I developed an amateur's interest in World War I about four years ago and have been reading my way through the literature, starting with "The Guns of August" and general overviews of the war then progressing to some of the larger individual battles. This is by far the best account I've read so far of the battle at Verdun. It's so well written and compelling that it reads almost like fiction, even though it's also satisfyingly full of facts and information. Author Alistair Horne strikes a delicate balance on a difficult line between possibly glossing over the loss and destruction and going into so much detail that the reader would become numbed to it. Indeed, there is a lot of detail here -- a lot of misery, a lot of mistakes, a lot of loss and destruction and pain. Sections of the book are very difficult to read, such as the account of the surrender of Fort Vaux, or really the entire chapter devoted to the climactic battle for the hill called Mort Homme.
My only mild complaint about this book is that it contains quite a bit of untranslated French. Many of the quotations that open each chapter are in French, and the author uses many French phrases and sections of the French generals' memoirs or daily orders without translating them. My high-school French was not enough to be able to read these without looking them up, which would frequently stop my reading. Someone with a better grasp of French would probably have no trouble with this, and perhaps other readers will just skip past without worrying about it, but I thought that there was just too much of the information in French to gloss over without knowing what it said. So I recommend the reader keep a small French-to-English dictionary at hand!
This is really rather a slight complaint for an engrossing, well written, informative and illuminating work about arguably the most important battle of one of humanity's greatest wars.
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Join or create book clubs
Choose books together
Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required. Learn more
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Flip to back Flip to front
Follow the Author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.
There is a newer edition of this item:
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.
What do customers buy after viewing this item?
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
About the author
Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 26, 2009
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 28, 2014
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 16, 2014
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 28, 2018
Top reviews from other countries
Deborah Hopkin
I doubt our military forces are any better led now
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on January 17, 2018
