The Guns of August by Barbara W. Tuchman Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Guns of August
Book Review: Entertaining and enlightening
Summary: 5 Stars
The Guns of August is among the best works of history I've read. Barbara Tuchman combines good critical sense and historical research with fine writing and, most importantly, wit. Seldom have I laughed so often when reading something so tragic.
Tuchman's book covers roughly the first month of World War I, from early August through the opening of the Marne Offensive in early September 1914. She begins with the background and lead-up to the war, which she does an admirable job of making digestible to the average reader. Most works of history would bog down in the muck of diplomacy and political intrigue, but The Guns of August trips lightly over the months leading to war. Tuchman sets up the belligerents one by one, describing their motives and aims and the plans they had for mobilization in the event of war. Then, thanks to the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, which she treats in one paragraph, all of Europe explodes into open war.
The Guns of August offers a good look at what brought about the ugly years of trench warfare on the Western Front. When the French and German plans--treated as inalterable gospel by their planners--both failed, the result was four years of stalemate and attrition. The course of the entire war, it seems, was decided that fateful August and September.
Tuchman describes this all with refreshing energy and a wry sense of humor. She excels at characterization--she not only introduces the reader to the important figures of history, she lets the reader know a few telling things about them. A number of Prussian army officers are either "wasp-waisted" and smoke cigarettes in jade holders, or have buzzcuts and rolls of fat at the back of their collars. French General Joffre looks like Santa Claus and one would have to move heaven and earth to disturb his routines of lunch and an early bedtime. The result is not only entertaining and informative--these people have personalities and are not just more names of dead men--but important to Tuchman's narrative. "Character is fate," she says, by way of the Greeks, and indeed she shows that, in the tragic opening month of World War I, some men measured up and others didn't, and the world had to live with their decisions.
The end result is a work that puts humans and decisions at the forefront, which I found incredibly refreshing in this reductivist era of victims and passive tools of this or that environment. The Guns of August is an enjoyable, well-written, and insightful work of history written by a sharp-minded and keen historian.
Highly recommended.
Book Review: Excellent
Summary: 5 Stars
Before purchasing this book, I was honestly worried that it would be boring and slow. I couldn't have been more wrong. It reads in the beginning like a political thriller and throughout the end like a Clancy novel. On top of this, the author's style is beautiful and the information contained within the book's pages is incredible. The background on the characters is insightful and Tuchman does a great job of briefly describing the battles, contrasting the grim opening days of World War I with past European history, while at the same time using the events of August 1914 to foreshadow the realities of the years to come, during and well after World War I. Since this isn't a narrative written from the point of view of the average soldier (like a Stephen Ambrose novel), Tuchman focuses on the big picture, but nevertheless does a great job of describing the battles from the point of view of the generals and soldiers alike. That being said, by the end of the book you will feel like you know the main characters involved in the chain of events. By far one of the most informative, fast moving, and simply one of the best books that I've ever had the pleasure of reading. It's no wonder Kennedy urged his staff to read this book during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. A must for any student of history or political science.Book Review: Excellent
Summary: 5 Stars
There really is no other word to describe Barbara Tuchman's great work on the beginnings of the First World War. She discusses the attitudes, strategies, politics, and just about anything else that led to this horrific conflict. The detail and understanding present in this book allows any reader to get a grasp of what was going on in the world before and into August of 1914.Book Review: Excellent Book Easy Read and Very Informative
Summary: 5 Stars
An excellent book, hard to put down and eloquently shows the amazing saga of the beginning of WWI. A must for any WWI fan, any war fan, any fan of politics, or frankly anyone who wants a better understanding of how human nature and our complex world work.Book Review: Fantastic
Summary: 5 Stars
As others have said, this is an extremely well-written history of the beginning phase of World War I.