The Book Thief for sure. The Persimmon Tree by Bryce Courtenay is quite good also. The Sands of Sakkara by Glenn Meade, Jackdaws by Follett, Empire of the Sun by Ballard and The Caine Mutiny by Wouk.
Best WWII novels
- Thread starter Kurben
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I highly recommend Sven Hassel's war novels. There are about 14 in the series. It's the adventures of a penal tank regiment mostly fighting in Russia during WW2. The soldiers are Germans, but don't worry; the novels are not at all pro-Nazi. On the contrary, they are in fact an indictment of the entire Nazi mentality. The first books are mostly serious, plausible war tales, while the later ones veer off into super-heroics from time to time. There's a great deal of gallows humor and many poignant touching moments alongside all the thrilling battle action. All in all, these books did more to drive home the grim harsh realities about war for me than any other books, and I have read many war novels in my life. If you want to know how bad and futile war really is, I would recommend these above any other books.