The Restless Wave Audiobook By Admiral James Stavridis USN cover art

The Restless Wave

A Novel of the United States Navy (Scott Bradley James, Book 1)

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The Restless Wave

By: Admiral James Stavridis USN
Narrated by: Marc Cashman
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About this listen

The Restless Wave is not only a stirring and gripping story of the sea, but also of love and war and leadership. Admiral Stavridis’s sweeping knowledge of history and life in the Navy shines on every page, imbuing this work with authenticity and power.”—David Grann, #1 NYT bestselling author of Killers of the Flower Moon

“In the engaging tradition of Herman Wouk and Patrick O’Brian, Admiral James Stavridis has given us a fascinating novel of one young man’s—and one great nation’s—war at sea. The book is at once entertaining and illuminating, touching on the most fundamental of human themes with deftness and an appreciation of the immense achievements of the United States Navy in the deadliest of eras.”—Jon Meacham

From the New York Times bestselling former NATO commander comes a riveting historical novel that charts the coming-of-age of a gifted but immature young naval officer as he is tested in the crucible of World War II in the Pacific

Scott Bradley James arrives in Annapolis, Maryland, as a plebe in the class of 1941 without a terribly good idea why he wants to be a naval officer, other than that his father was a sailor, and he wants to see the world, whatever that means. Scott and his roommate become fast friends, and, after surviving scrapes of their own making, the two fetch up at Pearl Harbor. War is brewing, and their class has graduated early. They have been sent to battle stations.

Admiral James Stavridis is an acclaimed novelist, a decorated military leader, and a great student of military history. He draws on it all to capture the experience of being storm-tossed by the bloody first years of the Second World War. Scott Bradley James is a talented young officer, but he has a lot to learn. And war will have a lot to teach him.

The Restless Wave offers a gripping account of the U.S. Navy’s astonishing progress through the first three years of the war in the Pacific, from Pearl Harbor through to Midway, Guadalcanal, and the Coral Sea. A story of character under pressure in the harshest of proving grounds, it is written with careful fidelity to the truths of war that have made sea stories essential to the art of storytelling since Odysseus.

©2024 Admiral James Stavridis, USN (P)2024 Penguin Audio
Political War & Military World War II Military War
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Critic reviews

“Fascinating . . . The descriptions of warfare at Midway and other Pacific theaters are exhilarating . . . Stavridis is a gifted dramatizer of naval warfare.” Booklist

“A satisfying novel . . . The author immerses the reader in the world of the Navy and cannily mixes fictional characters with real ones such as Admiral ‘Bull’ Halsey and Commander Wade McClusky. This well-told tale is worthy of The Caine Mutiny and In Harm’s Way.” Publishers Weekly

“In the engaging tradition of Herman Wouk and Patrick O’Brian, Admiral James Stavridis has given us a fascinating novel of one young man’s—and one great nation’s—war at sea. The book is at once entertaining and illuminating, touching on the most fundamental of human themes with deftness and an appreciation of the immense achievements of the United States Navy in the deadliest of eras.” —Jon Meacham, author of And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle

What listeners say about The Restless Wave

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Great nuance by the author telling the story.

I liked everything and particularly that there will be another sequel to complete the story.

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Interesting insight into the World War II era US Navy

I loved the description of a midshipman’s life at the US Naval Academy during the years immediately preceding World War II. Also the details of life aboard US Navy vessels were fascinating. The book evinces firsthand knowledge of navy life, which is worth the read.

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It is a perfect blend of real history and wonderful story of human nature

I loved the fact that manning the characters were real people with real contributions to the war effort

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Wonderful

Such a strong work of historical fiction. It brings a new level of authenticity to the genre. No exaggeration. I’ve read a lot of the history of the pacific in WWII and this lines up so tightly and really brings it to life. Thank you. Godspeed on the next works!

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The closeness that occurs in times of war.

This story reminded me of the growth in me as a student and ROTC graduate during the Vietnam War.

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Leadership

Great story. I love history and this book brings to life World War 2. The history of the battleships was very interesting. I wonder how they classified the battleships after great admirals.

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It's as if John Grisham wrote a historical novel!

If John Grisham ever wrote a historical novel, this is how good it would turn out! The Restless Wave is a another masterpiece from Admiral James Stavridis. It weaves together key aspects of WWII through the eyes of a U.S. Navy officer protagonist who is working his way through life and his career. The author delivers a unique and engaging way of looking at WWII, and it's great that the book also brings a human side to this history as well. Give it a read or listen - you can't go wrong!

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Shows great promise

First off I greatly admire the Admiral/author, and I thank him for his leadership and service. Pretty impressive book. Especially I liked the details of Annapolis and daily ship life.I felt claustrophobic when small spaces below desk were described.
Books action/warfare sections may need a little injection of drama. Our writer is not yet Bernard Cornwellish in describing battle scenes. I look forward to Book 2.

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It puts you in the middle of WWII and the Naval war of the Pacific. Historical, accurate and enthralling.

If you are the Naval history buff I am, you’ll love this journey of a young Naval officer working his way from the Academy into the fleet and into WWII.

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Surprisingly ok

I'm well over half-way through. The narration is solid although the Irish brogue parts are annoying and unnecessary. I should finish before reviewing but I may not make it to the end. It is hard to hear through the loud rattling of skeletal bones in the closet of my Navy experience. I have no good memories so, I have issues. One nitpick: the term grunt entered our lexicon in the Vietnam War years. A few bigger issues. As an expert I would venture to say that it would be next to impossible for someone experiencing a lower limb amputation, even a USNA graduate descending from Mount Olympus to mix with us mere mortals, to be at work behind a desk a few days after the event but I could be wrong. Also. I am not sure race relations in south Florida before the War were as rosy as is suggested but I would hope to be wrong about this also. Because wokeness is being run out of town on a rail these days I won't get into some women's issues in the book. The author does a good job of depicting the Good Ole' (White) Boy network of the Navy. Writing historical fiction is hard but the author does an admirable job (should I say Admiral job?). It is not quite up to Herman Wouk's War and Remembrance, but nothing is - oops, unless it is War and Peace by Tolstoy. Worth a listen at least.

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