Chris Buczinsky

A Great Bird’s Eye View of WWII

Revisado: 06-16-19

I have read lots of books about particular WWII battles and soldiers; this one gave me my first bird’s eye view of the war as a whole, using the operations at sea as a prism. I appreciated Symonds’ ability to pepper the big narrative with both incisive character sketches of important players and engaging smaller tales of particular battles—all while explaining clearly the technical, strategic, or logistical issues needed to comprehend what was at stake in any given operation. Eric Martin’s narration at first struck me as a bit stilted, but I soon came to appreciate the care and clarity he brought to more difficult passages that require a listener’s complete attention. I liked it so much I’m going to take it from the top and listen to the whole thing again.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 7 personas

Two Great Stories Not Quite Woven Into One

Revisado: 12-14-18

I enjoyed this book for both its brisk account of Churchill’s leadership of Britain during WWII and its introduction to Orwell’s career, which I knew nothing about. Ricks lays alongside one another Churchill’s military fight against Hitler’s fascism and Orwell’s literary attack against Soviet totalitarianism. He delineates the characters of these two 20th century heroes with a sharp eye for the telling details of their personalities, balancing their greatness against their all two human weaknesses. Ricks writes well too, free of academic jargon and political axes to grind.

It’s main weakness lies in how he finally cashes out the comparison of the two men and their battle to preserve individual liberty from the twin threats of Communism and Fascism. One sometimes feels the two stories aren’t sufficiently linked, that more could be made of the comparison. For instance, I would like to have seen more reflection on the different but equally effective ways Orwell the writer and Churchill the orator mobilized the English language for this battle of the century. I finished the book wishing Ricks had explored more explicitly the complementary role of the obscure novelist, whose main weapon in the fight was the literary imagination, and the famous statesman, whose main weapon was political skill and oratory. Why were both weapons so crucial to the fight?

In short, this is a good book, but it could have been great had he drawn more penetrating insights from the comparison. He does this in the conclusion, but it’s a little too little and a little too late. Ricks weaves the Churchill and Orwell narratives too loosely, but each tale is told with great. The reading by Lurie is pitch perfect.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Vincent Rises Above Yet Another Biographer

Revisado: 12-12-17

This short biography of Vincent Van Gogh does not have the courage of its own convictions, or rather, never settles on its attitude toward its subject. At the beginning of the book, the author assures the reader that old fashioned and outdated hero worship simply won’t do. We are all, he suggests, too well informed about the seedy under belly of Van Gogh’s career to fall into such a naive trap. But throwing shade on such a publicly beloved and enormously productive artist soon becomes, he seems to feel, a bit unseemly. By the end of the book, in the face of Van Gogh’s clearly heroic creativity despite so much personal suffering, the author can’t quite sustain the irony of his opening declaration. Van Gogh’s masterpieces speak for themselves, above, so to speak, the ironic harrumph of his biographer. It’s a useful little book, I suppose, a salutary corrective for the impressionable young who uncritically romanticize Van Gogh’s achievement. A great book would have more squarely faced this tension between the demystification and the mystery of Van Gogh’s creative genius.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Fabulous Book, Breathlessly Read

Revisado: 02-19-17

Van Gogh's letters to Theo, his brother, his confidante, and his only financial support, offer a intimate glimpse into his struggle to be an artist at the dawn of modernity. One of a number of late 19th century artists rebelling against the norms of classical and realistic art, Van Gogh fought personal poverty, public hostility, professional scorn as well as his own demons to hammer out his life's work. The letters chronicle his challenges. Deeply thoughtful and eloquent, they give voice to his difficulties in learning how to how to draw and paint, express his financial worries and schemes, and offer his personal take on artists he loved and loathed. This Audible edition is fun to listen to, but the reader reads too quickly (perhaps they gave him a time limit?) Without pausing sufficiently, one thought or idea piles up behind another, and the listener sometimes can't absorb the material, enjoy a lovely sentence, or just ponder Van Gogh's often penetrating insight. Still, it's definitely worth a listen, especially if you have a hard copy to accompany the audio version or just remember to turn it off every once in a while to let the thoughts of Van Gogh's volcanic personality sink in.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña