Review by HappyGoJulesy -- Rescuing General Patton
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HappyGoJulesy
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- Latest Review: Rescuing General Patton by Curtis Stephen Burdick
Review by HappyGoJulesy -- Rescuing General Patton
[Following is a volunteer review of "Rescuing General Patton" by Curtis Stephen Burdick.]
Rescuing General Patton by Curtis Stephen Burdick is a fictionalized and fast-paced, thrilling tale of the daring World War II rescue of history’s most famous military general. On January 1, 1944 General Patton was relieved of his command. This novel imagines this event as an elaborate cover story involving body doubles, scrappy Army Rangers, and the very fate of the war to cover up a colossal crisis: the capture of General Patton by the Nazis. The General’s vehicle is hit by a mine, breaking his leg and hamstringing his ability to escape. In a moment of quick thinking, he switches uniforms with the remaining survivor, a Corporal, sending the young man back to report Patton’s imminent capture to General Bradley. From there we follow Captain Pizzio and his squad of Rangers on a desperate, seemingly suicidal mission to find the General and return him to safety. From the very beginning, the reader is plunged into the action skydiving into minefields, taking enemy bases under heavy fire, and navigating brutal terrain with Nazis on your tail. The Rangers are racing against the clock as a lone Nazi interrogator comes closer and closer to confirming the disguised General Patton’s true identity.
Burdick nails this genre. He doesn’t waste anytime getting right into the thick of it. There are plenty of storylines to follow without it ever getting too confusing. Each character group flows seamlessly to the next action point, the rising to an epic crescendo. It’s not a spoiler to say the rescue attempt is successful, similarly to saying it’s not a spoiler to say the Titanic ends up sinking, and yet you are thoroughly engaged because Burdick’s characters are worth rooting for.
It is difficult to speak fully to negative aspects of the book as there aren’t many. The author uses an embedded narrative to really sell how such a blunder could have been covered up for years following the end the war. The outer story is of an author who is a Patton enthusiast being given personal records by none other than the granddaughter of the General. One might feel Burdick takes a little bit too long to wrap it all up after the action is over, but I personally didn’t mind as I think it was a sweet ending to an otherwise heavy journey.
I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. I did not notice any errors. The prose gives you just what you need to absorb the action without getting too weighed down in military jargon or tactical details that you sometimes see in other war novels.
This book is great for WW2 enthusiasts and those looking for an exciting, but easy read. It’s the perfect kind of book for a dad to take on vacation. it's the kind of book that could easily be turned into a cool movie. I cannot necessarily recommend it to young-adult readers as it is laden with profanity, though it does fit the context.
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Rescuing General Patton
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Rescuing General Patton by Curtis Stephen Burdick is a fictionalized and fast-paced, thrilling tale of the daring World War II rescue of history’s most famous military general. On January 1, 1944 General Patton was relieved of his command. This novel imagines this event as an elaborate cover story involving body doubles, scrappy Army Rangers, and the very fate of the war to cover up a colossal crisis: the capture of General Patton by the Nazis. The General’s vehicle is hit by a mine, breaking his leg and hamstringing his ability to escape. In a moment of quick thinking, he switches uniforms with the remaining survivor, a Corporal, sending the young man back to report Patton’s imminent capture to General Bradley. From there we follow Captain Pizzio and his squad of Rangers on a desperate, seemingly suicidal mission to find the General and return him to safety. From the very beginning, the reader is plunged into the action skydiving into minefields, taking enemy bases under heavy fire, and navigating brutal terrain with Nazis on your tail. The Rangers are racing against the clock as a lone Nazi interrogator comes closer and closer to confirming the disguised General Patton’s true identity.
Burdick nails this genre. He doesn’t waste anytime getting right into the thick of it. There are plenty of storylines to follow without it ever getting too confusing. Each character group flows seamlessly to the next action point, the rising to an epic crescendo. It’s not a spoiler to say the rescue attempt is successful, similarly to saying it’s not a spoiler to say the Titanic ends up sinking, and yet you are thoroughly engaged because Burdick’s characters are worth rooting for.
It is difficult to speak fully to negative aspects of the book as there aren’t many. The author uses an embedded narrative to really sell how such a blunder could have been covered up for years following the end the war. The outer story is of an author who is a Patton enthusiast being given personal records by none other than the granddaughter of the General. One might feel Burdick takes a little bit too long to wrap it all up after the action is over, but I personally didn’t mind as I think it was a sweet ending to an otherwise heavy journey.
I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. I did not notice any errors. The prose gives you just what you need to absorb the action without getting too weighed down in military jargon or tactical details that you sometimes see in other war novels.
This book is great for WW2 enthusiasts and those looking for an exciting, but easy read. It’s the perfect kind of book for a dad to take on vacation. it's the kind of book that could easily be turned into a cool movie. I cannot necessarily recommend it to young-adult readers as it is laden with profanity, though it does fit the context.
******
Rescuing General Patton
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Rescuing General Patton by Curtis Stephen Burdick
