John_Hartley Posted 31 March , 2007 Share Posted 31 March , 2007 I confess to finding myself a bit surprised in that I appear to be the first Forum member to review this excellent book. Why excellent? Well, for starters, any book that deals with what I think of as the "forgotten year" is to be welcomed. And Toland covers all the major aspects of the year - the build-up of US troops, the Russian collapse, the German spring offensives, the 100 days and, in some enjoyable writing, the final days in Germany. This is not a book for researchers (and, in truth, I only picked it off the shelves because it was very cheap in the remainder shop) but it moves the reader along with a nice of personal accounts from ordinary soldiers and those of the high commands to tell the year's story. What Toland manages to do is to interweave these accounts seamlessly. If I have one criticism it is that it is clear from his source material that much of the book is the reworking of the efforts of others rather than independent research. But it doesnt suffer for that. John Toland died in 2004 and, in a Forum comment, our Pal Andy Hollinger said "I will remember him because of his ability to merge first rate history with exciting and illuminating writing." And of that there is little doubt. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Hesketh Posted 31 March , 2007 Share Posted 31 March , 2007 Thanks for that John. I've had a second hand copy on my bookshelf for about four years now and I've not got round to it yet. Occasional flicks through it suggested to me that it was a narrative history of 1918. I've nothing against narrative history at all, but I'm not sure I really need to read another one. I acknowledge that you make the point that it's not for researchers, but does it offer anything remotely 'new' or controversial, or a different angle? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_Hartley Posted 31 March , 2007 Author Share Posted 31 March , 2007 but does it offer anything remotely 'new' or controversial, or a different angle? No. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Hesketh Posted 31 March , 2007 Share Posted 31 March , 2007 Oh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gyrene Posted 1 April , 2007 Share Posted 1 April , 2007 I thoroughly enjoyed Toland's book. I wished he had discussed the Race to Sedan but that's a relatively minor complaint. I think 1918 is the most fascinating year of the war on the Western Front. It's nice to see an author break away from the constant harping on the Somme. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred van Woerkom Posted 2 April , 2007 Share Posted 2 April , 2007 It is an excellent read. Fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevem49 Posted 2 April , 2007 Share Posted 2 April , 2007 I have had my copy for about 20 years. I still occasionally have a look at it. stevem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul guthrie Posted 3 April , 2007 Share Posted 3 April , 2007 I've had it a long time too Toland was really good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nebogatoff Posted 17 April , 2007 Share Posted 17 April , 2007 I read this when it first came out (early 80's??). Still have it on my shelf and will probably be giving it another read pretty soon. Mr Toland was one of my favorite authors, history can make for some pretty dry reading, but he made it readable. I had wondered if he was still alive, and am sorry to hear of his death. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Hesketh Posted 21 May , 2007 Share Posted 21 May , 2007 I've nothing against narrative history at all, but I'm not sure I really need to read another one. Based on the strength of the above recommendations, I read it anyway. I'm glad I did. It is a very enjoyable read and the 'story' is well told. A good book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PoW1988 Posted 27 May , 2007 Share Posted 27 May , 2007 Generally I am not a "fan" of narrative history as I find it quite hard to follow, but I did find "No Mans Land" an interesting read. I highlighted a few memorable quotes but I can't seem to find my copy, so I will leave you all in suspense for a bit! I would recommend this for light reading rather than research. It did help me through a long car ride to Norfolk! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halder Posted 10 January , 2008 Share Posted 10 January , 2008 This has been a constant companion while I've been compiling a 10,000 word feature on the March offensive. I've been a fan of Toland for a while (although his Pearl Harbor book is a bit conspiracy theory-esque) and I think No Man's Land is probably the best, a really complex, interwoven narrative history - the sort of stuff I love and sometimes write. That said, I think 1918 most definitely needs re-visiting by authors as books on it are patchy - compared with the Somme and Passchendaele for example. I wonder whether the 90th anniversary will generate something, or whether we'll see the same old mud, blood, donkeys and futility of war stuff will be published instead in time for the armistice anniversary... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Parsons Posted 10 January , 2008 Share Posted 10 January , 2008 Toland's work is narrative history at its finest. A thoroughly enjoyable read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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