Before reading this book, I thought Monty was a pompous leader who held grudges. I have a new view of the man; he did hold grudges (he never forgave his mother and avoided her funeral), but he was well-trained and had vast experience in several theatres. I could not believe the variety of places he served.

He was an influential leader when he single-handedly turned around the troops' mood in Cairo, Egypt. At his arrival, the troops were in retreat mode and lacked the confidence to face Rommel, the Desert Fox. The troops were looking for defensive positions without considering offense. Monty immediately turned that around; morale improved tremendously, as the soldiers were more successful. The impressive thing about Monty is that he destroyed the mystique around Erwin Rommel through strategic positioning and fighting.

Generally, I downgrade a book when there is little info about the person's family under consideration. However, this author tells us what there was of Monty's personal life. Monty married late in life, after an adventure with a much younger woman. Then, he married a widow, and she died young. This situation left Monty with a son and two step-sons to raise.

I came away from this book with a new respect for Bernard Montgomery. He led an exciting and significant life.

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