A very well written book. I didn't find it quite as fascinating as An Army at Dawn, the first book in the trilogy, but I think that's because the Italian campaign was a more slow-paced, ugly bit of war. Atkinson does a good job of telling the stories of the officers and the men. Unfortunately, he seems to relish including quotes by men who use a lot of foul language. There are good maps throughout, an essential ingredient in any war book.

As for the campaign itself, I think I have to agree with the general consensus. The fight in Italy did little toward the overall war effort. But after the African campaign, there was an entire year until D-Day. Americans had to be fighting Germans somewhere and Italy was the most convenient place. So the campaign had to be fought.