War and Remembrance
The sequel to The Winds of War carries the Henry family from Pearl Harbor through Midway, Leyte Gulf, and Auschwitz.
The Verdict
The whole war in one vast novel, with the Holocaust at its moral centre. Herman Wouk called the Henry-family saga the main work of his life, and War and Remembrance — the sequel to The Winds of War — is its darker, greater half: Pearl Harbor to the bomb, Midway to Leyte Gulf, and, threaded through it, the journey of Aaron and Natalie Jastrow toward Auschwitz. Wouk earns his thousand pages; the battle set-pieces are superb, and the camps are handled with a gravity that never tips into spectacle. Old-fashioned in the best sense.
Who Should Read It
Read it if you want
- The entire war dramatised through one family
- Readers who want sweep and scale in fiction
- Superb set-pieces from Midway to Leyte Gulf
- The Holocaust woven into a global narrative
Look elsewhere if you want
- Readers short on time (it exceeds a thousand pages)
- Those who prefer spare, modern fiction
- A single-theatre focus
Why We Rated It 4.6
Historical Context
The sequel to The Winds of War (1971), War and Remembrance was published in 1978 and carries the fictional Henry family from the aftermath of Pearl Harbor through the major Pacific battles and into the heart of the Holocaust. Wouk drew on extensive historical research; both novels were later adapted into landmark television miniseries.
Events Covered
Editions & Reading Notes
Read It Alongside
Collector's Corner
Where to Buy
ISBN: 978-0316954990
Read This Against
The same events seen from a different vantage point. The fullest understanding often lives in the space between accounts that don't agree.
Other Books About the Same Events
Frequently Asked Questions
- Do I need to read The Winds of War first?
- Strongly recommended — War and Remembrance is its direct sequel and assumes its characters and events.
- How are the Holocaust sections handled?
- With unusual seriousness for a popular novel; the Jastrow storyline follows the path to Auschwitz and forms the book's moral centre.