Review of Rescuing General Patton

[Anusha Thatavarthi]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Rescuing General Patton" by Curtis Stephen Burdick.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Rescuing General Patton is a historical war thriller written by Curtis Stephen Burdick. Patton is a celebrated American General during the second world war. He was expected to lead the invasion against Italy when he was unexpectedly reassigned to England after a very public apology to his army group. Since then, everyone believed that General Patton had simply gone to England to suffer his punishment. But was this the truth?

Now, John Harding, a sixty-two-year-old writer, is approached by Patton’s granddaughter, Julia. She gives him some family papers and diary entries, which give a different perspective about Patton’s disappearance. Harding’s research leads him to find about Patton’s capture by the Germans and the subsequent secret operation to rescue him. What follows is an exhilarating military action and drama.

Rescuing General Patton is a pure action drama mingled with interesting facts about the second world war. The author mixes fact and fiction to transfer us to a world of machine guns, land mines and amazing war strategies. This book shows in detail the military protocols, the condition of war prisoners and to which length the soldiers go to serve the country. The ranger operations in the book are thrilling and make the readers turn the pages with suspense. The book also depicts the unexpectedness and the brutality of the war very realistically. It shows how young the soldiers are, most of them not even twenty-five, when they meet their death, and the sadness of it. It also shows how the trauma of the war follows even after the war is over.

The thing I liked the most about the book is its characters. They all are unique and have a very distinct characterisation. For example, the author shows the difference between the two generals in the book without explicitly pointing them out. The readers learn about General Patton’s infamous temper through his dialogue and body language while General Bradley is cool and meticulous. I also liked the hot-headed yet intelligent Major Pizzio, who leads the secret operation to rescue General Patton.

There is nothing I disliked about the book. The military, traditions, protocols and titles might confuse the readers who are not familiar with them at the beginning. But readers would get used to them as the story goes on. There are very few errors. There is profanity and violence. There is no graphic erotic content.

I give this book 4 out of 4 stars because it is well edited, and the story is very intriguing and detailed. I recommend it to young adults and adults. I recommend it to readers who like action thrillers and stories related to the second world war.

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Rescuing General Patton
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[Emily_Jen]

Everyone believes that General Patton had simply gone to England to suffer his punishment. But was this the truth? I look forward to finding out. Thanks for the review.

[Vishnu Priya B]

What really happened to General Patton? Your review and gripping language dig out my curiosity. I'm not one to read military-related books. But I'll give it some thought.