the Battlefield to the Big Screen: Famous Actors of the Second World WarI was a little surprised by Melody Foreman's From the Battlefield to the Big Screen, but in a good way. My expectations may have been low, so many books that center celebrities tend toward fluff. Foreman gives the stories of these stars but also does a very good job of telling the history of the war that surrounds their specific experiences within it.

I guess what I am trying to say is that this is a very interesting mix of biography, filmmaking, and history. While I appreciate this as the book's strength, I can see where some readers might, initially, see it as a weakness. If you come to the book expecting primarily biography, for example, you could feel let down. Let me simply make the suggestion that you adjust your expectations to what the book is and not what it never claimed to be. Like me, you may find yourself enjoying a much wider story and learning how some dots connect between those three areas.

I would recommend this to anyone with an interest in WWII, WWII films, and cinematic stars of the period. There really is a lot here to engage with.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. I was intrigued by this book because I am a film fan and recognize the four stars she covers in this book. We not only learn the backstory of each of the key actors (Audie Murphy,

Laurence Olivier (Vivian Leigh) and Dirk Bogarde)., we also learn about their wartime experiences which I had not really known. This is an interesting read but at times tedious and yet other times not comprehensive enough -- hard to strike the right balance. I am more interested in the making of films than I am about military battles so found myself a bit bored when it went into detail of different battles, etc. But for those readers who are interested in WWII history and are familiar with these stars, this would be a great read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Pen & Sword for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. 3.75 stars. This features the military service of three actors in WW2 - Audie Murphy, Laurence Olivier and Dirk Bogarde, describing their work in the military, and how this then informed their acting work afterwards. Interesting and fascinating. I do feel I learned something from the book, and I am motivated to now watch some of the films mentioned here in this book.

I received a free ARC copy of this via NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review. Apologies for the delay in providing this.