The Winds of WarThe Winds of War
Score Classic
What it's about
Victor "Pug" Henry is a U.S. Navy officer who, in 1939, is posted to Berlin as a naval attaché. His posting, and the lives of his wife and three grown children, put the family in the path of the great events of the next two years: the invasion of Poland, the Battle of Britain, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, and finally Pearl Harbor. Along the way Pug meets Roosevelt, Churchill, Hitler and Stalin.
Why it's worth reading
It spent months at #1 on the New York Times list and became a famous TV miniseries. It's a sweeping, readable way into the start of World War II.
You'll love it if you liked
The Caine Mutiny
From Here to Eternity
ExodusGood to know
It's over 1,000 pages and continues in War and Remembrance. Pug's story is interspersed with chapters from a fictional German general's history of the war.
By the numbers
- Readers96 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics30 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller66 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
Why it made the list
Reads as
Epic, Adventurous
More by Herman Wouk
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Quick answers
Is The Winds of War worth reading?
Yes. It spent months at #1 on the New York Times list and became a famous TV miniseries. It ranks #150 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 84.8 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Winds of War about?
Victor "Pug" Henry is a U.S. Navy officer who, in 1939, is posted to Berlin as a naval attaché. His posting, and the lives of his wife and three grown children, put the family in the path of the great events of the next two years: the invasion of Poland, the Battle of Britain, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, and finally Pearl Harbor. Along the way Pug meets Roosevelt, Churchill, Hitler and Stalin.
How long does it take to read The Winds of War?
About 22 hours (896 pages), or about 6 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Winds of War?
If you liked it, try The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk, From Here to Eternity by James Jones or Exodus by Leon Uris.