The Day of Battle

The Allied invasion of Sicily and Italy in 1943 began the first incursion into the Hitler-Mussolini European stronghold. Narrator Jonathan Davis reads DAY OF BATTLE like an allegorical epic about a just war. He senses the author's unique, almost poetic, writing style and uses a quiet, well-controlled inflection to make it sound Homeric. The narrative technique creates a near lyrical cadence unusual for a modern war story. The author identifies the speakers at each occasion, so Davis need not use distracting characterizations to differentiate their words from the words of the writer. General George Patton led American forces into Italy, and few biographies of WWII leaders so well portray the man whose prodigious ego created both his fame and infamy. J.A.H. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

This book is the second in the author's trilogy on the war in Europe. It is authoritative and highly detailed. And that's its weakness in audio. Even this abridged version is too full of minutiae, which slows down the pace of the reading. After all, does the listener really need to hear that an Allied invasion involved dozens of this, hundreds of that, and thousands of a third thing? As narrator, the author is capable enough. The slight gravel in his voice evokes the weariness of the battlefront troops. But his unrelenting dour tone grows tiring at this length. Listeners keenly interested in the war in Europe will enjoy this work, but those with only a casual interest might do well to look elsewhere. R.C.G. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine