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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN num: 9781557509642
ISBN number: 1557509646
Label: US Naval Institute Press
Manufacturer: US Naval Institute Press
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 119
Printing Date: 2001-03
Publishing house: US Naval Institute Press
Sale Popularity Level: 121361
Studio: US Naval Institute Press
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The innocence the 1950s and turbulence of the 1960s and 70s--years when America reached out and touched the heavens, only to be torn apart by internal conflict and a war in Southeast Asia--provide a dramatic setting for this unforgettable story of three men and the women they love carving a place for themselves in a society where the rules keep changing. Written by bestselling novelist James Webb, it has been hailed as a major work of our time and a stunning commentary of political and social life in America over nearly three decades. From the wars in Korea and Vietnam to antiwar protests in Washington and POW camps in Hanoi, from young love and parenthood to divorce and reconciliation, Webb's eye for detail, provocative insights, and subtle revelations have earned him the highest literary accolades. His convincing characters and gripping scenes fully engage the reader as the three Naval Academy graduates reevaluate their lives, their country, and the cost of success.
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Rated by buyers -
Wasn't really sure what to expect when I started to read this book. What I got was a compelling story of three men, the families and the country they loved.
Rated by buyers -
One of the things I realized very early on, given the novel's backdrop, was that Webb's characters were going to be those caught in a storm in a bottle -- characters of self-made choices and consequences, only to be swept away by history -- yet always marching consciously, if not purposefully, through three inexorable decades of American life. This gives his story the epic richness of an elated destiny, which is balanced out by the feel of tragic fatalism.
His characters are fictional, but their history is our history, and one that's painfully real and rife with disillusionment. There's nothing romantic about his sharp, somber, and gripping prose in his portrait of those years. And it's hard to judge Webb's characters: good people grounded in their identity as Americans and patriots, all taking different paths, and in love and disagreement with each other.
As the writer, he leaves much to our discretion, but I feel that one character is staunchly playing the villain: Dorothy Edelson Dingenfelder. But we're made to respect her, even as she destroys those around her. Others might enjoy Webb's socio-political critique of those times, but I don't feel knowledgeable enough to evaluate what is the other half of the soul of this great work.
Though by reading Webb's epic portrayal of history and the realities of military service, I've come to understand what a beautiful and bitter thing loving one's country can mean.
Rated by buyers -
Seldom do I read books that are 534 pages in length. A Country Such As This captured me from page one to the very end. All the characters are superbly defined and easy to follow. It is as if you have a relationship with all of them. From the three main characters, to there wives and children -- all have a personality that the reader can easily relate to. Friendship, love, politics, drama and emotion are all here. One minute you are laughing and the subsequent page you find yourself with chills. This really is a masterpiece. Make it 10 Stars and that would not do justice!!!
Rated by buyers -
Webb, the Junior Senator from the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a gifted writer of fiction and non-fiction. Because I so enjoyed reading "A Sense of Honor" and "Fields of Fire," I determined that I would eventually read all of his books. I have just finished "A Country Such As This," the action of which is set in the time of the Korean conflict and the Viet Nam War.
As is always the case with Webb's writing, his own experiences as a midshipman at Annapolis and as a Marine in Viet Nam strongly inform his world view and the characters he has created. In this case, the narrative revolves around three roommates from the Naval Academy whose careers veer off in dramatically different directions. Red becomes a pilot with the Navy's Blue Angels and eventually is taken as a prisoner of war in Viet Nam. Joe becomes a pioneer in the U.S. missile program. Judd, a Marine officer wounded in battle, serves in the FBI, where he is again shot. He eventually becomes a minister and then a Member of Congress. The evolving relationships among these three musketeers and the various women they love serves as a fascinating and satisfying platform that allows Webb to wax eloquent about the cost of war, of leadership, of freedom, and of deep relationships.
In this excerpt, he paints a vivid picture of the history of anti-war movements in the U.S.
He also sets the scene for why the anti-war movement emerged against our involvement in Viet Nam. The lessons seem particularly relevant to the current conflict in Iraq and the response by the American people to that protracted war. Joe's wife, Sophie, is talking to Judd during the time they are awaiting word about Red as a POW in Viet Nam:
" `It's just so vicious, Judd. And so wrong. How can they [the anti-war protesters] call themselves Americans?'
`We've always been this way. It's just gotten more out of hand this time, that's all. Lyndon Johnson tried to sneak a war past the American people, and whether it was a good war or not became irrelevant. Red understood that. He even wrote me about it before he was shot down. You don't fight a war when you haven't articulated what you're going to do, and expect people to go cheerfully off to bleed for years on end. And Nixon came in with the promise he was going to end it. Once he started pulling people out, that was it. The North Vietnamese have him cold, because the antiwar movement has taken away his negotiating leverage.'
He felt awkward making is speeches. He knew it wasn't what Sophie wanted to hear: `I know I'm not consoling you, much, but I've been trying to put this in perspective. Did you know there were antidraft riots in World War I? And did you know that the Selective Service Act only passed by one vote in World War II - in 1940, with Europe already overrun by the Nazis?'
They passed by ugly, despairing neighborhoods along New York Avenue. Judd Smith watched grey faces staring at his car, and thought some more. `No, here's a better example for you, Sophie. Did you know that during the Civil War Lincoln had to deal with an antiwar movement? Imagine, the same people who created the abolition movement losing their stomach for the war. Robert E. Lee went north into Sharpsburg to try and defeat the Yankees on their own soil, so that the antiwar movement would force Lincoln to negotiate a settlement. There you have it in a nutshell. The idealists didn't want slavery, but they didn't have the stomach for the bloody part of it. They wanted the world to be rational and sane, even when their very cause was the essence of the war!'" (Pages 473-4)
Webb wrote this novel in 1983. In reflecting on the mood of America in the 50's and 60's in response to Korea and Viet Nam, he was presciently offering insights to help us to understand the mood of America in 2007 on the heels of years of conflict in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Al
Rated by buyers 
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Patria or Death
Really enjoy a Country Such as This - I love the way the war, the live and the country is seen from different points of view.
Highly recommend.
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