Marines of Autumn a Novel of the Korean War [Hardcover]

James Brady (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: St Martin's (2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312274440
• ISBN-13: 978-0312274443
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)

More About the Author

The late JAMES BRADY commanded a Marine rifle platoon during the Korean War and was awarded a Bronze Star for valor. For more than two decades, he wrote the "In Step With" column for Parade. He also wrote a column for Forbes.com. He authored eighteen books, among them several on the Marines, including the nonfiction Why Marines Fight and the New York Times bestselling novel The Marines of Autumn.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

63 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Choisn Vet Responds, June 18, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Marines of Autumn: A Novel of the Korean War (Hardcover)

I found the book to be factual, but then Brady takes either great liberties or did not do his homework before writing the book.

Examples: Puller was not promoted to Brig. General until a couple of months after Chosin. In fact, he portrays Puller as still being the CO of the 1st Marines during that period. To my knowledge no Marine General ever commanded a Regiment. That is a slot for full Colonel. Except in the case of Lt. Colonel Murray who commanded the 5th. The only one star General serving with us was Brig. General Craig and he was sent home during that period to attend the death of his father.

Marines that fought with the 5th Marines are going to be quite upset to read that Puller and the 1st Marines were rear guard during the withdrawal to Koto-ri.

Pullers conversation with Maggie Higgins did not take place at Hagaru-ri.

He refers to Lt. Colonel Davis as Colonel Davis. Davis was battalion Co of the 1/7, a slot for Lt. Colonel.

There is mention of Tanks at Yudam-ni. I don't think that the plural applies since they only had one tank at Yudam-ni.

There are many more breakdowns to historical fact in the novel. I realize that this is a novel, but since it was mostly written as historical fact I found it quite distressing to read the inaccuracies in the novel.

I served at Hagaru-ri and made the fight and walk out and have read extensively about the battle.

A Chosin Vet

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars War is hell, May 29, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Marines of Autumn: A Novel of the Korean War (Hardcover)

Who knew James Brady, puff piece-er to the stars, had this great book in him? I was a kid when the Korean "conflict" took place, and remember more of the politics than the warfare, so, altho the Chosin Reservoir retreat was in my memory bank, I could not have explained why. Now I know, and memorably. Brady's prose is so vivid, you can almost feel your own toes becoming frostbitten as you read; the icy roads and the snow, the cold, the Chinese troops relentlessly attacking or sniping at our troops as they retreat down a narrow mountain road at the rate of a couple of miles a day. Brady lets MacArthur have it, for putting our troops in this untenable position in the first place. The main character, incidentally, is loosely based on the late Senator John Chafee of Rhode Island. I've read a few other war books, but this is perhaps the most vividly done. It leaves me wanting to be sure to pay homage to all our soldiers in some way this Memorial Day. A powerful book. Don't miss it.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Felt The Cold, June 4, 2000

By 

Patrick Picciarelli - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Marines of Autumn: A Novel of the Korean War (Hardcover)

I'm not a lover of war stories, perhaps because I fought in one and I find realism lacking in most writers. Brady has proved to be an exception. His depiction of the misery suffered by the Marines at the disaster that was the Chosen Reservior made me grateful that I spent a year in the infantry in the virtual paradise (by comparison) of Vietnam. You feel the cold as the Marines retreat from an untenable position, fighting a numerically superior Chinese army and becoming victims of Douglas MacArthur's meglamoniacal career plans. Brady gives MacArthur a justified raking over the coals and mixes his fictional characters with real ones; Chesty Puller is here as is Bob Hope and others. All in all a fantastic read.