From Booklist
Savage War of Peace, Alistair Horne's masterpiece of the Algerian conflict, combined the historian's sense of detail and context with the journalist's grasp of irony and human tragedy. Kettle's massive effort doesn't quite rise to those heights, but it is still a fine work of historical research. Kettle provides ample analyses of long-neglected areas of the conflict, such as Berber-Arab antagonism within the Muslim population. Unlike many of his predecessors, Kettle doesn't shrink from attacking the Front of National Liberation (FLN), as well as the French, for their readiness, even eagerness, to target the civilian population. At the center of the struggle is de Gaulle, torn between the unreasonable demands of French settlers and his own intuitive understanding that Algeria could not remain French indefinitely. Both left- and right-wingers will probably find much to quarrel with here, which is the best tribute to Kettle's thoroughness and objectivity. This work is best suited for readers with at least a rudimentary knowledge of post-World War II European history. Jay Freeman
