The Rising Tide

The campaigns in North Africa during 1942-43 and subsequent campaigns in Sicily, the Mediterranean, and Italy through the beginning of 1944 form the basis for this long work. Shaara has done his homework and makes such historical figures as Patton, Eisenhower, Mark Clark, Montgomery, and Rommel, among others, into flesh-and-blood men. He also has invented fictional characters that are every bit as alive. Paul Michael gives a masterful reading. He is in his element in the long sections of dialogue, giving each character not only a credible accent, be it German, American, or British, but also a distinct and consistent voice. Conversations between Patton and Eisenhower, Clark's negotiations with a Vichy general, and candid conversations between Rommel and Kesselring ring true to life. Narrative is also ably rendered. M.T.F. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine


Jeff Shaara's WWII work, the first of a series, follows selected people--some famous, others more intimate--from the battle for North Africa to the beginning of the Italian campaign. Shaara is forced to spend a lot of time explaining the war's history, and the personal novelized stories lose their continuity. This problem is exacerbated by the abridgment. The story jumps from battle to battle, historical figure to historical figure in an almost jump-cut fashion. Larry Pine is an able reader. His tone is clear, and his pacing is appropriate. He gives just a hint of accent to the characters, such as a bit of an English lilt to Britain's General Montgomery and a gruffness to America's General Patton. R.C.G. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine