When Wars Were
Won
A First Novel
by Hugh
Aaron
ISBN 1-882521-02-1, 270 pages, Softcover
List price $16.00
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Read an Excerpt
The Story: After forty years,
Hal
Arnold, a professor of English, returns to the Philippines yearning for
the
unity, spirit and optimism he knew as a 19-year-old member of a Seabee
battalion
in the South Pacific theater during World War II. Trying to recapture
that
experience, he writes this story, vividly portraying members of the
battalion
who impacted his life.
Two in particular - Barry Fortune, an irrepressible entrepreneur, and
Roger
"Billiard Ball" Billiard, a philosphical, cynical college professor
are at
opposite poles in their attitudes toward life and their feelings toward
their country. They are Hal's mentors, and despite their faults, his heroes.
Proud of
being an American, yet disillusioned with most of his compatriots whose
deeds
are often less than admirable in winning the war, Hal searches for his
own
identity. He finds it in the warm, rich culture of a small Filipino
village
where love and dignity thrive among a people who have suffered under the
Japanese yoke.
"This powerfully poignant and sensitive novel reveals the loss of
innocence and coming of age of our youth in the Pacific theater of World
War II.
Strong imagery, forceful narrative and colorfully believable characters
combine
to grip the reader through war's uncertainty, humor and stark reality.
Not a war
novel; rather it is a tribute to the men and women who endure war...a
moving and
emotional story of friendship, love, despair and triumph of the spirit.
This is
such a compelling story that, once read, you will want it to be
real." William D. Bushnell, Reviewer for
Publishers
Weekly
"Like a virtuoso jazz soloist, when the author is building a
scene, he
lets you know it. His interpretation of language and situation proves
tender,
humorous, horrifying by turns, each confrontation - with character or
circumstance - played out to its absurd effect, grotesque conclusion, or
romantic climax. Irony abounds..episodic in sweep, compelling in detail,
and
well nigh inexhaustible in variety. Writing a review for a book like
this, one
is inclined to put on everything except the brakes, because superlatives
flow
easily. It is a great dramatic story of a man's desperate yearnings,
acute
aspirations, and bitter frustrations in the throes of a world's calamity
in war.
Someone should mark the intensity level in this book, because its
emotional
rivers run so deep that the reader experiences the bends coming out of
it.
Ramon de Rosas, English Department Chair,
Reviewer
for Maine in Print
Comments from Readers: I
enjoyed
When Wars Were Won very much, especially your colorful
characterization
and way of imbuing a scene with vivid description and energy...it's very
visual
and easy to "see" as a film...definitely a literary treat.
Marisa D'Vari, Boston, MA
I have just completed When Wars Were Won, and I must say it
is one
of the most interesting and exciting books I have ever read.
Milton McCord, Seabee, Dallas,
TX
I found it difficult to lay the book down.
Edward J. Goss, Seabee, Amston,
CT
I wish to let you know how much my entire family enjoyed both
Letters
from the Good War and When Wars Were Won. I especially
enjoyed the
novel. Not only was it a pleasure to read, but since I passed it along
through
three generations of family, I had the added enjoyment of discussing it
with
them. I've learned there's a Barry Fortune in every outfit and got to
hear some
Navy stories I'd never heard before. I didn't think that was possible.
It was
very moving and it was because of your books. Thank you for that.
Coleen Marsh, Belfast, ME
Just read your book When Wars Were Won. Congratulations. I
could not
put the book down. You were very descriptive, a captivating way of
writing. One
wanted to read chapter after chapter with riveted attention as one's
interest
increased. You brought out so many truths, some good, some bad like it
is.
Thankyou for giving me the opportunity to enjoy a GOOD book. So many
lack
erudition and interest. I do hope you'll write more novels and give a
lot of
pleasure to many readers.
Oleg Tupine, Falls Church,
VA
I would probably never have picked up When Wars Were Won
since my
reading time is limited and neither the Seabees nor the South Pacific
theater in
WWII were included in my "must read" topics/interests. Therefore, I must
confess
that I was surprised when I didn't want to put down WWWW as the
hour
got late each evening. Of course, you are a wonderfully sensitive
writer,
therefore the setting, the war, the era are less important than the
people you
bring to life and the details of their relationships that you share with
the
reader. In spite of myself, I did become interested in the role of the
Seabees
and I did come to appreciate the impact of the war on peoples all around
the
world...Hal Arnold is a memorable young man and you should be very proud
of your
creation.
Alice Dashiell, Clinton, MD
Comments from
Reviewers: Try
Hugh Aaron's When Wars Were Won, a novel to put alongside the
best
sellers on the subject of World War II, a book sometimes hauntingly
direct in
its pictures. This is no glorification of a time now gilded by memory,
no
postcard from the past...it remembers for us whose generations it
portrays -
warts and all. Marilis Hornidge, The
Courier-Gazette,
Rockland, ME
Hugh Aaron has written a World War II novel so realistic that it
reads more
like fact than fiction. Drawing upon his own 30 months of service in the
Seabees, the author composed a wartime tale that will strike a
reminiscent chord
with any man or woman who ever wore an American uniform. Unlike the
majority of
military novels, which for the most part feature gallant heroes leading
their
troops into action, When Wars Were Won tells it like it is -
and
was.
True, there is action, there are fatalities, there is suffering and
there are
heroes, but there are also the tedious, monotonous routine, the
foul-ups, the
sexual encounters, the inedible food and incredible orders that veterans
will
remember as dominating their time in service.
Add When Wars Were Won to the list of must-read books and be
pleased
it was written by a former Cape Codder.
Zel Levin, The Cape Codder, Orleans,
MA
From the Author: This novel
stands in
stark contrast to the Vietnam experience. It portrays a world where
violence was
rational and men had a sense of mission. It recaptures how life used to
be.
Reviews of This Book
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