November 1942

An astonishing achievement * Antony Beevor *
By interweaving the detailed experiences of 39 individuals from all parts of the conflict, Englund presents an extraordinary panorama of this pivotal moment. A haunting narrative imaginatively conceived, brilliantly told * Julia Boyd *
Absolutely revelatory. A stunning tour de force. So much in here that is truly fresh and new. Englund chronicles the gripping tale of one month that changed everything in WWII, and it is so beautifully written and timeless. Once read, you'll want to return to this again and again * Damien Lewis *
What makes Englund's work original and remarkable is his narrative technique, which could be called 'the mosaic method' ... A coherent and moving portrait of a world at war * BBC History Magazine *
Majestic … This is an extraordinary evocation of a pivotal moment in the 20th century. Englund captures not only the gnawing tension, the moments of terror and the flinty endurance but also the fractal complexity of this global conflict. Resonantly written and utterly gripping, this book will stay with you * Sinclair MacKay *
Thought-provoking …Englund’s book … deserves an audience, to increase knowledge not only of this particular war, but also of the stupendous sacrifices and tragedies of all human conflicts * Sunday Times *
Succeed[s] in giving a very human (and, inevitably sometimes, inhuman) snapshot of events ... Thoroughly worth reading * Telegraph *
Superb ... a stimulating read * New Statesman *
The stories of the individual people featured make the global personal in an astonishing way * Alan Parks, Daily Express *Books of the 2023* *
Extraordinary ... with a scrupulous and skilful hand [Englund] has created an original panorama of humankind's most destructive war * New York Times *
A vivid portrait of that critical month, compiling first-hand testimony from a remarkable range of people ... Their stories offer a brilliant snapshot of the reality of war: miserable, boring and brutal – but illuminated with moments of humanity, heroism and glorious absurdity. -- Jane Shilling * Daily Mail *
This vivid chronicle of descent towards the abyss ... offers many thought-provoking insights ... Englund’s book, and his cast of characters, deserve an audience, to increase knowledge not only of this particular war, but also of the stupendous sacrifices and tragedies of all human conflicts -- Max Hastings * Sunday Times *
Brilliant [and] arresting ... The style is vivid and novelistic ... [November 1942's] complex multitude of narrative lines and the intensity in which they're presented make for the most absorbing and harrowing reading. It is a remarkably moving and humane book * Times Literary Supplement *
Engrossing … Englund’s approach echoes Homer’s Iliad which tries to understand at once the mayhem of war, the forces that drive it and the feelings its violence leaves behind … Englund’s tour de force casts a long shadow into our present – and its raw voices haunt me still * Wall Street Journal *
This gripping and propulsive account, expertly translated by Graves in lyrical prose, recreates the daily uncertainty of war as experienced by regular people ... It's a monumental work of history * Publishers Weekly *

**PRAISE FOR THE BEAUTY AND THE SORROW**

In four decades of studying war, I've never read such a remarkable book

* Washington Post *
A literary as well as a historical achievement * Guardian *
Intense and bighearted. ... The accounts of [these] lives can be terrifying or stirring, but are most fully alive in Englund's accumulation of small moments, stray details * New York Times *
A wonderfully wide and rich mosaic of personal experience from the First World War * Antony Beevor *
[Englund] conjures up the atmosphere over and over again with just a few stark words. I loved all the detail... inspiring * Margaret Forster *