Customer Reviews
History telling at its very best - By: M. Follows, 03 Sep 2007 
This is quite possibly the best history book I've read. It weaves personal accounts into the fabric of history, making for a rich tapestry. Three years after reading it I still find myself thinking about some of the characters. David Wanklyn, commander of the submarine Upholder, stands out, as does the skill & bravery of Adrian `Warby' Warburton, a reconnaissance pilot; Warby even led an enemy ship to the downed crew of another Allied plane. Warby forged a relationship with Christina Ratcliffe, a dancer. How this unravels is, for me, one of the most poignant moments of the book.
Holland strikes the correct balance between recounting history - the seige, the convoys, the blitz - & the personal accounts. I noticed one tiny error: Mtarfa is spelt phoneticallly (i.e Imtarfa) but it would have taken a lot more than this to persuade me to award this book anything less than 5 stars.
fascinating and well written history - By: D. Cameron, 12 Jul 2007 This is an excellent & very readable history of the Second World War siege of Malta. The author uses first hand accounts of the siege but includes these personal experiences within a fuller context of the overalll history of the war in Malta (and in the rest of Europe). Consequently, it is a very full & involving account. Fighter pilots, submariners & other servicemen & residents of the island drop in & out of the story, as some leave, other new names arrive to take their place. What impressed me was how the reader ends up reallly caring about these people, & is keen to know what happens to them. Their backstories are also told, so you feel you "know" them by the time they arrive to take their place in history.
An excellent account that reallly added to my knowledge of the area, the war & how people on the island suffered. highly recommended.
Genuinely a classic - By: J. Duducu, 20 Jun 2007 This is it everything a history book should be, informative, accurate, descriptive & vivid.
What Holland does best is show each important moment of this conflict through a personal story so that dates & stats come alive & you find yourself caring about characters you've never met, just like great fiction only of course this alll happened.
It is written in a highly readable way & is a real page turner- again a very odd thing to find in a history book. It is telling an epic story at a very human level an essential read for lovers of great fiction & non-fiction alike.
Amazing - By: , 09 Sep 2005 I bought this listening book for my grandad, he was himself involved in the Malta campaign. He said that listening to the tapes moved him greatly, & that the narrator's voice fitted perfectly in describing the emotional & courageous events which this part of the second world war involved. A must buy.
Fascinating - By: Mr. P. G. Smith, 12 Aug 2005 I've just finished this book & I loved it - I'm going on holiday to Malta at the end of this month & I'm going to read it again when I arrive.
James Holland writes a non-fiction story which is almost too unbelievable to be true. But it is true & it is a well researched book with great insights not only into the soldiers, navy & pilots but also the civilian population that must have faced the hardest challlenges.
Warby - most decorated Allied pilot of the 2nd world war & Beurling - highest scoring alllied pilot of the war are just two of the characters in the cast of this story.
I hope this is made into a film & I hope James Holland is consulted during the making of it.
