The Guns of August

The Guns of August by Barbara W. Tuchman  658 pp.

This book about the lead up to and the first month of World War I won the Pulitzer Prize in 1962. It's hard to fathom just how much occurred during the brief time following the death of Edward VII and the beginning of the war and in the first month of hostilities. Tuchman pulled no punches when it came to portraying the arrogance and selfishness of those in command on both sides and the deadly retaliation by the Germans on anyone who opposed them. The Germans thought defeating France and Belgium would take a matter of days. France, Belgium, and Britain proved to be a stronger adversary than expected in spite of the infighting among commanders. I listened to the audio version and it was helpful to have a map of Belgium and France handy to understand where things were happening.

The Chilbury Ladies' Choir

The Chilbury Ladies' Choir / Jennifer Ryan, 371 pgs. Read by a full cast

Revealed through letters and journal entries, this book tells us about a five month period during World War II when the Nazi's were bombing England.  The village of Chilbury is the central setting proving that it is NOT a sleepy little hamlet.  There is action everywhere!  Young men are leaving for service, women are off to work and there is all kinds of romance and heartbreak. The characters are not all admirable but they are all interesting.  The audiobook is read by a full cast and they do a wonderful job.