Review of A Walk Among Heroes
1 posts
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "A Walk Among Heroes" by James McDevitt.]
A Walk Among Heroes is a historical fiction piece by James McDevitt. T.J. Montgomery had always been in love with Magdalyn; he could even picture their lives and future together, but then the first obstacle, which was college, separated them. T.J. promised Magdalyn he’d make it work, and he tried to; however, when he took a trip to the church she had told him about, he saw her with another man, and to him she looked married or engaged. The experience was terrible for him, and he joined the army afterwards.
In the army, he found a new purpose: serving his country. He trained and made new friends that became family, and together they weathered the storm when they were sent to war. However, something remained constant in his mind throughout this time: he loved Magdalyn. He would often tell his comrades about her, and though they thought him silly, he found solace in her memory. At the end of the Second World War, Tom survived and returned, but the guilt and grief from losing those friends he held dear were too much for him, and he resorted to alcohol to ease himself. He had lots of questions about his family and life, but no answer seemed to come. However, a chance encounter with a man, Smitty, steers the course of his life forever. Will he find the answers he seeks? What is Smitty's motive for helping him? And what big secret does Smitty hide? Read this book to find out.
On reading this book’s description and from the cover, I thought I had just picked a simple book on a hero’s perspective on the Second World War, but nothing prepared me for the raw emotions and realistic way this story was portrayed. This book’s plot was epic—the narration of the training, the journey on the boat and even the war itself was so authentic that I forgot the book was fictional at some point. I felt the uncertainty and fear the men had while fighting or the cold described when they entered the water to carry out an ambush; it was really something. The character development was also commendable—Thomas is one strong character; the audience gets to see him develop from a shy, sweet boy to a man in the army to a guilt-stricken soldier to a redeemed man once more. He was my favourite character. I liked Smitty and his lovely wife, Evelyn, too. The diction was colloquial and simple enough to follow.
The only dislike I had was the slow pace the book began with; it bored me a bit, but when the book picked up, it was difficult to put it down. Apart from this, I enjoyed every bit of this book; it brought up lots of emotions and certainly emphasized some lessons on life, like respect and understanding for those in service to our country, the importance of family support and the beautiful thing that love represents. I spotted some minor errors, but they didn’t detract much from this book. I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. I recommend it to audiences who enjoy historical fiction and military-themed books.
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A Walk Among Heroes
View: on Bookshelves |
A Walk Among Heroes is a historical fiction piece by James McDevitt. T.J. Montgomery had always been in love with Magdalyn; he could even picture their lives and future together, but then the first obstacle, which was college, separated them. T.J. promised Magdalyn he’d make it work, and he tried to; however, when he took a trip to the church she had told him about, he saw her with another man, and to him she looked married or engaged. The experience was terrible for him, and he joined the army afterwards.
In the army, he found a new purpose: serving his country. He trained and made new friends that became family, and together they weathered the storm when they were sent to war. However, something remained constant in his mind throughout this time: he loved Magdalyn. He would often tell his comrades about her, and though they thought him silly, he found solace in her memory. At the end of the Second World War, Tom survived and returned, but the guilt and grief from losing those friends he held dear were too much for him, and he resorted to alcohol to ease himself. He had lots of questions about his family and life, but no answer seemed to come. However, a chance encounter with a man, Smitty, steers the course of his life forever. Will he find the answers he seeks? What is Smitty's motive for helping him? And what big secret does Smitty hide? Read this book to find out.
On reading this book’s description and from the cover, I thought I had just picked a simple book on a hero’s perspective on the Second World War, but nothing prepared me for the raw emotions and realistic way this story was portrayed. This book’s plot was epic—the narration of the training, the journey on the boat and even the war itself was so authentic that I forgot the book was fictional at some point. I felt the uncertainty and fear the men had while fighting or the cold described when they entered the water to carry out an ambush; it was really something. The character development was also commendable—Thomas is one strong character; the audience gets to see him develop from a shy, sweet boy to a man in the army to a guilt-stricken soldier to a redeemed man once more. He was my favourite character. I liked Smitty and his lovely wife, Evelyn, too. The diction was colloquial and simple enough to follow.
The only dislike I had was the slow pace the book began with; it bored me a bit, but when the book picked up, it was difficult to put it down. Apart from this, I enjoyed every bit of this book; it brought up lots of emotions and certainly emphasized some lessons on life, like respect and understanding for those in service to our country, the importance of family support and the beautiful thing that love represents. I spotted some minor errors, but they didn’t detract much from this book. I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. I recommend it to audiences who enjoy historical fiction and military-themed books.
******
A Walk Among Heroes
View: on Bookshelves |
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