Through exhaustive research, explosively dynamic prose, and a sensitive ear, James Holland (Sicily '43) delivers a narrative history that awakens an age far removed from the one readers currently inhabit, yet makes memory as real as the pages on which Holland documents it. Allied troops stormed into Axis-occupied southern Italy in September of 1943 after the victory of Sicily, while higher-ups planned for the massive undertaking of the invasion of France. The German army doubled down on the soft underbelly of Europe, although the Italian state was quick to surrender, leading to some of the fiercest and most intense fighting of the entire war.
Holland chronicles the opening months of the campaign from every possible angle, telling the stories of the Axis and Allied forces and civilians. Like Erik Larson, Holland enhances his storytelling with letters, diaries, and a litany of other documents to create a spectacular nonfiction narrative experience that draws readers into the adventure, the hopelessness, and the perseverance of the characters in the theater of war. In one moment, Holland depicts a particularly beautiful scene in which the German artillery crew enjoys freshly baked bread together; next, Franklin Delano Roosevelt stops in Palermo to absorb what had just happened at the Tehran conference, where he had discussed strategy with Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin. Despite using a broad brush, Holland keeps the story of war incredibly human, and it makes The Savage Storm incredibly readable. --Dominic Charles Howarth, book manager, Book + Bottle