The Guns at Last Light

The Guns at Last Light: The War in Western Europe, 1944-1945 (2013) by Rick Atkinson. This last book in a World War II trilogy stands very well on its own. It basically covers the  period from the Normandy invasion to the victorious end of the war. All the confusions, all the fog of war, are explored in detail, as well as the personalities of important generals, the roles they played, and how they look in hindsight. The horrible losses suffered by both sides are described in sufficient detail that you get the idea. It was a cataclysmic war filled with indescribable horrors, and this book, at 641 pages, gives the reader his (or her) fill of shootings, explodings, burnings, and other ways to die that the war offered. I found it worth reading, if for nothing else, for the triumphant ending, the defeat of the evil Nazis and the Allies forced surrender terms, the happiness of the survivors, and the poignant sadness of the families who had lost loved ones in the war. It is thoroughly researched and provides many details of things that happened which may not be found elsewhere. Grand. Grade: A