Product Description

Battle Cry is the riveting Marine epic by the bestselling author of such classics as Trinity and Exodus.

Originally published in 1953, Leon Uris's Battle Cry is the raw and exciting story of men at war from a legendary American author.

This is the story of enlisted men – Marines – at the beginning of World War II. They are a rough–and–ready tangle of guys from America's cities and farms and reservations. Led by a tough veteran sergeant, these soldiers band together to emerge as part of one of the most elite fighting forces in the world. With staggering realism and detail, we follow them into intense battles – Guadalcanal and Tarawa – and through exceptional moments of camaraderie and bravery. Battle Cry does not extol the glories of war, but proves itself to be one of the greatest war stories of all time.

Customer Reviews (56)

Battle Cry
"Battle Cry" the novel is to fine literature what "Battle Cry" the movie is to fine cinema.

Battle Cry ......a book for the love of my life.
The book was not in the condition as described in the ad but the recepient loves it and that is what counts. I am pleased. I will consider ordering again.

# 1 WWII Marine Corps novel
As a former Marine I collect first editions of books on Marine Corps history.This book was published in 1953 and is complete in every detail and in very good condition.It arrived timely and well packed for protection.The condition was just as the dealer stated.I could not be more pleased.Battle Cry is a classic and to find a first edition in this condition was really a fun thing.I'll keep looking on Amazon for used book deals.

A great war novel- but what idiot chose the artwork for this edition??
I first read "Battle Cry" at about age 10 or 12 in the early 1960's, and though the war in Vietnam was ramping up, I knew I wanted to join the Corps(and I knew I wanted to go to New Zealand). I've re-read it over the years, and it still strikes home. All of the characters ring true, although the only problem I have with it is the very first passage, where Mac, the hard-bitten sergeant, gives a narration that vanishes and is never seen again. Until I read Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War, no other novel about everyday Marines had come close. And as far as my desire to join the Marines? By 1969, I knew that Vietnam was not what I had envisioned, and I won the 1970 lottery when my number didn't get picked, but I still honor the Marines, and the Greatest Generation.
Having said that, I think the cover artwork on this edition dishonors the Marines, be it a Kindle-only cover or not: the dress blues of the Marine illustrated were not a uniform which the Gyrenes in "Battle Cry" would have had access to(since it was proscribed in early 1942 for all but recruiters and ceremonial units), but what I find disgusting is the fact that the weapon he is holding is not an '03A3 Springfield, or a Krag, or an M1 Garand, or even a Johnson rifle: it's a WWII-vintage Japanese Arisaka....how stupid was the art director that threw this together? "Öh, well, one gun is the same as another." What a stupid puke.

2 1/2 Stars -- Sometimes You Shouldn't Go Back!
I first read Battle Cry in the early 60's when I was a young teenager and loved everything about it -- the characters, the description of Marine life, the battle scenes, You name it, I loved it about Battle Cry. For all of these years when people would ask me what novel about WWII I thought was among the best I've read, Battle Cry was right at the top of my list. So, after almost fifty years since reading Battle Cry, I decided to read it again. I'm mostly sorry I did. With the exception of the last 50-60 pages, which were very impactful and emotional, virtually all of the aspects that I initially thought were so terrific "back then," I now consider to be somewhat of a disappointment. The characters I once considered to be so memorable I now think of as being pretty thinly developed. The dialogue now seems quite weak and the battle/action scenes, which at times are very exciting, do not comprise enough of this war novel to maintain a high level of interest. As such, I found the book, at almost 700 pages, dragged on for long passages, causing me to to skim through much of the second half. I guess my decision to revisit Battle Cry after an almost fifty year absence was a mistake; helping me to realize that some things are better left as fond memories from a time long gone. ... Read more

Product Description
An American nurse and an Israeli freedom fighter get caught up in the re-birth of Israel. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (184)

This Book Gave Me The Building Blocks of My Conviction
I read this when I was 18- hungry, idealistic and easily impressionable. This book and its lessons have shaped me and stay with me till now. Even as the dreariness of office work threatens to dissolve our identity, a part of me wants to be among those who feel the value of their life while fighting for something.

Its been 28 years since I read the book. Next year I plan to visit Israel, not because of the Via Dolorosa or some evangelical Christian desire but to see this patch of land that inspired the bravest and most gallant of Jews.

There truly is no happiness in living a life, no matter how affluent if you cannot know what you are living it for. When people fight to have land or to reclaim their heritage you cannot help but wonder where the supply of strength and endurance comes from.

This is one book that I will not let my daughter grow-up without reading.

Not what described
This book was said to be "very good;" however, there was a hole in the back cover of the book. This book did not meet the standards it was said to be in.

Beware of the small print!
This book is not available for Kindle and I read it in paper edition. The book is and excellent reading - I finished the book in three days. My problem was the small print. On the kindle I could have increase the font, but in paper book you get what you get. The paper in my mind is too thing, but the small font is the biggest problem.

This edition is printed on very thin paper in very small typeface.
This is an excellent book that I have read several times. I have ordered this edition as a gift for a friend. This edition is printed on very thin paper in very small typeface. Nearly unreadable. Therefore I gave this edition only three stars.

Loved it at first, BUT...........................
I read EXODUS when working as a volunteer in Israel in 1981.I loved it - a great story about brave, resourceful, Jews fighting for their survival against evil, devious, murderous Arabs and the treacherous British.It inspired me to read more about the Arab/Israeli conflict so I read everything I could get my hands on.My reading widened when I returned to university and had access to a fantastic range of books on the subject.However, the more I read the more I realised that EXODUS was nothing more then a nasty, biased, and quite frankly racist piece of nonsense.The true story of the period covered by EXODUS is one of a native population (the Palestinian Arabs)fighting for THEIR lives against a well armed and well organised community of recently arrived Jewish settlers from Europe whose intention was to take over as much of Palestine as possible and get rid of as many Arabs as possible.The Jews expelled 750,000 Palestinians, massacred thousands of civilians and destroyed 400 Arab villages.These are facts.

It scares me that so many of the reviewers on these pages appear to have gained their knowledge of the birth of Israel solely from this book.In fact, the book and movie have been instrumental in moulding public opinion in the west in favour of the aggressors (the Jews) and against the victims (the Palestinians).Unfortunately, EXODUS has the historical veracity of a comic book.

AMAZON has any number of books available by Israeli historians which describe the REAL history of the period covered by EXODUS.Try "The Birth of Israel - Myths and Realities" by Simha Flapan, "The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine" by Ilan Pappe or anything by Benny Morris or Avi Shlaim.But please, PLEASE - do not think that EXODUS is history.It is nothing more than a propaganda con job. ... Read more

Product Description
Post World War II Berlin. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (26)

It doesn't get much better then this...
This is the only book that I've read twice.. once when I was twenty and now at seventy.It is still a masterpiece to read and enjoy. Don't miss reading this classic.

Why no recent Publication
I have only stayed up all night to read a book twice in my life.Leon Uris's "Armageddon" provided one of those occasions.I remember this book often, and have always wondered why it was never made into a movie or mini-series.More important I wonder why it has not been re-published for over 30 years?
The sombre peace of the end of the WW2 in Europe as the beginnings of the cold war take hold are well portrayed in this evocotive and fascinating narrative.

Please re-publish a nice new copy, so I can read it again.

If Amazon was smart they might even get the idea to re-publish these older 20th century, out of print classics on the Kindle!There are lot's of 'em.

Dated Text
Have read most of my Uris as a teen and into my 20's, and he deserves great credit for teaching me about the holocaust and other historical moments that he weaves into his fiction.That is the case here as well.Having said that, perhaps I am older and more sophisticated, but the writing definitely reflects a Coldwar 60's attitude, and the dialogue a bit patriotic/ham fisted.Sometimes it made me squirm.The subject is great, and the characters well placed and fleshed out.The soviets do seem like a creepy bunch, and although I am sure their nature is exaggerated, Uris gets across the tragedy of soviet post-war occupation.

Buying a 50 year old book
This book was in good condition for it's age, but not "like new" as described.The problem was that the shippers simply wrapped it in paper with no protection. As a result the corners of this hardcover book were seriously damaged.Since the book was so old it should have been packed more carefully as most books I have ordered through Amazon are.The paper wrapping was partially torn off and there was no other protection for this very special old book.

Germany, April 1945
I've only read 100 or so pages thus far (I only read during a coffee break), but like most of Uris's books he already has me hooked. So far I've seen the incredible organization of Nazi Germany, as well as how our military governors officiated in captured German cities even before the war was over in May of 1945 ... Read more

Product Description

From the acclaimed author who enthralled the world with Exodus, Battle Cry, QB VII, Topaz, and other beloved classics of twentieth-century fiction comes a sweeping and powerful epic adventure that captures the "terrible beauty" of Ireland during its long and bloody struggle for freedom. It is the electrifying story of an idealistic young Catholic rebel and the valiant and beautiful Protestant girl who defied her heritage to join his cause. It is a tale of love and danger, of triumph at an unthinkable cost -- a magnificent portrait of a people divided by class, faith, and prejudice -- an unforgettable saga of the fires that devastated a majestic land . . . and the unquenchable flames that burn in the human heart.

Customer Reviews (117)

Enjoyable Historical Novel
A friend recommended this novel when I commented that I would like to know more about why the Scots moved to Ireland.This is a book about division and adversity, and how some people dealt with it.

The description of the Irish wake is something that I will long remember with emotions of sadness as well as joy.

If you are interested in Irish history, I believe that you will enjoy this great book.

A Flawed Novel
It is obvious that Leon Uris undertook a lot of research before writing this novel as he marks a lot of the subtle grey-areas of Irish politics and social issues of the time that tend not to be noticed by non-Irish writers and commentators.

Although remaining an engaging read, Trinity for me is flawed exercise because of the style of character dialogue that Uris employs, a style which appears to have been lifted straight out of Darby O'Gill and the Little People. Copious references to 'the fairies' abound.

Other gaffes in the dialogue include a character using the word 'robot' in 1905 and another character in a scene from the late 19th century using the phrase 'human rights'.

I may be pedantic in raising this criticism, but it seems a shame that such work should have been put into the historical research only to have it undermined by such poor and uncredible dialogue.

A story for the ages
This book is one of my favorites of all times, it makes you laugh, cry, get angry, be sad and touches all of the rest of your emotions.Being of Irish decent and hearing the stories of my aunts and uncle when I was growing up I really enjoyed this book.
Uris is the first person to tell the story of Ireland in a way that makes me understand some of the issues that caused the troubles in its violent past. You might come away hating the English, but you will also have some strong feelings about the Catholic Church.
This is a big book and it tells a big story, basically it deals with one family and cover 2 generations during the late 1800s and early 1900s.I have read this 3 times and will probably pick it up again somewhere down the line.Once I start it I can't put it down even though it can make me very angry at the way the Irish were treated.
I think this is a must read for anyone who wants to understand "the troubles" of Ireland.

Engaging, but trite (spoilers)
If these characters aren't exactly two-dimensional, they certainly are quite thin.Conor is a standard flawed hero.Even worse, most of his deficiencies arise from the dubious "flaw" of loving too intensely.The selfishness and cruelty of Hubbles and Weeds also remains unexplored.They are simply selfish and cruel in defending their own interests.We have no idea why.The message seems to be that this is simply how the British are.I would have liked to see these same events from a British point of view.

There are few significant characters of the Protestant working class, or of the Orange movement. These groups are presented as monolithic and mindlessly militant, a collective stereotype.

Seamus, the essentially omniscient narrator character, bugged me throughout the novel.The narrator "character" disappears for long stretches, replaced by an anonymous story-teller.What is the point of Seamus?

The storyline does clip along rather nicely, and Uris paints a convincing bleak picture of the hopelessness of the Irish rural and working classes.

In the Struggle for Freedom/Birth of a Nation genre, Exodus is better.

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I admit that I liked the oddity of having the Seaumus, the narrator, blown to bits.Cognitive dissonance of the "well, then who told this story" variety.

Riveting read!!
Very long book with very small print I found difficult to read, but the story line is excellent.My eyes just not that good.

Takes place in Ireland after the potatoe fammin.What I got out of this book is how the upper crusts works dilligently to keep normal folk down, the tactics of which are still in use today.

When a people let others rule them it is very difficult to get out from under.The rules, the laws, all will be working and contructed to hold a people back and down. Such as in these times our financial monkeys rule everything.Corporations have more power in our laws than do people.

When you make similarities such as the above, I hope it will make everyone think.I hope it will make everyone who reads this book aware. ... Read more

Product Description
Master storyteller Leon Uris, internationally acclaimedauthor of such bestsellers as Exodus, Topaz, QB VII,Trinity, the Haj and Mitla Pass,continues the epic story of the Irish struggle for freedom inRedemption. A dramatic saga set against the backdrop of growing unrest in Ireland and a world on the brink of the First World War,Redemption weaves together a cast of unforgettable characters that form the heart and soul of three extraordinary Irish families.hey love freedom more than life,and they will fight to the death to win it.

From the magnificence of New Zealand's green mountains, to the bloody beaches and cliffs of Gallipoli, to the streets of Dublin and the shipyards of Belfast,Redemptionfollows three Irish Patriots on their odysseys of freedom and passion- in a monumental tale of the men and women who loved, fought, and died for the chance to be free. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (44)

sequel to Trinity-Redeemtion
I was disappointed that the first 52 chapters reviewed and repeated what he had written in Trinity.I should have started at chapter 53.I was determined to get through both books and I did. I have read almost all of Uris' books and want to read them all. bb

Continued saga from novel "Trinity."
Trinity was based upon Uris's Irish experiences. While living in Dublin, he had written a photo-essay entitled Ireland, a Terrible Beauty. Trinity was a chronicle of a Northern Irish farm family from the 1840s to 1916, whose fate is connected with two other families, one representing the British aristocracy and the other coming from Scotland. The central characters are a young Catholic rebel and a Protestant girl, who try to find their own place in the country divided by religion and wealth. The story of the Larkin family continued in The Redemption. In these works Uris developed further one of his central themes, the restorative capacity of love and forgiving. Also the situation in the Northern Ireland, from Ireland to New Zealand, Egypt, and Gallipoli.

A Good Story
My only regret with this book is that I think I read it out of order. I believe that Trinity was the first of a two part story. But even by itself it stands as a really compelling story. I wasn't prepared for the places it would take me. It was surprising but nice to be transported to New Zealand. And the story of a very bloody battle (Gallipoli) which I had no previous idea of. I first thought that Leon Uris would only be an author of middle east books (having read Exodous and The Haj). But it was a pleasant surprise to find he is a master story teller.

Gallipoli novel derailed?
The 200 or so pages in this novel that Leon Uris devotes to the battle of Gallipoli Peninsula in WWI are very well-written and extremely interesting. I have to wonder if Uris originally planned to write an entire book about Gallipoli but didn't have the energy left in his old age.He knew he'd make a pile of money with a sequel to his popular book "Trinity" so he stuck the Gallipoli story into the sequel.
The first 300 pages of this book are a rehash of Trinity and I skimmed over them very quickly.The parts after Gallipoli are mildly interesting but not worth spending a lot of time on.

A wonderful ending to Uris' book Trinity.
I read this book quite awhile ago, and picked it up agin to skim through.This is a wonderful epic saga of the Larkin family.It spreads across about 25 years, and frrom Ireland, to New Zealand to Australia to Egypt.It also encompasses the First World War.We also see a young Winston Churchill who can almost single-handedly be blamed for the Gallipoli fiasco.This is a book that takes you by the throat and won't let go until you turn the final page.I think it is a true classic and is a fitting finish to the also truly wonderful "Trinity". ... Read more

Product Description
Leon Uris retums to the land of his acclaimedbest-seller Exodus for an epicstory of hate and love, vengeance and forgiveness andforgiveness. The Middle East is the powerfulsetting for this sweeping tale of a land where revengeis sacred and hatred noble. Where an Arab rulertries to save his people from destruction butcannot save them from themselves. When violencespreads like a plague across the lands ofPalestine--this is the time of TheHaj. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (121)

The Haj by Leon Uris
This book should be read by every American and especially everyone involved in government. All of Leon Uris's books are remarkable, but this one reveals insight into the middle east like no other book I have read.

Same old story.
After living in Jerusalem for a few years, I can see that Uris was not exaggerating. The Arabs are their own worst enemies. Whether it's because of Islam or desert culture or whatever, when Arabs from other countries come here to sincerely try and help, many of them leave enormously frustrated by the Palestinian Arabs' refusal to participate in bettering themselves and their way of life. They don't show up, don't do what they say they'll do, don't give a damn. The Haj describes the same situation, but half a century ago.

Uris's book congratulates Jewish accomplishment, as the sane of the world should do -- hence the many Nobel prizes. But the author is not pro-anything. He's just telling it the way it is. Meanwhile, the NGOs -- starting with the UN -- are cleaning up financially, and using the "refugees" as bait for deluded western donors, great and small. They drive around here in new white SUVs and live in West Jerusalem villas and posh flats, not willing to make their home among the people they claim to care about.

Believe it or not, The Haj tells the truth. It's amazingly accurate, even prophetic, now more than ever. It's the same old story.

A Brilliant, perhaps prophetic, read!
Leon Uris always a gifted writer, is perhaps even prophetic in his writing of The Haj.
I liked it better than Exodus. Same story but from the Arab perspective. Brilliant read.

Very thought provoking
I think the "intimate grasp of the region" says a lot in the first review.John Standiford gives probably the best review of the book.I have to say it is shocking.It is very hard to read things I actually would rather not have known, yet somehow it was a necessary component of the story to truly understand how difficult it must be to grow up in the Arab world from all viewpoints. (Man, woman and child).It reminded me of the biography "ZVI".The historical facts in his book were expounded and filled in a little more here. I am sure those "anonymous customers" who rated it one start for it's supposed inaccuracies, including one "customer" who identified himself as an Israeli Jew were not reliable sources.Google the information yourself if you feel it is inaccurate.Find out what is true for yourself.Are all Israelis likable? Do you find Palestinians your heart bleeds for?Of course.I feel it painted a vivid picture of the story of how the Jews did come in and buy land that was the worst of the worst.They worked it and made it beautiful. They were and still are heads above all the nations in many areas. There are some wealthy Arab nations who have also built amazing structures (Dubai), but what does that mean if the women are treated so horribly?Look at the education level, the lack of freedom to even uncover their face, not being able to choose your own faith. Not being able to speak openly unless you want to die. The customers who defended how the women were treated is not being truthful.We all know someone here in the States that can treat their women and children differently as they are not as surrounded by their own.But do not attempt to explain away the horrible treatment of the women and children in the Mideast.There is no explanation other than this is an evil that exists under the guise of a religion of peace.

The Haj
I ordered 3 copies and specified that they be new copies since they were to be Christmas gifts.1 copy was new;1 copy had the dust cover torn and was not new but we were given a $10 discount after the vendor shipped;the third copy did not have a dust cover and I doubt that it was new.This was an unsatifactory experience which I will not repeat. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

kanamaham.
the condition of the book is not the same as the seller had indicated.the seller should have been honest.

Fast-pace espionage and a good yarn
If you're a Leon Uris, espionage, or historical fiction fan, or if you love a don't-want-to-put-it-down story, this is for you. Deals with Cold War era, post Bay-of-Pigs espionage with French and American interests in Cuba. Leaves you shaking your head at the descriptions of the inner workings of international policies and how espionage really works. Realistic, educational descriptions of what Cuba was like at the time. Characters are intriguing and entirely human with both strengths and weaknesses developed. Hyper-tense page turner. One of his easiest books to read. A definite must read.

WELL DONE STORY..OF INTRIGUE.
What a wonderful novel this is. Again Leon Uris is able to make a good story great...this time we are brought into the world of espionage between, the Soviets, Americans and France. In a nut shell there is a great conspiracy brewing i.e. the Cuban Missile Crisis...but Uris goes a step further by saying that maybe the entire Crises was a hoax...dreamed up to get France to leave NATO and weaken the alliance....or is it? I must admit he is really able to keep the story moving along and does a great job creating mystery and intrigue. As you read you are never sure who is telling the truth and who is not...It really makes you bite your nails and question what you think is going on....that is a good story to me.
Ifeel they should re-release this novel because it is very indicative of our times now. A good read.

Very Good
Topaz did not strike me to be as good as either Mila 18 or Exodus but a far better than average read for fiction.
I read the book just recently and was stuck by the many parallels that could be imagined between the Cuban missile crisis and now.
The work itself was very interesting and intriguing. But, I did not find the dramatically moving passages that were common in the other Uris books I had read. I am sure a big part of that had to do with the subject matter.
I would suggest this book to anyone but especially to those who do not remember the Cold War.

Uris' best book.A taut novel of espionage and courage.
This is far and away my favorite Leon Uris novel.Unlike many of Uris' other works, this book is crisply written, the story moves at a fast pace, the ending is climactic, and the characters are vivid.The protagonist, Andre Devereaux, is unforgettable.

This is a novel essentially of the Cuban Missile Crisis.It also deals with postwar French foreign policy under De Gaulle (thinly disguised as "Le Croix" in the novel).The novel is told from the perspective of Devereaux, a French intelligence officer.Devereaux must deal with his knowledge of the Soviet activities in Cuba as well as Soviet penetration of the French government.

This is a fine novel.Unlike many of Uris' other novels, it does not bog down, and the characters behave like real people.There are no idealized characters--each person is shown complete with flaws and foibles.Recommended. ... Read more

Product Description
It was a time of crisis, a time of tragedy--and a time of transcendent courage and determination.  Leon Uris's blazing novel is set in the midst of the ghetto uprising that defied Nazi tyranny, as the Jews of Warsaw boldly met Wehrmacht tanks with homemade weapons and bare fists.  Here, painted on a canvas as broad as its subject matter, is the compelling of one of the most heroic struggles of modern times. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (79)

Mila 18 Revisited
I was going through my library recently (with eight book cases filled with books, which I have collected over 50 years), it was a time consuming process.And I discovered Leon Uris' 1961 novel, Mila 18, which I purchased on June 16, 1961!I decided to read the book again -- and I loved it as much as I did back in the day!

I was a teenager then and I was profoundly affected by the story of the Jewish uprising in the Warsaw Ghetto.Though I was raised as a Catholic, my father was Jewish and I realized that if I had lived in Europe during World War II, most likely I would never have survived.

At the time I attended public high school in Los Angeles, Californa, we learned absolutely nothing about the Holocaust (this has changed over the years -- now many American schools teach young students about the horrors of that era).

The story is reviting -- I loved the overdrawn characters both villains and heroes and those inbetween.Andrei and Gabriela make for a wonderful hero and heroine and their love story is touching and believable.The build up to the war and the subsequent German establishment of the Warsaw Ghetto and the destruction of Poland's Jews is told with intelligence and passion.

Bring your handkerchief when you start to read this marvelous book because you will need it!Though the story is a tragedy of monumental proportion, it is also a tale of hope. Imagine people knowing success is impossible but still deciding to rise up against their oppressors!What courage!What bravery! What emotional passion!

riveting and entertaining
- this is the first entry in my journal. i cannot help but feel that the war will begin in a few weeks. if the lessons of the past three years are any barometer, something awesome is apt to happen if germany makes a successful invasion, what with three and a hlaf million hews in poland. pherhaps the tnesions of the moment are making me overdramatic. my journal may prove completely useless and a waste of time. yet, as a historian, i must satisfy the impulse to record what is happening around me.
alexander brandel

What can I say about this book? It is one of the best-written, most stirring books I have ever read. It moves me to laugh and cry every time I read it, and I have read it several times. it also confirms my opinion of leon uris as the best author ever. mila 18 is the story of the Jews of Warsaw during the Second World War. It opens in the days preceding the invasion of Poland by the Nazis, and tracks the events which followed - restriction, the ghettoes, the indifference of the Polish people (or most of them, anyway), and the final desparation and turn to armed resistance. uris' main characters - Adrei Androfski, Wolf Brandel, Paul and Rachel Bronski, and Chris de Monti, each touched my heart. Uris develops his characters and brings the reader to care about and understand each of them, within the desparate setting they exist in.

Perhaps the most striking aspect of this book, as with all of Uris' books, is that it is based closely on events which really happened. Over and over again, as I read the book, I asked myself -why? and how? In addition to the pure enjoyment of reading the book, the reader gains great knowledge a historical event, and additional perspective on some of the world's current struggles. I highly recommend Mila 18 to anyone and everyone.

Why I bought Mila 18
I read this book many years ago and felt my daughter would enjoy it.However, our library and bookstores didn't stock it, so I looked online.

However factual it may or may not be, I enjoyed the story - it gave some insight into the struggle and suffering the Warsaw Jews endured at another bad time in history.

Long-time fan of Leon Uris.
Leon Uris ranks at the top in my opinion as a brilliantly gifted writer.He captures the historical drama of WWII and Nazi Germany, along with the torment and never-ending struggle of being Jewish in Warsaw, Poland.This is indeed a fictionalized account of that time period, but his characters probably do have counterparts in real life. Upon reading this book, one has to admire the courage, determination, endurance and raw guts of these people.You may have read about life in the Warsaw ghettos, but this book takes you into their homes, introduces you to people who face poverty, starvation, sickness, and terror on a daily basis.The author gives a first-hand account of Jews in the ghetto being constantly intimidated and threatened by the Nazis and how they manage to survive in such horrible conditions.Reading this will horrify you one minute, then make you cringe and then touch your heart as no other book you may have read in a long time.I highly recommend this as Leon Uris always delivers fascinating and emotionally charged books, leaving you spell-bound and unable to put the book down.

Mila 18
As always, Leon Uris is the master writer. Mila 18, filled with real events, and has me spell-bound. My book came in pefect condition and fast. I will return to Amazon for all my reading material. Thanks ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

after completing this huge book, Uris remains one of my favorite authors
Armageddon, by Leon Uris (636 pgs., 1963, 1964).Uris has always been among my list of favorite writers.My assumption had been that I had already read all of his published works.The old cliche about assumptions making anass of you & me, came true in this case.Somehow, this 600+ page doorstop of a book escaped my voracious reading eyes.After completing this tome, Uris remains on my list of favorite authors.
This book begins before the end of WWII.American General Andrew Jackson Hansen has been given the task of heading the American occupation of Germany after the war ends.He has been given the task of setting up & carrying out a denazification program & the rebuilding of Germany.One of his right-hand men is Capt. Sean O'Sullivan, who has been chosen to lead the pacification, denazification, & rebuilding program of the German City of Rombaden, as a test case to see what will work in the rest of the country.O'Sullivan is promoted to Major so he won't be outranked by the officers working for him.
Uris writes about the beginning of the Cold War between the West & the Soviet Union.He illustrates how shortsighted & naive the Western Allies were in not seeing the Soviet threat early enough to prevent their takeover of all of Eastern Europe.Hansen is one of those U.S. Generals who did see the threat.He is determined not to let the rest of Europe fall to the Soviets & has drawn the proverbial line in the sand in the Western Sectors of postwar Germany & of Berlin, in particular.
O'Sullivan is very successful in Rombaden & Hansen asks him to come to Berlin & work with him to make sure the city does not fall to the Soviets.He does. The rest of this book shows how the Soviets try every way they can to get the Western Allies to pull out of Berlin & concede the city to them & how the West ultimately defeated them.
That's a bare skeleton.This book is much more than it's skeleton.Uris doesn't spare his readers the ultimate horrors of this war.He writes about the discovery of the Concentration Camps.He writes about the atrocities committed during the war by the Nazis.He also writes about the prewar atrocities Stalin committed against his own people in the USSR.He gives readers a brief historical summary of the rise of Communism in the Soviet Union.He writes of the numerous rapes & pillages committed by Soviet troops upon German civilians after their occupation of Germany.He writes of postwar Germans claiming to know nothing about the death of six million Jews & the horrors that occurred in the Concentration Camps.He writes of allies during the war becoming enemies & of enemies becoming new allies.He writes of the degradation forced upon many of the occupied German civilians simply to live above the level of scavaging animals.
He writes of O'Sullivan losing two beloved brothers in the war to the guns of the Nazis who now has to work with those Germans who made the rise of the Nazis possible & help them build a new country.He writes of the few anti-Nazis who somehow survived the war & are the hope of this new Germany.He writes of love affairs between enemies.He writes of budding friendship between American & Russian soldiers, nipped before they could reach fruition.He writes of the incredible airlift into Berlin by the Americans & the British, which kept a lifeline alive to a free & democratic Berlin.He writes of a renewed special relationship between the USA & the UK.He writes about the creation & shaping of what became Western & Eastern Europe in postwar Europe.
He does all this not by being some didactic professorial type, but by using characters who have history breathing through them & their actions.He draws characters about whom his readers learn to care.Not just Americans, but Germans, Russians & Brits.This book is over 630 pages, but it's a page turner.It's a historical tome.It's a love story.It's an action novel.It's a character study.It's a Greek tragedy.It's all of these combined into one huge novel.This is why Uris was a best-selling writer during his lifetime.

Another Timeless Classic
When Friday night turns into Saturday, and you have been up all night to finish a book, but sorry that it came to an end, then you know that you have read a classic. That is how I feel about Armageddon by Leon Uris.

It is set near the end of World War II in England and continues in Germany through the Berlin Airlift.The development of the characters is superb, their stories exciting.

Nevertheless, I found some of the assumptions about Germans quite incredible, even a little absurd. Uris describes their love of the forest as an almost mystical Teutonic reverance, which I never observed despite living amongst Germans of all backgrounds, and having travelled extensively through their forests above several tons of tracked aluminum.

Uris also describes Americans in a way that we would like to think of ourselves, which is, in a word, righteous. Unfortunately, if that ever existed during the Berlin Airlift, it is not in evidence today.

But against the backdrop of the airlift which was America's most spectacular strategic, tactical and propaganda victory ever against communism, the characters from the pilots, to the Germans, to the leaders of all sides, come to life in realistic and dramatic fashion.

Uris is a masterful storyteller, and this is entirely top notch writing. You cannot help but hope that the lives of his characters and their love triumph in the ordeal of rebuilding a nation from it's total collapse.

This is one of those rare books that I can take from my shelf, turn to any page, and find in any one of them, the shear pleasure of reading.

It is a novel after all.
All americans are good, brave, understanding, funny, hard-working, incapable of greed (they almost deserve to have been born in America, the greatest country in the world by far). Russians are pig-headed, predictable, cruel, brutal and very easy to surprise. Germans are all nazis, so much so that they call temselves nazis in private, when that is a derogatory term! Their only redeeming opportunity is to be as American as they can. But they are Nazis after all...The "kill your dog now" episode is laughable, to say the least. The English are stodgy and dependable. The French talk alot and do nothing useful (except when they do what the Americans say).
One MUST remember that this novel was written in 1963. The "airlift" description is quite good. So, take into account when it was written, get totally one-dimensional, and enjoy it.

Vintage Uris
Mention the author Leon Uris and books like "Exodus," "Trinity," and "QB VII" come to mind.His novel ARMAGEDDON rarely makes such a list, which is a shame, as this powerful story reveals an accomplished author able to weave a riveting tale populated by a stunning array of complex characters.

I first read ARMAGEDDON over thirty years ago; it was my introduction to Uris--an intro that led me in an enthusiastic frenzy to his other works.While I have enjoyed them all (especially "QB VII"), I keep coming back to ARMAGEDDON as Uris' definitive accomplishment.Written during the height of the Cold War--detailing the alarming complexities of the Soviet blockade of Berlin following World War II and the subsequent Allied airlift--this novel explores post-war Germany from literally dozens of different perspectives.

This is a compelling read, beginning with the liberation of the Nazi death camps, when angry and frustrated Allied commanders ordered German citizens from neighboring towns to tour the prisons and see firsthand the atrocities their government had committed.As Soviet domination in eastern Germany threatens to choke the divided city of Berlin, Uris relates the fascinating events of the Allied airlift--a herculean task involving British and American cargo planes flying around the clock into the west side of the city to deliver supplies.If not for the airlift, West Berlin would have collapsed and succumbed to Soviet domination.

The story is told through the points of view of a multitude of characters:an American pilot; a young German woman; a former SS officer who was forced to perform unspeakable acts; British, American, even Russian commanders.The list of characters coming in and out of the story is formidable, yet convincing and essential.And, like Uris' other books, ARMAGEDDON is essentially a portrayal of the indomitable human spirit; for Uris fans unfamiliar with this book, or for fans of historical fiction this novel is highly recommended.
--D. Mikels ... Read more

Product Description
Contains all 3 books, complete and unabridged ... Read more

Product Description
The author of a book in which a Dr. Adam Kelno was named and accused of violent crimes against humanity is being sued by Dr. Kelno who denies the allegations brought forth in the book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (33)

amazing legal story about real hurt to real people
I believe that this work of fiction is a lightly massaged version of the truth about a real lawsuit by a Polish Doctor against Leon Uris.The imagery leading up to the suit is excellent and tells the story passionately.

Explore Jadwiga
I have read several books lately that deal with Polish history and World War II. The other books such as Poland by James Mitchener and Mila 18 by Leon Uris gave me a broad view of Poland and Nazi occupation. The horror stories and general atrocities are sickeningly endless.

In QB VII I got a sense of the individual pain endured by victims of the war. The court room setting and the witness accounts of brutality by a famed doctor are riveting and grotesque. This book narrowed down the insanity of the Nazi regime to a finer grain when I read of how the maimed survived and explained of the immense strength people had to relive the past and tell the tales again to bring people to justice on the witness stand.

The reasoning behind the operations is nothing short of a horrifying joke and many amazing truths come out in the British trial.

Some parts of the book I thought were a bit of a soapbox melodrama and I am only referring to the back drop of the lives of the journalist Cady and the doctor accused, the courtroom drama is head on and you get a front seat during an important procedure.

If you are interested in a bird's eye view of a great courtroom battle and how perhaps some people were involved either in big or small roles in the German hate fest then read this book. It is of course ghastly in description in some parts but you get a feel for the fight for survival in the concentration camp, Jadwiga. It is a tale of heroes and cowards, one you won't soon forget it.

Wonderful
Having read Exodus a few weeks ago, I really enjoyed this fictionalized account of the libel lawsuit brought against Uris after the publication of Exodus.In the first third of the QB VII, we meet Dr. Adam Kelno, who has cleared his name as a war criminal after his term as a prisoner/doctor at a notorious concentration camp and his subsequent flight to the remote jungles of the British Empire to escape further scrutiny.The second third of the book explores the life of Abraham Cady, Uris's alter ego.We are not only introducedto Cady's childhood, war experiences, and family, but also to his career as a writer and his inspirations. He has some successes and failures, but the huge success of his book "Holocaust" makes him an international figure, and a hero among the Jews.However, in the last third of QB VII, Dr. Kelno is made aware of the mention of his own name in "Holocaust" and the book's insinuation that he conducted thousands of medical experiments on Jews in the concentration camp in which he was a prisoner/doctor.This provokes him to file the lawsuit against Cady and thus begins an emotional courtroom drama.

Uris does a great job explaining the structure of the British legal system and the trial is an affecting and often disturbing recount of the horrors of concentration camp life.The testimonies are raw and the dialogue is great.This in-depth look at the medical experiments that took place during the Holocaust is at times graphic and unnerving, but Uris writes it so well.Anyone who enjoyed Exodus must read QB VII and anyone who likes courtroom dramas would be thrilled with the intensity of this book.

QB7Review
Very predictable story. The writing is a little out of date by today,s usage. It is still a decent read even if it is a little long.

The Hobo Philosopher
This was another Leon Uris classic that I could not put down. I considered it an expose rather than a mystery story as some of the other reviewers. I had no trouble in determining guilt. This was a very clear case of Crime and Punishment. It was more fuel for the Holocaust. And it was once again another Leon Urus classic.

Books written by Richard Noble - The Hobo Philosopher:
"Hobo-ing America: A Workingman's Tour of the U.S.A.."
"A Summer with Charlie"
"A Little Something: Poetry and Prose"
"Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother"
"The Eastpointer" Selections from award winning column. ... Read more

Product Description

A God in Ruins

Spanning the decades from World War II to the 2008 presidential campaign, A God in Ruins is the riveting story of Quinn Patrick O'Connell, an honest, principled, and courageous man on the brink of becoming the second Irish Catholic President of the United States. But Quinn is a man with an explosive secret that can shatter his political amibitions, threaten his life, and tear the country apart--a secret buried for over a half century--that even he does not know...Amazon.com Review
Veteran bestselling author Leon Uris (Exodus,Trinity) stays true to form with A God in Ruins, delivering yet anothervast and vigorous novel about politics and history, right and wrong, loveand loss. This time his country of choice is the United States, on the eveof the 2008 presidential election.

The incumbent, Thornton Tomtree, is running against the Catholicgovernor of Colorado, Quinn Patrick O'Connell. Thornton, who grew upplaying in his daddy's Providence junkyard, made billions on acomputer invention before becoming president. Brainy, calculating, andstiff, he lacks both charm and scruples--qualities that the honest andopen Quinn, an ex-Marine, has in spades. Though set in 2008, A Godin Ruins has its roots firmly in the past. In order to flesh outhis characters, Uris casts his net all the way back to World War II,highlighting some of the more dramatic moments in Thornton and Quinn'slives as they move inexorably from youth towards a run for the WhiteHouse. In the process, Uris takes up some of the attention-grabbingpolitical issues in America from the second half of the 20th century:gun control, terrorist attacks, and Clinton's sex scandals.

Uriscan always be counted on to inject the political with the personal,and Quinn is the perfect vehicle for this when his presidential bid isthreatened at the eleventh hour by potentially damning informationabout his past. A lively supporting cast of characters--from Quinn'sdelicious wife Rita to Thornton's conflicted right-hand manDarnell--adds spark to this emotional story. At one point, when thecampaign has reached a fever pitch, Thornton says about Quinn, "Ourjingle-jangle rope-a-dope cowboy is going to be a handful." So isUris's engaging book, which positively spills over with simple heroismand hot-button political issues. --Katherine Anderson ... Read more

Customer Reviews (161)

Shockingly poor story
Kindly refer to others who have offered their thoughts in this regard.Specifically, I can't believe that this was actually written by Leon Uris.As a point of reference, I have read a half dozen of his other works....For the first time in my life, I stopped reading a book, not caring what happens to any of the characters, plots, or subplots.I only have 90 pages to go and I can't spend another minute reading it.

Strong premises dies after first few pages
During a recent trip to the hospital, this book was handed to me to read and pass the time. A good opening had the potential to grab you. Leon Uris doesn't disappoint here. The shoo-in for the presidency in november's election, an orphan raised roman-catholic, finds one week before the election that his birth-parents, both deceased, are Jewish.

That could be a great premise but then what... The story falls apart. Uris tries to create tension in our two party system in the US with the histories of not only the RC/Jew protagonist, but his rival who is the president. If that had been handled better, perhaps this book would succeed, but Uris has chosen his battlegrounds poorly. Republicans do not do everything poorly in regards to the nation, but in God in Ruins Republicans always fail.

Democrats always succeed, and where we have some true named places and people, and ambiance, too much fictionalized that you have to read (AMERIGUN-is the NRA, Charlton Heston is their president so an Actor leads AMERIGUN...) throws the book into that thinly disguised type of clap trap.

The writing style of Uris also fails. People, all even the dumb ones, are too smart, for the use half sentences to talk to one another. Always full of depth of meaning. Our leaders maybe that smart, but I doubt it. Some of them are geniuses, some are charismatic dilettantes in reality, which Uris does not portray. All his politicians are brilliant.

So the story fails. It could have been good. It wasn't.

"Is it just me?"
I got 80 pages into this book, and on every page, I kept thinking "Is it just me? Or is something seriously wrong with this book? How can I get so doggone IRRITATED with a book written by LEON URIS??"

Well, after reading other people's comments here, I realize: It's not just me! This book really IS embarrassingly bad!

Unlike some of the commenters, who say the novel breaks down halfway through, I would say it's weird from the very start. These characters do not seem real at all, the plot seems implausible, and there's something about his writing style in this book that strikes me as just plain GOOFY.

I won't waste my time forcing myself to read this clunker to the end. I'll quit now and cut my losses.

Full disclosure: I'm particularly choosy and hard-to-please right now because I recently read Tom Wolfe's "Bonfire of the Vanities"--one of the sharpest, most on-target, fun, exciting books I've ever read. Probably anything following on that book's heels is going to feel like a let-down!

A God in Ruins = A Book in Ruins
I recently finished A God in Ruins by Leon Uris. Uris is one of my favorite authors - he has the unique ability to succinctly intertwine historical fact with fascinating story lines. He was a master at the craft of historical fiction. Exodus, The Haj, and Mila 18 are just a few of his masterpieces. Sadly the same cannot be said for A God in Ruins.

Much like in Milta Pass (which is set just before the 1956 Sinai Campaign with a young author as its lead), Exodus (1948 Israeli War of Independence), and Mila 18 (Warsaw Ghetto uprising) A God in Ruins features a main character who is gritty, trustworthy, promiscuous, manly, courageous, handsome, and above all Jewish.

Quinn Patrick O'Connell was an orphan with an unknown lineage. He was adopted into an Irish family who had just made a new home for themselves in the Rocky Mountains after the devastating effects of WWII. Over the course of his life Quinn slowly rises to power becoming a marine, a Governor, and finally the Democratic candidate for the Presidency of the United States of America. However, one thing might stand in his way. Quinn finds out that he is Jewish during the week of the election. Can he still claim the presidency? You will have to read to find out. Actually on second thought - don't read the book its not worth your time. If you're interested in whether he won or not....skip to the end. So there I saved you from having to read Uris' worst book. This book is appallingly bad, considering the caliber of the author. It is not so much the characters, I remember them fondly, its the ideology that Uris thrusts upon his characters that leaves the reader incredulous.

As an author of historical fiction Uris has always shown a considerable pension for under-girding his grandiose stories with great moral truths. In A God in Ruins Uris tackles a host of moral issues including abortion, anti-semitism, climate change, and population control. These explosive political issues are all on the docket in Ruins, but the biggest question Uris tackles is gun control. He hits hard, baring his teeth and political leanings, going so far as having his protagonist run for the Presidency with his platform issue being the removal of the Second Amendment. Like all of Uris' books A God in Ruins covers a wide period of time - from the end of WWII up until 2008. Despite ending in 2008 the book itself was published in 1999 - before 9/11 - which in retrospect leaves the book's intended moral tone and storyline somewhat hollow.

It was impossible for Uris to foresee the events of 9/11 and the following wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but I for one wished he would have been able to forecast it and tackle it with the tenacity that he attacked antisemitism in Exodus, Jewish courage in Mila 18, or marital fidelity in Milta Pass. Instead we are left with a book that tried to cure America's future flu while missing the aggressive cancer that was attacking the nation all the while.

Disappointing
I've read many Leon Uris books but I must say that this one can only be described as highly disappointing.The first half of the book is not bad with some fairly well developed characters and storytelling.But at about the halfway point the book begins to fall apart and what appears to be the authors' underlying political message begins to show through.Uris is apparently personally against private ownership of firearms without severe governmental control.Nothing wrong with that but when you twist reality and the truth to get your viewpoint across you enter the realm of propaganda instead of good storytelling.Uris also seems to have a low opinion of the intelligence and tolerance of the American people.

The storyline is about an orphan (O'Connell now governor of Colorado) who grows up in an Irish Catholic family and is now running for president when he discovers that his birth parents were Jewish.Told in flashbacks of his life and (to a lesser extent) the life of the current Republican president the narrative is fairly well written and easy to understand despite the format.But about the middle of the book Uris makes the main focus of the story about gun control.He uses a thinly veiled depiction of the National Rifle Association as "Amerigun" as well as a character that is obviously based upon Charleton Heston to portray American gun owners as uneducated barbarians and criminals.The sections describing the Heston-like character could almost be attributed to Michael Moore ala "Bowling for Columbine."He describes a gun show where thousands of illegal automatic weapons are sold almost in plain site.Furthermore his descriptions of the undercover police tactics hastily thrown together by the Governor of Colorado are ludicrous to anyone with even a passing knowledge of law enforcement techniques.He then enlarges upon the evil empire of the world of illegal gun sales by depicting a shadowy alliance of gun makers who are actually in control of "Amerigun" and then in league with underground right wing American militias to conspire to import more weapons.This pairing of the gun makers and the militias is laughable on its face and even more so in the way Uris describes it in the book.Within hours of their first meeting the militia is unwittingly stumbled upon by a group of 400 Eagle Scouts on a hiking/camping trip and is attacked and annihilated by the militia.The description of this event defies logic and you would have to read it to see how ridiculous it really is (though I'm not recommending you buy the book to do so).

Anyway, O'Connell uses the gun control issue to get within sight of the White House when he discovers that he's really Jewish.His announcement of this fact is a great straightforward speech that I wish more current politicians would take as an example of what the American people want.The result, however, is more lunacy on the part of Uris than just bad writing.The people of the United States react with widespread bigotry and violence against Jews and Synagogues in a replay of the Nazi Kristallnacht.In fact, Uris repeatedly uses that term to describe events.That Uris credits the American public with so little tolerance in this day and age shows a profound disconnect with reality and a personal sense of paranoia.But despite the riots, burnings and murders associated with the revelation that the candidate closest to the presidency is Jewish Uris quickly has calm restored and all is well as O'Connell wins the election and heals the nation!

Uris is normally credited with good background research but in this instance he either didn't do any or couldn't get any experts who would back his skewed vision of the world.Here are a few areas that he falls short on research:
Computers/internet - he's just clueless in too many ways to describe without a separate book.
Military- A Marine Major General (that's 3 stars) from WWII who would be in his eighties at least goes on a suicidal and tactically impossible mission with a Marine strike team into Iran.
Police - As a former police officer I almost put the book down after reading the way he has law enforcement act in this book.
Geology - his premise that mining around undersea volcanic vents/volcanoes could cause earthquakes and seismic disturbance is laughable.
Politics & the Constitution - the repeal of one of the original Constitutional amendments is proposed in a very offhanded manner and he presents a sitting president who doesn't know the details of the "secret" commando raid mentioned above because the records were sealed.

In conclusion I would say that if Uris had wanted to write a novel as a political diatribe in support of one of his beliefs he would have been better served by being more accurate and subtle in the way he wrote the book.He took a good story idea and ruined it.Don't buy this book but check it out at your local library if you want to see how a great author can let his passions ruin his work. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (121)

The Haj by Leon Uris
This book should be read by every American and especially everyone involved in government. All of Leon Uris's books are remarkable, but this one reveals insight into the middle east like no other book I have read.

Same old story.
After living in Jerusalem for a few years, I can see that Uris was not exaggerating. The Arabs are their own worst enemies. Whether it's because of Islam or desert culture or whatever, when Arabs from other countries come here to sincerely try and help, many of them leave enormously frustrated by the Palestinian Arabs' refusal to participate in bettering themselves and their way of life. They don't show up, don't do what they say they'll do, don't give a damn. The Haj describes the same situation, but half a century ago.

Uris's book congratulates Jewish accomplishment, as the sane of the world should do -- hence the many Nobel prizes. But the author is not pro-anything. He's just telling it the way it is. Meanwhile, the NGOs -- starting with the UN -- are cleaning up financially, and using the "refugees" as bait for deluded western donors, great and small. They drive around here in new white SUVs and live in West Jerusalem villas and posh flats, not willing to make their home among the people they claim to care about.

Believe it or not, The Haj tells the truth. It's amazingly accurate, even prophetic, now more than ever. It's the same old story.

A Brilliant, perhaps prophetic, read!
Leon Uris always a gifted writer, is perhaps even prophetic in his writing of The Haj.
I liked it better than Exodus. Same story but from the Arab perspective. Brilliant read.

Very thought provoking
I think the "intimate grasp of the region" says a lot in the first review.John Standiford gives probably the best review of the book.I have to say it is shocking.It is very hard to read things I actually would rather not have known, yet somehow it was a necessary component of the story to truly understand how difficult it must be to grow up in the Arab world from all viewpoints. (Man, woman and child).It reminded me of the biography "ZVI".The historical facts in his book were expounded and filled in a little more here. I am sure those "anonymous customers" who rated it one start for it's supposed inaccuracies, including one "customer" who identified himself as an Israeli Jew were not reliable sources.Google the information yourself if you feel it is inaccurate.Find out what is true for yourself.Are all Israelis likable? Do you find Palestinians your heart bleeds for?Of course.I feel it painted a vivid picture of the story of how the Jews did come in and buy land that was the worst of the worst.They worked it and made it beautiful. They were and still are heads above all the nations in many areas. There are some wealthy Arab nations who have also built amazing structures (Dubai), but what does that mean if the women are treated so horribly?Look at the education level, the lack of freedom to even uncover their face, not being able to choose your own faith. Not being able to speak openly unless you want to die. The customers who defended how the women were treated is not being truthful.We all know someone here in the States that can treat their women and children differently as they are not as surrounded by their own.But do not attempt to explain away the horrible treatment of the women and children in the Mideast.There is no explanation other than this is an evil that exists under the guise of a religion of peace.

The Haj
I ordered 3 copies and specified that they be new copies since they were to be Christmas gifts.1 copy was new;1 copy had the dust cover torn and was not new but we were given a $10 discount after the vendor shipped;the third copy did not have a dust cover and I doubt that it was new.This was an unsatifactory experience which I will not repeat. ... Read more

Product Description

In the years following America's terrible Civil War, the fate of the U.S. Marine Corps rests in the capable hands of Zachary O'Hara. A first-generation Irish-American and son of a legendary war hero, O'Hara is the one man who can prevent the dissolution of his father's beloved "Wart-Hogs," thereby ensuring his own future as a valuable member of this proud and vital branch of his nation's armed forces.

Customer Reviews (16)

CHOOSE SOMETHING ELSE
You can't tell a book by its cover.The synopsis sounded good and the book started out in grand epic style by introducing a host of characters.The interest stopped there.The characters were undeveloped and the lapses in time were confusing.Dialogue was stilted and love scenes were sappy.There did not seem to be much craft used in developing the plot.It appeared that the author had done his historical research and then needed to share that learning through the dialogue of his characters.Writing in hindsight the author had material the characters would never have known.Nevertheless, the information was inelegantly expressed through the words of the speakers who sounded too prophetic and preachy to be real.I did learn something of the origins of the Marines but the price of the knowledge was too high.Don't bother.

A serious contender
O'Hara's Choice has to be a serious contender for the "worst book ever written" title. Uris' last book, quite possibly it was ghost written by interns at red light stops during a lazy drive across Los Angeles.

Please, if you're new to Uris, don't start with this one!
I would like to believe that if he'd lived long enough to complete the editorial process, the author would have been able to bring his plot threads together with his usual skill. He died before editing was completed, though. This book starts well, with all the promise of a typical Uris story. Big, brawling, filled with colorful characters and faraway places...but once Amanda Kerr walks on stage, downhill things go from there. She's not credible as a character, nor is Zachary O'Hara, the tale's protagonist.

The rest simply doesn't make a whole lot of sense. The plot takes off in different directions, but never quite comes together anywhere until a conclusion that brings in a "family secret" which fails to justify that conclusion's assumptions. Still, some of the secondary characters are loads of fun in the manner of Uris at his best. There are authors in print who don't write as well in their prime years as Uris did at the last, with fate not allowing him to finish the job here. Mildly recommended to Uris fans. Otherwise, give it a miss, please. I would hate for anyone to sample this book first, and draw conclusions about the author's talent based solely on it.He was much, much better.

Promising....Then Falls Flat
Having always heard great things about Uris's writing I was excited to read this work about the US Marine Corps.And while it started out well the book falls flat with sappy interludes and silly situations.I had hoped for a story of the United States after the Civil War though the development of the Corps.Unfortunately what I got was a implausible love story told in flowery overemotional language that more suited a Romance novel.

I would definitely not recommend this book.

Shows Uris' Declining Professionalism
Unfortunately, old age (or laziness) finally caught up with Leon Uris.His final two novels, "A God in Ruins" and "O'Hara's Choice," rank as the two poorest novels that I have read in the past 5 years. Not only were the plots sketchy and improbable, but the main characters were contrived, stereotypical and forgettable. His attempt to push a certain modern political agenda through his books conflicted with events of those times - and in the process alienated many of his faithful readers who enjoyed his previous agenda-neutral historical novels. You would be best served to read all of his earlier works - which I found masterful and riveting - and forget these two books that only show the sad decline of a once-great author. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

WAR TORN GREECE AS THE GERMAN ARMY POURS IN


This book was the next book from Leon Uris directly following his highly successful book, Battle Cry; it was his second book and was published in October, 1955. The book did not reach mass market paperback until February, 1972, by Bantam, no doubt due to his being a popular, established author by then, and recycled material could always be sold to a hungry reading public.

We are told by Mr. Uris that all of the story, other than identities,comes from a first-person diary written during the war by his uncle. Taking that as 'fact' we begin to feel an eye witness account is set before us.

As one who reads WWII history, this book is of some interest in that it offers a fictional picture of what was actually going on inside Greece as the BEF tried to escape their Grecian 'Dunkirk': many got away to either Crete or Lybia, while many others did not.

Though this is fiction, or is it, we glimpse activity seldom found in WWII histories of this area and its fighting. In the manner presented, the book reminds me of an Alistair MacLean adventure tale. And though this falls way short of the "great novel" the publisher advertises, it still makes interesting reading. It also shows a fairly new author, with one very successful book behind him, now writing his second. We see a young Leon Uris honing his craft.

A movie was later made of this book starring Robert Mitchum, Stanley Baker, Elizabeth Mueller, and Gia Scalla, among others.Though far from the best book Leon Uris issued, the book does have its own intrinsic value. I did not have the problem reading it as some of the other reviewers, something you will have to judge for yourself.

Semper Fi.

An inferior Uris work
First off . . . I love Uris' work.I was enthralled by both Battle Cry and Exodus.I am eager to read The Haj, Trinity, and QB VII, et al.But -- I had a bad experience with The Angry Hills, and was affirmed by reading that other reviewers also said.

For the locale of this WWII cloak & dagger book, Uris chose Greece.(Uris clearly likes Greece).Plot: Visiting American author is trapped by the German takeover, and secret British information falls into his hands.He MUST get it to the proper authorities, blah, blah, blah.A Colonel Klink-like character is hot on his trail.He deals with a couple of Greek hotties along the way.

This is a boring book.It was a labor to finish it, and I shouldn't have (but I'm like that).I suggest pass on this one.

Familiar, but entertaining nevertheless
Michael Morrison is a midlist novelist, at a time when such writers can actually make a living. He and his wife, Ellie, always planned on a trip to Greece, someday when they could afford it, to collect a small inheritance that was due her. Just when that trip finally seemed possible, Ellie died; and Mike has been recuperating ever since. The only reason he's made the journey to Greece at last, as German troops threaten to invade that ancient country, is that otherwise war may prevent him from ever claiming Ellie's inheritance. With his children safe in the care of his own parents, here he is in Athens. Although the United States remains neutral, World War II has already begun; and the British - to Mike's horror - withdraw their forces on the very day he expects his local attorney to finish processing the paperwork the bank requires. Instead of leaving on his scheduled flight with Ellie's money in hand, Mike finds himself saddled with a list of people whose names British intelligence desperately wants to know. He's forced to masquerade as a New Zealand enlistee in the British army, captured by the Germans, and pursued by agents from both sides. Those agents know who he really is, what he's carrying, and what it's worth. Will Mike Morrison ever see San Francisco and his children again?

This short (for Uris) novel was his second published book. The ordinary man thrown into a situation for which he has no preparation, forced to choose sides in a war not yet his, is a theme so familiar it could seem hackneyed. Uris handles it, though, with the genuine understanding of one who fought that war in real life. The characters are stock ones, mostly, but the book's length really doesn't allow them time to develop more depth. All in all, a quick, entertaining read that's nowhere near as dated as I thought it might be.

Departure for Leon Uris
I have just finished The Angry Hills and I thought it was a fine (247 PGS.) little book. This is a departure from the standard Uris, whose use of heavy handed subject matter along with 600 plus pages makes his novels very though provoking and dramatic. This novel is a quick lite read that is a nice adventure novel during the second World War.
In this novel an American Widower is in Greece to settle his late wife's estate, on the eve of the Italian invasion. Just after the invasion he is entrusted to get a list of names out of the country for the British army, but immediately he is soon pursued by Nazis agents and Greek ex-patriots. This is was nice and lite for my tastes and I think if you go into it with this attitude you will not be disappointed.

Dull and cliched
While conducting business in Greece during WWII, American writer Mike Morrison is trapped by the German advance.When he comes into possession of a secret list of Greek patriots who are pretending to be collaborators, he must go on the run to escape the enemy forces that have been assigned to retrieve the information.This is the only book by Leon Uris that I have read.I was under the impression that he was a writer who researched his subjects meticulously.Perhaps this was one of his first books, because there is very little local color here, nothing that one couldn't glean from watching movies and skimming a few travel books.Worse than that, the characters and situations are cliché from start to finish, and the prose is dull.It reads like a treatment for a typical 50s WWII flick. ... Read more

Product Description
Exodus is the story of the greatest miracle of our times; the rebirth of a nation. It tells the story of Jews coming back after centuries of abuse, torture and murder to carve an oasis in the sand with guts and with blood. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Light of a new dawn
Exodus is the story of the greatest miracle of our time : the rebirth ofa nation. It tells the story of Jews coming back after centuries of abuse , torture and murder, to carve an oasis in the sand with guts and with blood"

That was how Leon Uris describes his famous novel Exodus about the re-birth of the State of Israel. In Exodus Revisited , he returns to the places and people that first inspired Exodus.

In this pictorial essay , first published in 1960 , and illustrated with over 250 photographs by Dimitrios Harissiardis , Uris examines the vibrant young nation, with an ancient andglorious but often tragic past.

As a land of contrasts , from the deserts of the Negev to the lush valleys of the Galil , from the tough and wonderful young Sabras to the ultra-Orthodox Jews of Jerusalem and Safed , Uris takes us on a journey through Israel's glorious past , hopeful present and divine future.

"The dispersed Jews , destroyed as a nation, suffered unspeakable persecution in most of the world. They never stopped looking towards their ancient homeland , with the prayer that ended , 'Next year in Jerusalem".

From the remains of Hazor , an ancient city that was conquered by Joshuah , to the fortress of Masada, where 286 Jews held back the might of Rome for three years , until , betrayed they all perished : men , women and children. The Jewish nation was destroyed and the Jews dispersed to the four corners of the earth.

To the battlegrounds where the poorly armedJewish community of 'Palestine' held off the armies of five Arab nations in the War of Independence , and where to this day the people of Israel have lived in the sights of Arab hate and violence , longing only for the day when their children can live in peace.

It portrays the brave young soldiers of Israel whose determination is that 'We shall not perish again'.



It is a digest of Jews living as a free people in their own land , the State of Israel, re-risen like a phoenix from the ashes of the holocaust

To Israel's most precious possession of all. Her beautiful , bright eyed and inquisitive children.

It is important to see the beauty of Israel, at a time when the media do not portray all that is wonderful about this land and it's people , choosing instead to engage in prejudice and hate-filled invective , unfairly demonizing the Children of Israel , in the same way Hitler and Goebbels did.



"Israel is the light of a new dawn. As in ancient days , she is again a bridge from the world of darkness to the world of light.

Exodus Revisited
I found an old copy of this in the library, but the library no longer has it.(They sell old books from time to time).Leon Uris returned to Israel with a Greek photographer.It is basically an album of black-and-white photos with some interesting history.
I liked the book, since I like Jewish and Israeli history, and I really appreciate "old" photos.Most of the information seems to come from people with whom he spoke, so I doubt the accuracy of all the history.For example, one person he photographs comes from--if I remember this right--the only family that has lived in Jerusalem since maybe the Roman destruction.
The photos though are priceless.I know the book is out of print, as is the case with many books on Israeli history.Too bad. ... Read more