I love a great historical fiction novel and this one was definitely that. This story revolves around the Henry family during World War II. Victor “Pug” Henry is a Naval Officer and his sons Warren and Byron are in the Navy as well. The book begins in 1939 and continues to right after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. The amount of history in this book is overwhelming and you must pay attention to every second as there is much you can miss. Along the way the Henry Family is separated by war and each has a separate experience that leaves you worried for them all.

Pug is stationed in Germany as the US Naval attaché in Berlin and meets Hitler. After this encounter his travels take him to many other countries where he mingles with the likes of Mussolini, Stalin and Churchill. He also becomes a trusted confidant to Franklin D. Roosevelt. His wife becomes infatuated with a man who is involved in the research of the atom bomb. His daughter, Madeline, decided to take a break from college and starts working for a radio station in New York. His youngest son, Byron, meets and falls in love with Natalie who is a Jewish girl whom he travels to Poland with just as the Germans are invading. His oldest son, Warren, is stationed on the USS Enterprise during the attack on Pearl Harbor but miraculously survives.

Throughout all this the family tries to remain close and endure the hard times. I was very pleased to discover that this book was made into a television series in 1983 and you can be sure that I will be watching it to see these characters be brought to life. Herman Wouk did an incredible job on this novel and I can’t wait to read the sequel War and Remembrance. If you love history, you’ll truly enjoy this read.

If you are interested in purchasing The Winds of War: