Reviews for Up Country (Paul Brenner Series #2)

The average rating for Up Country (Paul Brenner Series #2) based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2011-09-02 00:00:00 Andrew Tomilson As a non-American, my knowledge of the Vietnam war was virtually nil. This book changed that significantly: it's not a chronological account of the battles but, as the story unfolds, it fulfils that role. It's set long after the war ended and features a veteran re-treading his steps as he carries out a mission on behalf of the military police. Anyone who has read The General's Daughter will recognise the lead character, Paul, Brenner. The inspiration for the story was a post war visit made to Vietnam by the author and some of his friends - all Vietnam veterans. Brenner was chosen as the vehicle for this tale as he is an established character who had completed two tours to the country, during the war. It's a long book (over 850 pages) but, for me, it flowed so easily it belied its length. Brenner (like many of DeMille's characters) is a wise cracking smart ass and I laughed a lot reading this book. But there's a lot more than that here and I felt I learnt a lot and gained a reasonable perspective on what happened through those dark times and why. I also thoroughly enjoyed the engrossing tale. Great read.

Review # 2 was written on 2010-08-08 00:00:00 Nick Sanders This book was probably one of the most compelling representations of Vietnam I've ever been exposed to: the war, reflections on the war, and present-day - at least, when the main story takes place, in '97. What I mean by that is that I developed a deeper understanding of the people, their tenacity, and various things that occurred during the war. I haven't changed my opinion that the Communist North should have been crushed like a bug (we could have done it, we just lacked the will - and the South Vietnamese citizens paid the price when we left). DeMille's writing really put me in the situation and I felt like I was there, experiencing what was happening, right along with Paul Brennar. This was probably one of his deepest books yet - and that's saying a lot since I adore his other character so much more (John Corey). The reason I took off a star was because of the length. I felt like it took the same amount of time to listen to it as the length of time in which the story takes place (two weeks). It really didn't take me *that* long, of course, but the writing style, the depth of description, and the plot were so involved that when it was over and done with I felt about as wiped out as Brennar's character did when the story came to a close. On the flip side, if everything hadn't been as well developed as it was, I wouldn't have had such a rich listening experience. Once again, Scott Brick's narration was excellent.