Rating: 
Summary: AWESOME!
Review: This is the best war book I have ever read, and I've read a lot! Once I started, I could not put it down. Unlike many dry accounts of World War II battles, this book reads more like a novel. The author provides tremendous insight into the lives of the soldiers, and does not shy away from the horrifying details, vividly conveying the sweep and shear brutality of this epic battle. Trsut me - this book is one awesome read.
Rating: 
Summary: A great book
Review: A fascinating account of a pivotal World War II battle
Rating:
Summary: A grim portrait of hell on Earth
Review: I've been interested in WWII since seeing Saving Private Ryan, and I picked up Stalingrad on a whim. I was amazed at how completely drawn in I was by Beevor's no-frills narrarative; he really made me feel the fear and terror (and ultimately hopelessness) of the soldiers, both German and Russian, caught up in the siege. The descriptions of casual brutality and violence sometimes defied belief, but there were also some fine examples of mankind at its best; people rising above the despair around them to become heroes. Read the book, and see if you don't feel like cheering when the Red Army succeeds in it's desperate gamble to retake Stalingrad. Superb; Simply one of the best non-fiction books I've read. Ever.
Rating: 
Summary: split decision
Review: I am of two minds about this book. First, I agree with the previous posters who are critical of the author's writing style. He is just not a very cogent writer and has a difficult time organizing his thoughts. However, if you stick with it -- and work through the slow, meandering parts (of which there are plenty) -- this book tells a truly remarkable story. As you read it, you have to keep reminding yourself that all this senseless carnage and the atrocities on all sides really occurred in the mid 20th Century -- not some ancient, "barbaric" time.This book illuminated a great deal about what is truly one of the transcendant events of the 20th Century -- the turning point in the war that defined the second half of the century. So here's my recommendation: If you want to be "entertained," you probably should pass on "Stalingrad;" if you want to be educated, then I think you'll find the book first-rate.
Rating:
Summary: Beyond War
Review: Anthony Beevor's work will certainly not be the last word on the battle for Stalingrad, but it is the first I have read that actually takes it well beyond pins stuck on maps and megalomaniacs sitting comfortably back in Moscow and Berlin. Most of the ordinary Russian and German soldiers involved died (figuratively)--hundreds of thousands of them--long before the bullets or the freezing cold got them, and Beevor conveys this slow, hellish destruction very sharply, with literary finesse.
Rating: 
Summary: Very one-sided
Review: The author does a wonderful job describing what went on within German command during the battle, but same level of detail is lacking for the Soviet command. Virtually 80% of the book is written from the German point of view. This is not surprising since the bibliography contains barely 3% of Russian sources. This makes for a very boring take on this crucial battle.
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Summary: Needs more maps
Review: A good book, but it suffers from the lack of detailed maps. You'll need a good atlas of WW II to follow the action and the units involved.
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Summary: Quality overview of the Battle of Stalingrad
Review: Mr. Beevor writes an exceptional overview of what is the pivotal battle on the eastern front during World War II. However, he doesn't adequately portray the nature of the conflict within Stalingrad. I was disappointed that he didn't dicuss in detail the street fighting and urban warfare that fixed the Nazi 6th Army within Stalingrad. This is the crucial element of the battle and the decisive point that facilitates massive envelopements by the Soviet armies. A good read both for its content and substantive value, I recommend this book to any student of military history or history in general.
Rating:
Summary: A Classic
Review: The history of the battle of Stalingrad is extremely complex. It was probably the turning point in World War II and as such has been subject to numerous analyses. Having seen a few of these about (including a novel written in French in 1946), and having seen Anthony Beevor's 'Stalingrad' on the bestsellers list in Hodges & Figgis for the previous year, only moving from hardback to paperback, I decided that for my upcoming train journey, I would read it. I had made a major mistake. Travelling from Paris to Geneva to Rome by train within 24 hours is difficult enough with enough sleep, but Mr. Beevor forced me to stay riveted to his text, disregarding my wonderful scheme to teach myself Italian before arriving in Rome. Despite the pain suffered that day, I am thouroughly satisfied that I did the right thing on the train and that, compared to my experience reading the book, sleep would have been a major disappointment. Incedentally, in Rome I read a book called "The Punic Wars" by Nigel Bagnall, which I also recommend strongly
Rating:
Summary: One of the strongest non-fiction books I have ever read
Review: I found this book absolutely gripping from the first page. Beevor's style is both lucid and yet thorough. The only thing that slowed down my reading was a difficulty in digesting the terrible inhumanities of war, and this battle in particular. Very well done.
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