Product Description

Today Italy is a land of beauty and prosperity but in 1944-45 it had become a place of nightmares, a land of violence, war, and destruction. James Holland's ground-breaking account expertly documents the German advance and a segment of Italian history that has been largely neglected. The war in Italy was the most destructive campaign in the west as the Allies and Germans fought a long, bitter and highly attritional conflict up the mountainous leg of Italy during the last twelve months of the Second World War. For front-line troops, casualties rates at Cassino and then along the notorious Gothic Line were as high as they had been along the Western Front in the First World War. There were further similarities too: blasted landscapes, rain and mud. For the men who fought there, Italy really was the hardest campaign. And while the Allies and Germans were slogging it out through the mountains, the Italians were fighting their own battles, one where Partisans and Fascists were pitted against each other in a bloody civil war.Around them, civilians tried to live through the carnage, terror and anarchy while, in the wake of the Allied advance, beleaguered and impoverished Italians were forced to pick their way through the ruins of their homes and country and often forced into making terrible and heart-rending decisions in order to survive. 'Italy's Sorrow' is the first account of the war in that most beautiful of countries to tell the story from all sides and to include the experiences of soldiers and civilians alike. Offering extensive new research, it weaves together the drama and tragedy of a terrible year of war with new perspectives and material on some of the most debated episodes to have emerged from the Second World War. It is a magnificent achievement by one of our finest young military historians.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10233 in Books
• Published on: 2009-05-28
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 480 pages

Review
'James Holland has written his best book yet, a gripping, yet compassionate account of the terrible war in Italy, with a memorable depiction of civilian suffering.' Antony Beevor 'Impeccably researched and ingeniously structured ... "Italy's Sorrow" is a splendid account of an often overshadowed campaign by a historian who has already given us excellent studies of the Siege of Malta and the Desert War.' Daily Express 'The suffering of Italy's innocents deserves to be commemorated. James Holland's excellent book does that and much more, confirming his place in the first rank of contemporary military historians.' Mail on Sunday 'Assiduously researched, enthusiastically narrated ... it is hard to believe that this will not be the definitive account of the battle for Italy.' Daily Telegraph 'Amazingly comprehensive and often very moving!Holland's research is quite staggering!this book stands out among the many histories of the war in Italy.' Literary Review 'A thorough and impartial overview.' The Economist 'He has performed an impressive feat by holding together this immense theatre of war!Holland has created a remarkable picture of war itself, with all its tragedy and mayhem ! As a picture of a country slowly consumed and destroyed by war, "Italy's Sorrow" is a memorable book.' Spectator 'One of the many witnesses whose superbly well-expressed emotions bring alive James Holland's history of the last year of the war in Italy...refreshingly revisionist...Holland is particularly good at telling the story of a nationality through a few interlocutors...all are portrayed with a remarkably engaging touch' Sunday Telegraph 'The writing generates a real narrative tension ! Holland handles military strategy and tactics!with impressive assurance and clear-headedness.' BBC History magazine 'There are some fine descriptive highlights ! readers with a particular interest in the Italian campaign will doubtless be more than happy.' Financial Times magazine

About the Author
James Holland was born in Salisbury, Wiltshire, and studied history at Durham University. He has worked for several London publishing houses and has written for a number of national newspapers and magazines. He is the author of 'Fortress Malta: An Island Under Siege', '1940-1943', 'Heroes' and a novel, 'The Burning Blue'. Married with a son, he lives near Salisbury.

Customer Reviews

Italy's Sorrow, Excellent
An outstanding book covering both Allied and Axis story from a soldiers point of view. It describes, often from first hand experiences the real horror of State on State war and the cruelty that humans can inflict on each other regardless of which side they were on.

A definitive history
The Italian campaign of 1944 to 1945 is probably the most overlooked of all the major WW2 theatres of war. James Holland has written the definitive account of these events and no serious WW2 historian should miss this book. Packed with gripping narrative, moving personal accounts and many little known facts and figures you will not want to put this book down. I think it's lasting effect on me will be more than simply filling a massive gap in my WW2 knowledge - it has made me want to find out more. Already I have found existing writing on this campaign to lack the drama and sheer fascination generated by this book. It also provides a vital perspective on post-war Italian political and economic history. I have no hesitation in recommending this book - it will move and educate in equal measure and will leave you thinking as I did that probably no other area of WW2 was more bloody, more cruel and more savage. Lest we forget? - I suggest history has already forgotten all those who fought (or were caught up) in these events. James Holland has provided a fitting epitaph to the fallen, and a great memorial to the survivors. Read it now!