Review of Back to Serve
Posted: 08 Oct 2021, 10:31
[Following is a volunteer review of "Back to Serve" by CW3 Cesare Giannetti U.S. Army (Ret.).]
Back to Serve, written by CW3 Cesare Gianetti is a Historical Fiction tale of a recently retired Army Capitan. It grabs you from the beginning. Gianetti’s retelling of his exploits from retirement to current times involve interactions that are explained with Historical perspective. As the title foreshadows, he celebrates and questions retirement for a number of reasons including personal, family, sense of duty and even revenge of some of his experiences. Gianetti does a wonderful job of implanting the reader into the various situations. Back to Serve has a very accurate fact based sense of perspective, while allowing for individualized servicemen vs government decisions on Military matters.
Author Gianetti is able to involve the reader into the most intricate senses….smelling the pasta sauce at authentic Italian restaurant in the Bronx, hearing the crack of the bat at the New York Yankees game, visualizing a small - almost unnoticeable - necklace charm on a yet to be determined friend or foe encounter, and the feeling of a bitter cold through a gore-tex jacket.all of these sense reactions were helpful in understanding the nuances at hand. Gianetti’s are characters from different areas of the world, speaking very phonetically in type as he is referred to as Cap-I-tan by the Russian encounters he has. Historical references are abundant and factually correct right down to the score of a Super Bowl result years earlier. Accuracy is display every in a range from “Fun facts” ….the town and church Santa Maria dell Spina, which translates a thorn from Jesus Christs crown in Italian, to the New York City Transit Authority difficulties in the 1970’s. This all creates an aura of truth and ties the reader even closer to the story.
A couple of minor instances left the reader questioning themselves in a how did we get here manner. Early on, after meeting someone in a bar they quickly became “…to under the influence to think straight”, without much explanation of ordering enough to get to that level of inebriation. It comes as a surprise as details were plentiful throughout the rest of the encounter as well as the book.
This book deserves a 4 out 4 rating as right from the start he immerses the reader to thinking they are on the bus in the next seat and involved in the decisions of the retiring Capitan. The journey takes us through the ups, downs and questions of an early retirement. The incentives and influences of returning to work are described in a magnetic style that explains things from an experienced military perspective.
Back to Serve does contain adult language and situations where are understandable from a Military Captains point of view. Any adults interested in accuracy, historically factual and military honor frameshould read this story.
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Back to Serve
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Back to Serve, written by CW3 Cesare Gianetti is a Historical Fiction tale of a recently retired Army Capitan. It grabs you from the beginning. Gianetti’s retelling of his exploits from retirement to current times involve interactions that are explained with Historical perspective. As the title foreshadows, he celebrates and questions retirement for a number of reasons including personal, family, sense of duty and even revenge of some of his experiences. Gianetti does a wonderful job of implanting the reader into the various situations. Back to Serve has a very accurate fact based sense of perspective, while allowing for individualized servicemen vs government decisions on Military matters.
Author Gianetti is able to involve the reader into the most intricate senses….smelling the pasta sauce at authentic Italian restaurant in the Bronx, hearing the crack of the bat at the New York Yankees game, visualizing a small - almost unnoticeable - necklace charm on a yet to be determined friend or foe encounter, and the feeling of a bitter cold through a gore-tex jacket.all of these sense reactions were helpful in understanding the nuances at hand. Gianetti’s are characters from different areas of the world, speaking very phonetically in type as he is referred to as Cap-I-tan by the Russian encounters he has. Historical references are abundant and factually correct right down to the score of a Super Bowl result years earlier. Accuracy is display every in a range from “Fun facts” ….the town and church Santa Maria dell Spina, which translates a thorn from Jesus Christs crown in Italian, to the New York City Transit Authority difficulties in the 1970’s. This all creates an aura of truth and ties the reader even closer to the story.
A couple of minor instances left the reader questioning themselves in a how did we get here manner. Early on, after meeting someone in a bar they quickly became “…to under the influence to think straight”, without much explanation of ordering enough to get to that level of inebriation. It comes as a surprise as details were plentiful throughout the rest of the encounter as well as the book.
This book deserves a 4 out 4 rating as right from the start he immerses the reader to thinking they are on the bus in the next seat and involved in the decisions of the retiring Capitan. The journey takes us through the ups, downs and questions of an early retirement. The incentives and influences of returning to work are described in a magnetic style that explains things from an experienced military perspective.
Back to Serve does contain adult language and situations where are understandable from a Military Captains point of view. Any adults interested in accuracy, historically factual and military honor frameshould read this story.
******
Back to Serve
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
