tarmstrong112's review
4.0
3.5 stars (but I'll bump it up).
This was interesting enough, though I felt it dragged its heals more often than I would have liked. I felt the first quarter of the book was extremely rushed, but after that the book slowed down and became much more methodical. Overall a perfectly fine book.
This was interesting enough, though I felt it dragged its heals more often than I would have liked. I felt the first quarter of the book was extremely rushed, but after that the book slowed down and became much more methodical. Overall a perfectly fine book.
lisalark's review
4.0
Wonderful comprehensive history of the Japanese (Nippon) empire before, during and after WWII. Toland is fabulous. Liked the narrator too.
staatz's review against another edition
5.0
A good second step to take after reading The Good War or watching Ken Burns WW2 documentary. It has a great ballance of macro and micro narriataves from both the Japanese and American prospectives. With the generation that participated in the war passing away, works like this that are drawn directly form oral accounts of that harrowing time are becoming more important.
Aside from telling a very detailed riveting story of the war on the Pacific it also does what every work of fiction strives for, gives the reader a portrait of humanity that is both heartbreaking and encouraging.
If there was one weakness with this book it does gloss over the Japanese involvement in China and some atrocities that were committed there, but there are entire books written on that.
Aside from telling a very detailed riveting story of the war on the Pacific it also does what every work of fiction strives for, gives the reader a portrait of humanity that is both heartbreaking and encouraging.
If there was one weakness with this book it does gloss over the Japanese involvement in China and some atrocities that were committed there, but there are entire books written on that.
eely225's review
5.0
An amazing work of history. Clearly this is one of the definitive World War II accounts for a reason. It blends precise attention to detail (just look at the page count) with a focus on bearing out those details through the first-person narratives of those involved. It's a powerful tome, deeply evoking the tragedy and happenstance of the conflict.
It's worth saying that I did this on audiobook. With such an intimidating page count, that seemed necessary. And for me it helped to truly take in the words of the people who lived the time with my ears and heart instead of just my brain.
It's worth saying that I did this on audiobook. With such an intimidating page count, that seemed necessary. And for me it helped to truly take in the words of the people who lived the time with my ears and heart instead of just my brain.
danocrates66's review against another edition
5.0
Simply put, this is one of the best history books I’ve ever read. In his account of the Asia-Pacific war (WWII), the author seamlessly weaves historical narrative and the personal testimony of various soldiers, civilians, and politicians. Told primarily from the Japanese perspective, the book is both engaging and insightful. Not to be missed.
lstmemery's review against another edition
4.0
Very detailed and insightful. I was initially concerned that its age would show, but with a few exceptions, I found that it didn't suffer from it. What most surprised me was the system of Japan's government, part feudal and part modern.