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Title: A hackneyed repot with limited critical interpretation
Review: This book is a popular retelling of the lives of four major figures, all of whom were marked by the horror of the Great World War I. Gene Smith, a well-known author, puts these lives in the dramatic context of the First and, for Petain and Eden, Second World War. There is little that ties these four lives together, and the book is strong on atmosphere but weak on analysis and interpretation. Smith's thesis centers around his proposed study of the reason for demise of such great men. He cites this reason as being WWI, which pulled these men from the history in which they were so great, and placed them in a 'new' world that would require new men with new minds to develop. A strong point thus is made, though Smith does little to give any fresh perspectives whatsoever in his analysis.
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