Customer Reviews

Saving Private Ryan: Tie In

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

As other reviewers have noted, we expect books to be better than the movie they cover. This is certainly not the case with Saving Private Ryan. It almost seems like the author was in such a hurry to finish the book ( to coincide with the release of the movie ), that he had no time to proof-read or research his subject. I found numerous little quirks that, although minor, added up to make the book a less than perfect reflection of one of the best movies of all time. Just a couple of examples ; Capt. Miller has to cut the pack off a drowning soldier in order to lessen his weight, then, within a few paragraphs, is hauling this same soldier out of the water by the same straps he cut off minutes before. The author also describes the shoulder patch of the 101st Airborne as " the blue and red double-A". The reference he is making is to the 82nd Airborne, not the "Screaming Eagle" patch of the 101st. Minor, maybe, but to me it shows a lack of research into the subject matter. I wonder if the book would have been better if Dale Dye ( the military advisor of the movie and an author himself ) had been given the go to write it. Unfortunatly, we'll never know.

Having read this novel through several times...one of the most poignant, if salient, points it makes is that the fellows with Private Ryan defending the Alamo all had names and hometowns. They all had mothers, families, and were as anxious to get through the war as anyone else. This excellent book also fills in a lot of the missing details that for some reason were edited from the movie. For instance, we see the Miller's squad drive away in a Jeep... then they are walking. In the movie, so much happens that it is easy to overlook this gap. Also, when Wade is shot, the book explains much better how it happened. In the film, you have to wonder why Wade didn't stay behind instead of Upham. For those of us who have seen the film over and over, it's likely we'll want to read the book over and over too. And that's part of the joy in this book. Great job, Mr. Collins.

I have seen the movie several times and have ordered the book, because - as we all know too well - the book is always better. Anyway, in the process of reading another "semi-related" text (Band of Brothers, by Stephen Ambrose), I happened upon what I believe to be "Private Ryan". Let me explain. In Ambrose's telling of the history of the E Company, 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne and it's actions at Normandy, a soldier by the name of Fritz Niland discovers that one of his brothers (a member of the 82nd Airborne) was killed on D-Day. Immediately following this discovery, Niland hitches a ride over to the 4th Infantry Division (in the area immediately behind Utah Beach) to visit with his 2nd brother (a platoon leader), presumably to inform him of the 1st brother's death. Once in contact with the 4th Infantry he discovers that the 2nd brother was also KIA on D-Day, on Utah beach (aka Sean Ryan). Upon return to E Company (506th/101st Airborne), he is confronted by Chaplain Sampson who informs him that his 3rd brother (a pilot in the Burma/China theatre) was killed the previous week. He is informed that the Army wants him escorted from the combat zone immediately, and flown back to the States. Mrs. Niland received all 3 letters from the War Department on the SAME day!

This HAS to be the story that Saving Private Ryan is based upon. As I recall, in the movie - Ryan was in the 506th of the 101st! And, his 3rd brother did die in the Asian theatre the previous week. Fritz Niland has got to be Private Ryan.

Perhaps this is of little interest to those of you who love this story as much as I do, but I thought it worth relaying, nonetheless, because for me atleast, it adds weight and truth to a story that has already touched me profoundly. I had two Uncles on Omaha Beach that costly June morning in 1944. Both were medics. One survived the D-Day landing and the war. The other never made it off the beach.

As a blind reader, I wanted to read this bok for one simple reason: I loved the movie, but much of it was missed by me, since it has so many scenes of fast-paced combat. I read the bok hoping to learn more of the things going on in the movie. In this sense, the bok accomplished, for the most part, what I wanted from it. I think it must have been drafted from an early version of the screenplay, though, because there's much more foul language in the bok than there was in the movie, and some scenes, particularly in the tank battle, are either diferent or missing altogether from te book. Other scenes are missing from the movie, but this is par for the novelization. All in all, I enjoyed the bok, but I can't give it 5 stars because I think several scenes worked better as they were re-written, not the way they were writen in the bok. To be fair, I can't really blame Collins for this, though, since I'm pretty sure that dialogue was, for the most part, taken directly from the version of the screenplay he used to write the novelization.

Only being a novelization of the film, I was seriously impressed. Though lacking the incredible effects of the motion picture, the book tells a more detailed story of the men and their lives. You actually get to know some of them, where they come from, etc. Things that did not make sense in the movie started to make sense in the book. Max Allan Collins did a wonderful job of conveying emotional scenes, as well. I fought myself for dry eyes several times while reading.

If you liked Saving Private Ryan, the movie, read this book. You'll see what I mean.

I think this book is very well written. First of all, the book develops all the characters extremely well. Unlike the movie, where most of the characters' backgrounds remain unknown, when each soldier is introduced into the story their name, rank, and some background is provided. The way the author described the characters makes the reader feel they know each soldier personally.
Another strong point of the book that can not be obtained through watching the movie is the thoughts of the soldiers. Not only is the reader provided with the soldiers thoughts in battle situations, but also their thoughts about the purpose of their mission.
The author does an excellent job of describing the hellish atmosphere of war. In the movie, some of the battle scenes are so complex and distorted that it is somewhat difficult to understand the horror that the soldiers go through in battles. In the book, the reader is provided with the soldiers' thoughts and also their feelings when wounded.
One of the few things I would change about this book would be a better explanation of some of the military terms and tactics. Some areas of the book seemed unclear because I did not understand some of the termanology.

Collins has written an excellent novel. A few times I found myself doubting about different charcters' fates (Mellish almost did make it in this one). However, I can't resist saying that both the movie and the book were wrong about the "Panzer/Panther" affair. The tanks were Marder IIIs (open topped tank destroyers). But it really doesn't matter in all the action. A minor error. VERY ENTHRALLING. Was up to midnight reading it.

The book itself makes you feel that you are on the battlefield! I felt as if I was on that beach on D-Day trying to just make it inland. The story flows perfectly and you feel the emotions of a soldier in war.

"Saving Private Ryan" was an action packed book as well as a movie. The way Max Allan Collons described war and Private Ryan was awesome. This is a book you have to read and a movie you have to see.

I'll have to echo the earlier comments of the readers who caught the glaring error of the 82nd Airborne Division patch versus the 101st Airborne Division patch. The red, white and blue patch of the 82nd, has the white letters of "AA." This stands for "All American," which is the division's name. The black, white and yellow patch of the 101st depicts an American bald eagle. Their Division is known as the "Screamin' Eagles." Once again this is a minor error but not to the personnel who have served and are currently serving in these proud, elite fighting units. I was surprised by that error appearing in a novel associated with a motion picture that went out of it's way to be so realistic. One final error was the description of the engines of the P-51 Mustangs that appear over head near the end of the novel. What made the P-51 one of the most successful piston-engined fighter aircraft in history was the combination of American design mated with a Rolls Royce Merlin engine not a Packard. I may be wrong but I don't think a Packard engine was ever fitted into the P-51 airframe. I believe only a Allison engine was initially tried. These kinds of details would be lost on the unitiated but there are enough of us out there who know the difference. I do like the extra detail the author is able to reveal to the reader. I had seen the movie first and then I read the novel. For me this was the best way to enjoy both the novel and the film. The novel was exciting and fast paced. For me it was hard to put down. It was a graphic and frank account of men in war. What the men in the novel did and said is put before you in a tough, gritty manner. War literally chews up and spits out the young men of our countries. To tell the story any other way without the guts literally spilling out almost on the reader would be a diservice to the men who fought and especially those who died.