about WWII. Groom gives us a sort of "build up" to the war by introducing us to the men who would make up the Allies: Winston Churchill, Franklin D Roosevelt, and Joseph Stalin. The first half is a biography for these three men which later helps the reader understand the actions of these men from the highly ambitious Churchill to the scheming Stalin to level-headed FDR.
Then, this book caught my eye in Wal Mart. I wanted to learn more about WWII in order to teach it better in the future, so I bought it and practically inhaled it.
Winston Groom (author of Forrest Gump) presents the "Big Three" in a sort of narrative style. Honestly, only half of the book is spent talking about WWII. Groom gives us a sort of "build up" to the war by introducing us to the men who would make up the Allies: Winston Churchill, Franklin D Roosevelt, and Joseph Stalin. The first half is a biography for these three men which later helps the reader understand the actions of these men from the highly ambitious Churchill to the scheming Stalin to level-headed FDR.
highgearlitebeer's review against another edition
4.0
I was provided this copy for review.
The book is wonderful at lending depth and motivations to the vastly different biographies of Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin. The intentions, talents, and faults accompanying each man's rise to power are given background that contextualizes the approach each takes in the challenges of WWII. It's an enjoyable insight as the reader can recognize the insecurities and ambitions from their own lives playing out in these larger-than-life heads of state—shortcomings which are otherwise obscured by the legends of their accomplishments. In this way the follower of history can both relate to the leader as well as come to understand that these men were incredible in spite of their flaws, not because they were without them.
The book's formatting suffers by attempting to track each ally's biography more or less simultaneously. Ancillary actors are casually referenced without a explanation, only to be given their relevant introduction a few pages (or even chapters) later. A small number of paragraphs essentially paraphrase their preceding information, which appears to be a copyediting error that will hopefully be caught in the next edition. But the writing is easy to read and engaging throughout.
Overall an enjoyable insight into an important period through the people who guided us through it.
The book is wonderful at lending depth and motivations to the vastly different biographies of Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin. The intentions, talents, and faults accompanying each man's rise to power are given background that contextualizes the approach each takes in the challenges of WWII. It's an enjoyable insight as the reader can recognize the insecurities and ambitions from their own lives playing out in these larger-than-life heads of state—shortcomings which are otherwise obscured by the legends of their accomplishments. In this way the follower of history can both relate to the leader as well as come to understand that these men were incredible in spite of their flaws, not because they were without them.
The book's formatting suffers by attempting to track each ally's biography more or less simultaneously. Ancillary actors are casually referenced without a explanation, only to be given their relevant introduction a few pages (or even chapters) later. A small number of paragraphs essentially paraphrase their preceding information, which appears to be a copyediting error that will hopefully be caught in the next edition. But the writing is easy to read and engaging throughout.
Overall an enjoyable insight into an important period through the people who guided us through it.
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