An outstanding story regarding the three allied powers actions to defeat Germany and reach Berlin. The first hand accounts really enhance the story and the action that takes place. A must read for the history enthusiast.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I received an ARC of “ Taking Berlin” by Martin Dugard from Net Galley. My thanks to the author, publisher and Net Galley.
“Taking Berlin” gives the reader a sort of Cliff’s Notes version of the Second World War in Europe from just before D- Day to the occupation of Berlin. In short chapters which usually feature a notable historical figure as a subject centerpiece, such as Ike, Patton, Rommel, etc. the reader follows wartime action. One of the characters is Martha Gelhorn, wife , at the time, of Hemingway and a war correspondent in her own right . She is someone I intend to read more about..
The writing is breezy and conversational, like a narration to a History channel documentary. Facts are presented in an readily understandable manner. The book is a decent primer for someone who knows a little of history of those times, and it could stoke up enough interest to lead a reader to read more widely . It is not for anyone who has read deeper historical accounts, and honestly, probably was not meant to be.
So taken for what it is, it is a good effort at a readable, smooth and light introduction to a deeply important era of recent history.

Martin Dugard, the author of a number of books, principally in the area of popular history, has another hit on his hands. I am pleased to report that "Taking Berlin: The Bloody Race to Defeat the Third Reich" (graciously provided to me for review purposes in the form of an ARC by the publisher, Dutton Caliber of Penguin Group) is a marvelously engaging and engaged recounting of the events from D-Day to the collapse of Nazi Germany. Mr. Dugard's writing style, both anecdotal and well anchored in modern sources, is the kind of thing that creates its own audience. Focusing on the human side of the overarching story of the Third Reich's apocalyptic collapse, Dugard successfully paints a superb overview of the tale he is telling. While many books have covered the topic in far more detail, Cornelius Ryan comes to mind off hand, Dugard is tailoring his insightful and riveting narrative to a new generation of readers, lacking the context that so many of their predecessors brought to their reading as a consequence of their cultural background. I strongly recommend the book. I am very well versed in the material that Dugard is covering, and that said, even I learned some startling new perspectives as a result of my exposure to this text. Outstanding introduction to its subject!