Stalingrad

The Fateful Siege: 1942-1943

By: Antony Beevor

Narrated by: George Guidall

In August 1942, an overconfident Adolf Hitler would attempt to invade Stalin's namesake city on the Volga. The battle of Stalingrad is extraordinary in every way: the triumphant invader fought to a standstill; then the Soviet trap sprung, surrounding their attackers; and the terrible siege, with Germans starving and freezing, forced to fight on by a disbelieving Hitler. Now Antony Beevor tells the story as it has never been told before, recounting the strategic brilliance and fatal flaws of the notorious generals, while telling the incredible tale from a soldier's-eye view. The author incorporates Russian reports on desertions and executions that have never been seen by Western scholars, German transcripts of prisoner interrogations, and private letters and diaries to re-create the human drama of the most terrible battle in modern warfare.

&169; Antony Beevor; (P) and ©1998 Penguin AudioBooks

Critic reviews

"A fantastic and sobering story...fully and authoritatively told." (The New York Times)

"Stalingrad's heart-piercing tragedy needed a chronicler with acute insight into human nature as well as the forces of history. Antony Beevor is that historian." (The Wall Street Journal)

"Easily the most complete and objective picture of the battle's scale and ferocity that American readers have ever read." (Dallas Morning News)

Excellent. Flows beautifully.

Such excellent descriptions of landscape and vivid details of individuals creates an audible book that’s easy to follow and easy to understand given the depth and scope of the battle.

Solid but a bit cold

Fascinating content, but lacked a bit of the human element amidst all of the plot points - was hoping for a bit more of Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History approach - getting into the psychology and experience of the the soldiers on the ground.

Good story, quick listen

This gives great insight into the battle. Not frills, gets straight to the point and keeps on going.

Comprehensive

Good Review from German and Russian perspective. Like it it it it it it it it

Eh

It covered the lead up and aftermath of Stalingrad, but there are certainly better authors out there. Many times I found myself wondering why the author included such details, as he never explained the significance.

Very good account

Despite being an abridged book, the listener is treated to an engaging account of the battle of Stalingrad. The book is short but I didn't feel short-changed.

Great book, old recording with poor sound

Here's an excellent book whose value (at least in audio format) is diminished by an old, poor quality recording. Audible could at least remaster the recording to make it sound a bit better and louder.

Husband's choice on car trip!

Would you try another book from Antony Beevor and/or George Guidall?

Husband did read another book on WWII by Beevor and liked it. Guidall was good but I thought the info dry.

Would you recommend Stalingrad to your friends? Why or why not?

No- didn't like the story.

What three words best describe George Guidall’s voice?

Okay-Listenable-Articulate

Was Stalingrad worth the listening time?

No

Any additional comments?

The reality is that we would probably pick the book again because of husband's interest.

Great book. Recording itself needs better EQ

The book itself is great. Dry but very educational.

Only reason I’m giving it 4 out of 5 stars is the audio recording is clearly a little older and could use a bit of EQ enhancement because you get a bit more bass then you’d like from a recording but still worth a listen if you’re interested in the topic.

Great listen, dated audio quality.

Small listen compared to others of similar setting. It really compliments longer books with its collection of first person anecdotes and statistical analysis. The audio quality is poor but that tracks for when it was recorded.