Michael B. Oren's debut novel, REUNION, reemphasizes the time-honored adage among soldiers that war is hell. Not only does REUNION bring to life the early days of the "Battle of the Bulge" against the Nazis in the Ardennes forest near the tail end of 1944, it examines the aftermath of war via an ensemble of soldiers that fought gallantly and not so gallantly for the 133rd Infantry Battalion. Through the use of flashbacks, Oren paints a riveting landscape that places the reader in the thick of the battle.

After receiving invitations to return to the Ardennes for a reunion some 50 years after the battle, several veterans like Buddy Hill, Francis Spagnola and Pieter Martinson make the trek back to Belgium to commemorate the anniversary of the conflict. While the reunion is somewhat a joyous occasion at first, it ultimately becomes for many of the veterans a journey they won't soon forget.

Oren, author of the bestselling nonfiction book, SIX DAYS OF WAR: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East, has an incredible talent for conveying to the reader exactly what it was like to be submerged deep in a foxhole, freezing to death --- something many American soldiers experienced during the battle. He also provides a measurable amount of mystery in the novel.

During the veterans' return to Saint Vith, or the "Sandpit" as they like to call it, some unexpected guests arrive who throw the entire entourage into a tizzy. Without giving away the plot, the veteran who orchestrated the reunion never shows and is instead replaced by his son, Richard. When asked of his father's whereabouts, Richard calmly tells them that his father, Label Perlmutter, is dead.

Another guest arrives after receiving the invitation of her deceased brother, Dean Featherstone, who was believed to be killed in the battle. Or was he? Also along for the reunion is Army nurse Alma Wheatty. Sorry, you'll have to read the book to find out what happens to poor Alma.

For the most part, REUNION is a fantastic read, especially for diehard World War II buffs, like this reviewer. Although the story seems to drag along at times, Oren does yeoman's work in his numerous depictions of combat. I guess all those World War II stories Oren's father told him as a kid really paid off.

--- Reviewed by David Exum

I'm not much of a fiction reader (generally preferring history and historical novels), but found Michael Oren's first novel to be irresistible. The story has an intriguing premise about septuagenarian World War Two vets returning to Belgium to re-live their Battle of the Bulge experiences. The plot is original and storyline bold and fast-paced, but the vivid characters are best of all. These are our aged parents and grandparents facing down old demons and re-affirming life at a time when many of them were playing out the string. I want to emphasize that this book is NOT just for military or history buffs. Readers with a variety of tastes will find "Reunion" extremely difficult to put down. Recommended.

I've read Oren's bestselling nonfiction, SIX DAYS OF WAR, and found his fiction debut, REUNION, just as informative and even more entertaining. Filled with detail of WWII battle and how it changes the lives of soldiers forever, the return of one combat unit to the site that changed their lives 50 years later is powerful, complex, and inspiring. And there's a mystery inside to boot! If you like military fiction you'll love this!

As someone who has travled with Will Cavanagh and greatly admires his WWII (especially Bulge) knowledge, I can highly reccomend this guidebook. For the WWII historian, it provides an easy and in-depth route to pursue for an oustanding Batle of the Bulge adventure on your own, or the guidebook can be used as an invaluable reference tool on an organized WWII tour. At any rate, the Bulge expertise of Will Cavanagh can not be beaten, and the reader will certainly prove this for himself.

In August 2001, I spent two weeks scouting the Ardennes area by car using the older Charles Whiting guidebook and "Time for Trumpets" by Charles MacDonald as my guides. I had a fascinating vacation, but spent too much time trying to figure out where the actual battle positions were located.

For example, it took me several tries to discover the real Peiper Kampfgruppe attack route (I think). I only discovered the remaining WWII foxholes on the Prumerburg near St. Vith by accident. I never did find the dragon's teeth at Losheim, despite lots of looking.

Happily, this type of problem is now solved by the Cavanagh book (which was not available to me last year}. He shows you where to find the interesting routes and places mentioned in "Company Commander" and several other books, plus there are lots of interesting historical bits of information that were new to me, even though I have read most of the well known books on the Battle of the Bulge (including Danny Parker's book, "Battle of the Bulge", another must-buy for any newcomer trying to understand what happened). Cavanagh throws in extras too, such as the Medal of Honor action descriptions for each of the soldiers who won it during the Battle of the Bulge.

I actually followed all the tour routes in the Cavanagh book during my second two week Ardennes vacation in August 2002. The directions were mostly easy to follow, and I really enjoyed reading the guide's historical information as I went along. This guidebook uses the popular "then and now" approach to provide a captivating sense that you can find history where it was made, even with all the changes to the landscape in 60 years.

You won't regret buying this book. It's a winner in all respects, and inexpensive too.

If you are considering a self-guided tour of the area in Belgium and Luxembourg where the Battle of the Bulge was fought, look no further than this book. Will Cavanagh knows the area over which the battle was fought like no one else. The only thing better is to look the author up and arrange a tour! Either way, this book is invaluable.

In the reviews I've read, this book has received nothing but praise. In many ways, this is an excellent work of academic research. The authors show sensitivity and a deep understanding of the institutional framework within which archbishop Hovius could operate. Most emphasis is put on the human and local particularities controlling the relations between an archbishop and the man and women manning the diverse strata of the ecclesiastical hierarchy. The preponderance on the human side of archbishop's dealings with the people surrounding him lead to excellent small stories which are impressively placed in the wider context of the political and religious strife of early 17th century Europe. Moreover, the book is very well written. It was an easy read.

Yet, despite all the book's cleverness, I grew increasingly uncomfortable while reading. Harline and Put have written a book on religious life in late 16th/early 17th century Europe. Still, I have not read much about religion. In fact, in this book, religion comes out as a very mechanical thing. We read about cardinals, nuncios, priests, rituals, processions, pilgrimages etc. But we do not get a glimpse of what it could have meant to *be* a Christian in this particular time in history. We do not read how Hovius (could have) *lived* his religion. We get no sense at all of a religious feeling which - unlike today - must have been overly present everywhere. Instead, the narrative is littered with much misplaced irony on the nature of christianity or even religion. Harline and Put consider the Catholic Church as nothing more than a big bureaucracy. Hovius, travelling around his bishopric, is portrayed as the 16/17th century version of a district area manager of Coca Cola, trying to reach his production quota for next year, and fighting to protect his market share against competitors. The book is a product of the 21st century. It might easily be used as a leadership guideline, to be read by management consultants and managers.

As a layman who likes to study history, I enthusiastically give this book a rating of five stars. Many history books give broad descriptions and interpretations of trends and events. Others attempt to popularize or modernize history by interpreting old events from the perspective of the late 20th century. "The Bishop's Tale" does none of this. Instead, it virtually transports the reader back to Flanders in the late 1500s and early 1600s, treating him to a small but rich slice of history in a small but fascinating corner of Europe. The authors -- who were fortunate enough to have found one volume of an extensive journal kept by the Archbishop of Mechelen during this period -- provide us with a series of wonderfully detailed pictures of religious life in what was then known as the Spanish Netherlands. Each chapter forms a separate window through time that provides the reader with a close-up view of the goings-on surrounding a specific issue, event, or person. The common thread running through all sixteen chapters is the archbishop and his efforts to build a stable Catholic community in a turbulent time and place. The authors don't try to overly interpret events or force them to fit into some sort of grand theoretical framework, as do many academic historians. Instead, it seems that Craig Harline and Eddy Put want to directly expose the reader to history in a way that enables him to develop a good "feel" for what it must have been like to be Catholic and Flemish around 1600. I found myself wanting to read the book slowly, so that I could savor every page.

The Brussels information is great, but the info on Antwerp, Ghent & Bruges is pretty minimal & doesn't contain any addresses (just phone numbers), so you'll need another book if you plan to travel around Belgium.

Time Out Brussels provided a very comprehensive yet unique view of Brussels. The guide had just the right mix of the usual and the eclectic. The restaurant reviews were top notch, and the book's Survival section was indispensible.

In short, this guide provides everything you'll need to have a first-rate experience in Brussels at any budget.

This book is a must read for anyone interested in combat engineering. COL Pergrin tells his story of forming and then leading a combat engineer battalion in World War II in Europe. The 291st had a huge reputation as an outstanding engineer unit, and as you read the Battalion Commander's recollections, you have no trouble understanding why. An interesting comment on the quality of officers that were grown in the two-three years prior to the invasion of France. COL Pergrin was a typical example of the quick assessment and then promotion of the true leaders. This book is enjoyable for those with some background in comabt engineering tasks. As an engineer officer, I learned much about the history and achievements of a great combat engineer unit.

After hearing about Col Pergrin in the Philly news (WWII anniversary) I was hoping to find a book about his unit. This book is such a must for any WWII historian. It is quite readable, in spite the rich detail it goes into. The section (about 1/3 of the book) on the units exploits during the Battle of the Bulge, must rank among some the best first person accounts ever written! After reading that section I can see how "Those damned Engineers" ruined Hitler's winter offensive. The section on the bridging of the Rhine is another epic. I knew prior to reading this book that they did build the bridge, I was still hanging on every page, as if I was reading a novel. Col Pergrin's love and compassion for his troops is also well noted, he seems like a great leader (I wish we still had a few like him). One problem I had (very minor) was my lack of knowledge of the various types of bridges, which does not take away from this book, but if included would add so much to it. Overall I loved it!

Graeme Cornwallis almost immediately makes a misstep with his best and worst lists. The Top 10 is fine, but the Bottom 10? You can tell he was put up to this by the publisher. Arvika is shabby? I didn't find it that way at all! A lovely town with beautiful locations and a great arts and crafts store. Forests extremely tedious? Sorry. Ticket machines? I guess if you like ganging up on an overworked clerk, it's more fun not to have a ticket, but otherwise, it's very civilized. If these are the worst that he can find about Sweden, it must be a wonderful place! And that's how I found it. To be fair, Cornwallis is trying to fit a lot of information in a small book. He did miss an item or two (how could he not discuss allmansrãtt, which basically says you can hike or camp anywhere that you're not being obnoxious?) but he certainly covers a lot of what is available. It would take more than one vacation to cover all the attractions he outlines just for Gothenburg. And his directions to eating places in Gothenburg are right on the mark.

This comprehensive guide assures the best plans for your visit to Sweden. It is jampacked with essential information to get you there and away to wonderful destinations and events for every interest and attraction.

Like an encyclopedia, it leaves nothing to chance for planning each leg of your trip. It has two outstanding sections that sets this travel guide apart from others.

First, is it's Facts For The Visitor. It highlights the Best And Worst of what to hit or miss on your visit, which includes incidentals like free car-ferries, but expensive beer, bread, and parking fees. This section also includes the essentials for planning prior to your visit. It is a must for acquainting yourself with the cultural differences and practicals of visiting abroad.

Second best, but not least, section is the Getting There And Away. This is the best guide I have seen that gives all the transportation alternatives available to get you where you want to be, with schedules and pricing. Though this section does not boast of winning any photo contest, it has more cities per area to give the best overall opportunity to visit the real country, not just the tourist traps. Also included are internet connections to give even greater details, which brings the reference material to life.

Overall, I believe this guide is the bible for experiencing Sweden in the first year of the new millennium.

Keye's "Outrageous Fortune" casts a strong light into the part of World War II that most would rather forget. It is also a systemic antidote to the hagiographic musings of Stephen Ambrose.

The further I get into the book the more impressed I am by Leopold III. Given the thankless task of spending 24% of the budget on rearming, feebly buttressed by hypnotically apathetic French and woefully incompetent British, and having a howling Nazi war machine on the border would snap lesser men in half.

The thrust of the book thus far is that 1] Leopold had clear intelligence from within Germany 2] His vigilance postponed the Nazi invasion from Nov '39 thru to June '40, 3] that the Belgian defense was far superior to anyone else's [including artillery, which was a big surprise to the Wehrmacht].

What else: Leopold managed to sideline homegrown Belgian Fascist Leon Degrelle by dint of personal authority and leadership. Only after capitulation did Degrelle get any play. There is a sympathetic treatment of Leopold's youth and early years, including his service with father Albert on his summers off from Eton, on the remaining 20 sq miles of Belgium free of German occupation.

The book also highlights Leopold's difficulties with fractious Belgian politics and double-dealing by Churchill. His accomplishments in national unity were nothing short of astonishing. None of the political parties (Belgian, French or British) come out looking very good.

I would recomend this as an essential part of any serious scholar or laymen's understanding the antecedents to the Second World War.

This book , outrageous fortune tells the true story of a man who did his best to prevent his people from having to go through the agony of another war. Although written by an Englishman, Roger Keyes, the son of Admiral Roger Keyes. The book reports the true facts based on the Admirals eye witness accounts of the dramatic events of May 10 - May 28 1940. carefully documented and passed on to his son of the same name , Keyes refutes the status quo historical bias , as written by numerous English speaking historians. Anyone interested in the truth will soon see that Leopold III became a scape goat for the disasterous defeat of the French army and the withdrawal of the British at Dunkirk. If you look up any article on Leopold III, it almost always points to his surrender of the Belgian Army and his separate peace with the Germans. Leading ultimately to his exile and ongoing dispute with the war time Belgian government. Leopold III as commander in chief of the Belgian army courageuosly shared the fate of his troops and people. The title of Belgian Kings is " The King of the Belgians " A King at that time of Belgium's two distinct races. The flemings and the walloons.These two races played a significant role in the fate of Leopold desire to remain on the Belgian throne. Its time that historians revisit those terrible times and look at the true facts . So that perhaps the historical article on Leopold III would read.

KING LEOPOLD III , Surrendered the Belgian army to the Germans on May 28 1940. After 18 days of bitter fighting and retreating in compliance with allied commands. King Leopld III surrendered his army and was taken as a prisoner of war by the Germans. Fullfiling his duty to the Belgian people and championing the policy of armed neutrality. Leopold III attempted shield Belgium from the conflict which was about to engulf western europe with another war.

What many western historians failed to understand was that the policy of armed neutrality was backed by over 85 % of the Belgian population.A Foolish policy ? Not to the average Belgian who was faced once more with the prospects of her bully neighbours resolving their deferences on Belgian soil. This aspect of the events of 1939 - 1940 very rarely ever gets mentioned with any relevance towards the making of a historical oppinion of Leopold's loyalty to his own country and people.

Thank you Mr. Keyes for publishing your fathers memoirs and true facts on this subject.

This is an excellent book for parents of children (especially elementary age and pre-school) contemplating or committed to a trip to Holland. The information is detailed and comprehensive. Based on our research and a prior trip to the Netherlands that we took with our kids, this book is great source for places to stay and go with kids. It includes tons of ueful information about Amsterdam, but I wish it had a lot more detail on the rest of Holland. (I suppose it is truthfully titled!). Another nit to pick is the inadequate maps. Overall, however, a great read and a treasure-trove of information for the parent planning a trip to Holland with younger children.... Guidebooks that are focused on parent-kid trips are a tremendous value--- worth a lot more than you pay for them!

Some guide books are good guide books for adults, and some are helpful to parents. What I like most about this one is that it is probably good enough to stand on its own as your only guide book, assisting both parents-- and parents with their kids-- in having a nice visit to Amsterdam.

Another thing I like (and I'll confess something of a prejudice over this) is that the book is arranged primarily by geography. I hate guidebooks with chapters on restaurants, chapters on museums and so forth. After all, after all that wrestling smack down with a baby stroller, diaper bag big enough for a body and two kids on a jaunty tram, we like to take advantage of all the stuff to do in each location we visit. We're not coming back tomorrow, baby.

You get separate sections on the Old Side of town, the New Side, the Canals, Jodenbuurt and the Old Port and a nice chapter on day trips outside the city. To be fair, there is one non-geographic section organizing Amsterdam's many museums for you, but otherwise things are handily arranged for walking, strolling and cruising the interesting parts of each area you visit. There are also colorful maps, showing the sites, key streets and canals. You won't get too lost.

Each site/attraction includes info on which tram to take to get there, any admission fees, opening days/hours, phone numbers and, if applicable, web sites and email addresses. There's a capsule statement for each along the lines of "Suitable for children aged 7 and over".

The real meat is in the descriptions, which allow you both to decide what to see and, as parents, get a sense for what is inside so you can match places to your kiddies' ages, attention spans and interests. Here are two examples:

Rembrandt's home has been restored to look like it was when he lived there. In addition to the basics, this guide book also mentions that the painter liked to work images of himself in crowd scenes in his paintings. Can you think of a better way to interest a younger kid in boring, old art than to set them on a mission to find all the Rembrandt's in a particular image?

A second example is Anne Frank's house. The description challenges you and your kids to imagine Anne's life in hiding, as revealed in her diary. Older kids can read the book in advance, while younger kids can have key passages read to them just before or even during a visit to the house. Looking out a window, maybe you see a street scene as Anne did; what must it have been like to face the fear of capture and death each day, every night, at an age when our own children's worries may be no more complex than when Rugrats is on?

Another parentally cool feature in the guide book is little boxed text blurbs labeled "Can you spot?" These challenge kids to look for interesting details (a tilted roof gable, a brass plaque, a strange doorway) near famous sights. Older kids will learn things, younger kids will likely enjoy the game as a diversion near things they may otherwise find boring, or over their head.

The book also includes a similar feature throughout, asking questions that can be answered by visiting certain sites. For example, when listing restaurants, the question is "If an Amsterdammer asks for 'hagelslaag' ('hailstones') on his bread for breakfast, what does he want?"

(If I was mean, I'd make you not only buy the book, but also go to the Pancake Bakery on Prinsengracht Street for your morning meal to learn that 'hagelslaag' are tiny bits of chocolate sprinkled on buttered bread. And yes, that sounds very tasty to me too.)

For those who stay up for "Top 10" lists on late night shows in the U.S., the book includes a "Best of Kids' Amsterdam" section, with lists of things like "Best Museum", "Best Family Hotel", "Best Ice Cream", "Best Windmill" and the like. Each "Best of..." place listed includes the page number in the guide book where you can track down its particulars.

Note for some Dads: the helpful phrases in Dutch section includes the important phrase "Ein pils, alstublieft" (a beer please), followed by the helpful phrase "Waar is het toilet?"

Some other excellent stuff for parents:

A list of toy stores in Amsterdam, with annotations telling what stuff they have;

Restaurants good for lunch (and not dinner with kids), including info on which serve "spicy" food;

Tips on finding a short-term apartment or a bed and breakfast;

A note that most big hotels have Cartoon Network available on cable;

A spill-proof, coated paper, tram map on the inside cover;

A way to take a canal boat taxi to popular museums;

A sober description of Amsterdam's Red Light district that will allow you to decide if your kids should or should not pass through one of Amsterdam's infamously best-known locations;

How to ask for applesauce in a restaurant.

This is a great guide to take with you on a trip to Normandy. I carried it with me throughout my tours and was able to read aloud about the events that took place-standing on Omaha Beach and reading about the various divisions that struggled where I stood was of great value to myself and my husband.

The eyewitness accounts bring it to life as well.

If you plan on touring the D Day beaches and sites, bring this one with you!

What makes this book stand out for me is the eyewitness reports, which are dotted throughout as you read this account of the D-Day landings. They bring alive the personal experiences of those who fought and help the reader appreciate the scarifices made.

The book is a nice mix of the history of this particular military campaign, and what the traveller to Normandy can hope to see today. This means the book is a good read for either the armchair military buff or the interested tourist.

Lots of photos and clear maps also add to this very good and highly readable book.

Anita Shreve is an artist who takes some time to develop her characters and it is evident in this book. Resistance is the story of Theodore (Ted) Brice, an American fighter pilot who is shot down over a village in Belgium. When the plane is found by the people of the village, they immediately spring into action to rescue the crew. By showing this, Shreve has cleverly created the background for the story. You are introduced to Claire, who is to become a pivotal player in the story. You are introduced to a young boy, Jean, who is responsible for finding and saving the pilot. I found myself questioning how a boy would be able to find the pilot and nobody in the village knew of it. I did like the fact that he was able to communicate with Ted and to reassure him, despite the language barrier. You could almost see that an affair was going to happen between Ted and Claire. Shreve's writing hinted at it when she introduced us to Claire and described (briefly) her marriage to Henri and how she was sure not to get pregnant during the war. That theory seemed to have disappeared by the time she started sleeping with Ted. I got a good feel for the way things were during the war--especially with the Reprisals for the deaths of the 3 soldiers, but I think I would have liked some more details on the happenings, such as a slight timeline or something.

Overall, I think the book was well written and is worth recommending.

In THE RESISTANCE, Anita Shreve takes a very sad time in world history and writes a poignant story which lets us see that when good people take a stand against injustice, that stand makes an incalculable difference.
This is the World War II story of a small Belgian town and its "underground" network of ordinary citizens who transport condemned anti-Germans to freedom.
THE RESISTANCE gives a visual and distressing picture of World War II, the people and the daily hardships they faced. It shows their hope in what could easily be perceived as a hopeless situation.
The main characters are Ted Brice, a downed American fighter pilot and Claire, a Belgian housewife, two people who are brought together by Ted's need to use the resistance network and Claire's house which is one of the stops along the line. Though neither intends it, a relationship develops between them that produces that "one-in-a-lifetime" bond.
This book was hard to get started with because of the depressing times, but once started, it was harder still to put down.

This was my second book by Shreve, Fortune's Rocks being my first. Without a doubt, Anita Shreve is one of my favorite authors. She astounds me with her brilliant writing and ability to touch emotions to the core.
The fact that I've visited the area in Belgium she writes about and also the fact that my father was at Normandy for the invasion made this story all the more powerful for me.
I believe when one chooses to read a book called "Resistance" one cannot expect a "happy" ending. It was a horrific time in our history and Shreve did an incredible job of portraying this. I admit some parts of the story on what the Gestapo did in the villages were very graphic.....graphic but real. Yes, the story was disturbing when one realizes it is fact. But I also feel (and I'm paraphrasing) "When one forgets history, one is doomed to repeat history."
The love affair Shreve tells of Claire and Ted was not only poignant but I'm sure based on thousands of stories very similar. I thought she captured it best with Ted's thoughts, "And he himself knew that the war itself had changed the rules, twisted them beyond all recognition." This is exactly what war does. It's unavoidable. I feel people hurt more and love more during war.....just as Claire and Ted did. Shreve beautifully captured this love and the pain and horror that surrounded all of it.
Realistically, the story/love affair could end no other way. I believe the reader knows this from the first page and this particular reader wants to thank Anita Shreve for a passionate love story combined with a realistic account of the heartbreaking tragedy of war. I highly recommend this book and at just 222 pages, it's a quick read difficult to put down. To quote the LA Times, "I reached the last chapter with hungry eyes, wanting more." And more for me is to now read "Eden Close" and continue soaking up this tremendous author and her powerful prose.