The Lieutenants by W.E.B. Griffin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I think I read this the first time when I was twelve or thirteen. I remembered bits and pieces and was glad to find it again.
It starts during World War II and spans the end of the war.
There are actually multiple stories in the book, each moving off in different direction and occasionally bumping back into each other.
My favorite is the story of Isle and Craig Lowell. I guess I am a romantic at heart.
***Spoilers***
When he thinks he has lost her after being sent to Greece and then ends up back in the military hospital and she ends up calling his name. He thinks he’s lost her – and she thinks he left her after having a good time. She doesn’t know that he desperately loves her and that none of his letters have reached or, and he doesn’t know that she has stayed true to him. She wasn’t just looking for a US soldier to get her into the PX.
***End Spoilers***
All the other stories were entertaining, and to some degree weave into the subplot about Craig and Isle, but while I liked them, I didn’t find them to have the same power.
Well worth the read in any event. It brought back memories of walking through Munich and Nuerenberg, looking at the pock marks on the stone buildings and wondering who was shooting at who.