Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: The Emperor's General by James Webb ISBN: 0-553-57854-5 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 04 January, 2000 Format: Mass Market Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.7 (47 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Ha! Surprised I liked it so much
Comment: Seems to me that the people who would read this book are white, middle-class conservative men with some link to the military--sorry about the generalization if it seems unfair. Moreover, the book is written in that unsophisticated prose style that I usually associate with popular consumer fiction, not "real" literature. But I thoroughly enjoyed this work and was surprised at Webb's historical accuracy and addressing of themes in US-Japan relationships--unpleasant facts that have only been written about in recent scholarly books about collusive ties between the US and post-War Japan (cf. Dower's "Embracing Defeat" and the new Hirohito biography). Well, seems like Webb and others in the US military are well aware of MacArthur's personal and political faults as well (or maybe just the Marines). Happened to run across an obituary in the New York Times of one of the US defense attorneys of the wrongfully indicted Japanese general, which verified every one of Webb's narrative details! Gen. MacArthur's character comes to life and his arrogance is inextricably linked to the way he established US military policy toward East Asia's Pacific Crescent, a restructuring of Japan's own WWII Economic Co-Prosperity Sphere imperialism, but this time American style. The prose is smoothly-paced and highly readable; I whipped through this book in no time. As someone who has no connection to the world of men like Webb (whom I assumed represents the military elite who served in Vietnam and came to public attention in the Reagan-era Iran-Contra scandal), I was not only pleasantly surprised, but extremely impressed. I think this is an engaging, intriguing piece of work. Webb should be commended for producing a fascinating narrative that will stimulate and satisfy the minds of both lay reader and history buff alike.
Rating: 4
Summary: Well-written historical fiction
Comment: Jay Marsh is a young, idealistic, Army Captain who has been assigned to Douglas McArthur's staff. We follow him from the time of McArthur's return to liberate the Phillipines in early 1945 and through the beginning of the peacetime Japanese occupation. Jay is privy to all of McArthur's inside politics and in-fighting, and in the beginning he finds it heady stuff. However Jay finds that the power he weilds in McArthur's name soon disillusion him and threaten to ruin his future with his beautiful Filipina fiancee.
Mr. Webb is an excellent writer. His sense of place is very strong and he easily convinces us we're right there as the battle for Leyte is being fought. It's also obvious he knows Japanese culture. The historical background seems to be very well done. If he's taken liberties with history I'm not aware of it. If you like historical fiction, especially as it applies to WWII I'd recommend this book. It will give you insights into an era that's usually not covered in great detail. It's also an entertaining story.
Rating: 5
Summary: A rivetting historical novel of MacArthur in postwar Japan.
Comment: This is a ripping good historical novel about General MacArthur's leadership of the American occupation of Japan--the first time in over a thousand years that the "nation family" of Japan suffered defeat and conquest. The author tells the story from the perspective of one Jay Marsh, a young Japanese-speaking American captain and aide-de-camp to General MacArthur. Seen from Marsh's perspective, we see MacArthur from what seemed to me to be an authentic portrayal of a complicated man who was vain, brilliant, ambitious, and charismatic.
The essential theme of the novel (no spoilers here) is that in 1945 although MacArthur represented the victor and the Japanese were in fact utterly beaten and indeed devestated by war, the interaction between occupier and the Japanese power structure was complex. The Japanese ruling class, although forced to endure American-inspired democratic reforms, remained the ruling class, at least for a time. In particular, the novel shows how, in exchange for the Japanese establishment's cooperation for a remarkably tranquil and calm occupation, most of the truly culpable Japanese war criminals escaped prosecution. The infamous Rape of Nanking, in particular, largely went unpunished.
Although the novel is wonderful history, it never loses sight of its first mission--to entertain. The story is beautifully told, with compassion and humor, as we follow Captain Marsh through his love affairs with beautiful Phillipine and Japanese girls, and his interaction, friendships, and ultimately his outmaneuverings of key Japanese government figures. The most rivetting part of the novel, and its central story, is the trial and hanging of Japanese General Yamashita. Author Webb does an excellent job persuading the reader that this was in fact a travesty of justice in which MacArthur essentially made Yamashita a scapegoat for war crimes committed by others--others in the Japanese power establishment whom MacArthur was shielding from prosecution in exchange for the establishment's cooperation in the occupation and democratic reform process.
An unforgettable novel that I have read more than once, each time with added insight and enjoyment.
 |
Title: Fields of Fire by James Webb ISBN: 0553583859 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 28 August, 2001 List Price(USD): $7.50 |
 |
Title: Lost Soldiers by James Webb ISBN: 0440240913 Publisher: Dell Pub. Date: 27 August, 2002 List Price(USD): $7.50 |
 |
Title: A Sense of Honor: A Novel (Bluejacket Books) by James H. Webb ISBN: 1557509174 Publisher: United States Naval Inst. Pub. Date: April, 1995 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
 |
Title: A Country Such as This by James H. Webb ISBN: 1557509646 Publisher: United States Naval Inst. Pub. Date: March, 2001 List Price(USD): $21.95 |
 |
Title: Something to Die For by James Webb ISBN: 0380713225 Publisher: Avon Pub. Date: 01 February, 1992 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
