Peace

Overall a good book. A bit slow in the middle, but since it is so short, it was not a challenge to keep reading. Set on a scouting mission towards the end of WWII in Italy, the book is more psychological than action driven, although there is some suspense near the end. The psychological part has mostly to do with jus in bello. It is easy to see what the correct deontological behavior would be. It...more

Overall a good book. A bit slow in the middle, but since it is so short, it was not a challenge to keep reading. Set on a scouting mission towards the end of WWII in Italy, the book is more psychological than action driven, although there is some suspense near the end. The psychological part has mostly to do with jus in bello. It is easy to see what the correct deontological behavior would be. It is not so easy to condemn the characters when they behave contrary to it.   hide

Bausch's novella is a beautifully painted manuscript that turns its back on the ever-so-popular "last page surprise" and merely tells a gripping tale of three soldiers who are forced to deal with the emotions of war, right and wrong, and ultimately with themselves. The characters, setting and plot are masterfully developed to the point that the reader becomes more than...more

Bausch's novella is a beautifully painted manuscript that turns its back on the ever-so-popular "last page surprise" and merely tells a gripping tale of three soldiers who are forced to deal with the emotions of war, right and wrong, and ultimately with themselves. The characters, setting and plot are masterfully developed to the point that the reader becomes more than merely a reader...you feel as though you become a part of the story.   hide

Interesting book about soldiers in WWII

Amazing study of character. I am not into war novels that often, but this is so much more. It is a study on the character of each soldier. I felt the emotions they were faced with and couldn't put the book down. This is a beautiful novel and I will just tell you to read it.

Richard Bausch's taut novel tells us what happens when civilian soldiers go to war. It's a powerfully atmospheric story about three American soldiers sent up a mountain in Italy near Cassino during the brutal winter of 1944. Their mission: see what the Germans are doing on the other side. Their mental state: conflicted by the shooting of a German woman they witnessed just before they left. Was it...more

Richard Bausch's taut novel tells us what happens when civilian soldiers go to war. It's a powerfully atmospheric story about three American soldiers sent up a mountain in Italy near Cassino during the brutal winter of 1944. Their mission: see what the Germans are doing on the other side. Their mental state: conflicted by the shooting of a German woman they witnessed just before they left. Was it murder? An act of war? Should they report it when they return or simply fold it into their psyches? They struggle with the moral dilemma while they slog their way up the cold, miserable mountain.Bausch's ability to bring the reader fully into his story is well-demonstrated in this book. The tension builds page by page until the wholly satisfying climax, the niggling arguments among the men are just repetitive and just disconcerting enough to make the reader angry, and the perfectly-mounted descriptions of the cold, hard rain, the wet, view-obliterating snow make you wish (just like the soldiers) that you were somewhere else.Ambiguity is a beautiful thing in Bausch's hands. The squad's guide, Angelo, could be a simple peasant or a German spy--or something else entirely. The protagonist, Corporal Marson, could be a baseball-playing All-American hero or a morally-bereft corporal looking for the easy way out. How these and the other sources of tension in the book are resolved propels the reader through to the end.   hide

A very good story. This is a quick read and well worth picking up.