ALEX The Life of Field Marshal Earl Alexander of Tunis

The biography's subject is the British WWII general known mostly for his hand in the defeat of General Rommel's Africa Corps. Howard's interpretation of the somewhat dry story furnishes a pleasant companion for history students. His narrative style maintains an even pace, and his momentum seems unhurried. The author provides the narrator with a little poetry to work with and a few quotes, but Howard avoids the opportunity to exploit them, even just a little, with changes of voice or inflection. The field marshal is portrayed as so perfect in every way that one wonders if he was really so godlike or whether some blemishes have been ignored. J.A.H. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/ SEP 01]