J. Renton
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Normandy '44
- D-Day and the Epic 77-Day Battle for France
- De: James Holland
- Narrado por: John Sackville
- Duración: 24 h y 20 m
- Versión completa
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D-Day, June 6, 1944, and the 76 days of bitter fighting in Normandy that followed the Allied landing, have become the defining episode of World War II in the west - the object of books, films, television series, and documentaries. Yet as familiar as it is, as James Holland makes clear in his definitive history, many parts of the OVERLORD campaign, as it was known, are still shrouded in myth and assumed knowledge.
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Excellent account of Normandy but be weary...
- De S. H. Moore en 02-22-20
- Normandy '44
- D-Day and the Epic 77-Day Battle for France
- De: James Holland
- Narrado por: John Sackville
The whole battle with a British Perspective
Revisado: 09-09-20
James Holland is an excellent writer of popular
Military history. The war comes alive with his emphasis on personal anecdotes that are used to illustrate his larger points: 1) The British Empire forces were well led and had good equipment and were well organized 2) Germans had little chance by this point in the war, fought well on a tactical level but were strategically and operationally inept. 3 The Americans had amazing arms production 4 Airpower supremacy was a decisive factor. 5 French Resistance: brave but ultimately more of a political rather than particularly militarily useful. 6 Disagreements between British and American leadership have been over-emphasized and the ones that did occur were more often due to personality type conflicts rather than national prejudices
There is little emphasis on the landings themselves , with the exception of the airborne paratroopers. Much more on the aftermath . More stories about Brits and Canadians than Americans or Germans. Now, I’m not saying this is unfair or uninteresting, I suspect that’s where Mr. Holland has more of his primary sources.
At any rate, well worth a listen.
An aside on the narrator, John Sackville. When he started, I felt like he was narrating a sad fantasy story. I didn’t like him at first, and I sped up the playback. But I relaxed, turned the speed back to normal and discovered he was an excellent voice actor who could do many dialects, which is VERY helpful in an audiobook when quoting dialogue.
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The Battle of Britain
- Five Months That Changed History; May-October 1940
- De: James Holland
- Narrado por: Shaun Grindell
- Duración: 26 h y 40 m
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The Battle of Britain paints a stirring picture of an extraordinary summer when the fate of the world hung by a thread. Historian James Holland has now written the definitive account of those months based on extensive new research from around the world, including thousands of new interviews with people on both sides of the battle.
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The battle up to The Battle of Britain
- De Chiefkent en 11-07-17
- The Battle of Britain
- Five Months That Changed History; May-October 1940
- De: James Holland
- Narrado por: Shaun Grindell
Not Just About Air Battles
Revisado: 07-10-20
The cover is a bit misleading...it's not just about Spitfires and Me-109s. It has a broad scope, so it includes not only the Naval & Land Campaigns, and there includes detail about both political and domestic detail on both sides.
I have been reading - seriously - about the conflict for decades now, so I didn't I gain a whole lot of new information, but the narrative is sprightly and full of detailed nuggets of information that brings the conflict alive.
The narrator Shaun Grindell does a nice job too, and he brings a nice spirit to the work. I feel like I would enjoy a pint with him.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who has any interested enough to read this review so far!
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Suldrun’s Garden
- Lyonesse: Book 1
- De: Jack Vance
- Narrado por: Kevin T. Collins
- Duración: 18 h y 49 m
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The Elder Isles, located in what is now the Bay of Biscay off the coast of Old Gaul, are made up of 10 contending kingdoms, all vying with each other for control. At the centre of much of the intrigue is Casmir, the ruthless and ambitious king of Lyonnesse. His beautiful but otherworldly daughter, Suldrun, is part of his plans. He intends to cement an alliance or two by marrying her well. But Suldrun is as determined as he and defies him.
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Not my cup of tea
- De Ann en 01-10-11
- Suldrun’s Garden
- Lyonesse: Book 1
- De: Jack Vance
- Narrado por: Kevin T. Collins
Starts slow,,,gets really fun later on
Revisado: 07-19-10
Jack Vance is a great author, and helped create the fantasy genre with his Dying Earth series. This was written in his later period, and it is rich with both noble and mendacious characters and meandering, cynical digressions which can either drive you crazy or laugh with delight. With my 5 star rating you can safely count me in the later group.
Suldren's Garden is the first of the Lyonesse trilogy, & it takes a little while to get going. Stay with it, and by the end of the book, you can' wait for the next one.
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The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches
- De: Robert Stanek
- Narrado por: uncredited
- Duración: 5 h y 4 m
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After the Great War that divided the peoples, the kingdoms of men plunged into a Dark Age that lasted 500 years. To heal the lands and restore the light, the great kings decreed that magic and all that is magical, be it creature, man, or device, shall be cleansed to dust. The cleansing raged for so long that no human could recall a time without it and it is in this time that the Dark Lord Sathar returned from the dark beyond.
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No Wonder it Was a Top BookSense 76 Pick!
- De Patrick Y. en 04-24-05
- The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches
- De: Robert Stanek
- Narrado por: uncredited
Well, it's about Princesses and Elves and stuff...
Revisado: 10-31-05
I like SciFi and some Fantasy, but I don't live and breathe it.
The ratings for this series are incredible, so I took a chance and listened to it. It's just another Fantasy series, folks - it seemed a little underwritten to me, but maybe it picks up in later books, I don't know. I'm not going to spend the money to find out.
If you REALLY like this sort of thing, go for it. I was bored.
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The Only Victor
- De: Alexander Kent
- Narrado por: Michael Jayston
- Duración: 12 h y 30 m
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In February, 1806, the frigate carrying Vice-Admiral Sir Richard Bolitho drops anchor off the shores of southern Africa. Bolitho's instructions are to assist in hastening the campaign in Africa where an expeditionary force is attempting to recapture Cape Town from the Dutch. Bolitho is still brooding over the loss of his flagship, and hi socntinuing personal troubles are only brightened by his love for Catherine, Lady Somervell.
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Good Naval Fiction
- De J. Renton en 10-27-05
- The Only Victor
- De: Alexander Kent
- Narrado por: Michael Jayston
Good Naval Fiction
Revisado: 10-27-05
If you can't get enough of Forester's Hornblower and O'Brien's Aubrey/Maturin series, the Alexander Kent Bolhito Novels are a great addition. I would describe the series as more soapy than Forester's Hornblower series, but with about as much action. Not nearly as much historical and romantic meandering (which has its own charm, of course) as O'Brien's series.
Although new to Audible.com, I listened to this recording as a Book on Tape several years ago, and I am thrilled to see its arrival.
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Don't Know Much About History
- Everything You Need to Know About American History
- De: Kenneth C. Davis
- Narrado por: Jeff Wooden
- Duración: 18 h y 31 m
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When Don't Know Much About History first appeared, it created a sensation. With humor, great stories, and a trademark conversational style, the audiobook brought Americans a fresh new take on history. Davis proved that Americans don't hate history - they just hate the dull textbook version they were force-fed in school.
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Here they go again!
- De Michael en 04-27-03
- Don't Know Much About History
- Everything You Need to Know About American History
- De: Kenneth C. Davis
- Narrado por: Jeff Wooden
You still won't know much!
Revisado: 06-05-03
As a history buff, perhaps I am the wrong person to review this text. You see, I like to read history, and so I have found this text not full of fascinating facts, but rather, a dull book in question and answer format.
Furthermore, and disturbingly, I found that whenever I was listening to a part of American History that I knew well, I came upon errors, or at least questionable conclusions.
I wish I could quote them here for the purposes of this review, but unfortunately I can only go by memory, as these are spoken books. A couple of examples:
In the Civil War section, there is a comment about Grant earning his sobriquet, "Unconditional Surrender" for the battle of Vicksburg (he earned it earlier for the Fort Donelson campaign). Later on, there is a comment about Sherman starting a campaign in "Sheridan" (surely, Meridian??).
The WWI section is miserable, and over simplifies an admittedly complex situation. It is too easy on Imperial Germany's responsibility in starting the war, and implies the atrocities the German army committed in Belgium and France in 1914 are mere stories. Great Britain was not strictly obligated to join in the war. This is all a very complicated subject, and I have to wonder why it is even included in the book, which is about American History after all.
In conclusion, the Q&A format lets the author pick and choose what questions to answer, and by no means do you get a complete story. Perhaps that wasn't his point, but you have to wonder what it was (besides making money, that is).
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