Discover the Best Sellers Audiobooks in History, 20th Century

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Title: A Bridge Too Far

Author: Cornelius Ryan

Narrator: Clive Chafer

Format: Unabridged

Length: 18 hrs and 11 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-27-12

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 413 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

The classic account of one of the most dramatic battles of World War II.

A Bridge Too Faris Cornelius Ryans masterly chronicle of the Battle of Arnhem, which marshaled the greatest armada of troop-carrying aircraft ever assembled and cost the Allies nearly twice as many casualties as D-day.

In this compelling work of history, Ryan narrates the Allied effort to end the war in Europe in 1944 by dropping the combined airborne forces of the American and British armies behind German lines to capture the crucial bridge across the Rhine at Arnhem.

Focusing on a vast cast of characters - from Dutch civilians to British and American strategists to common soldiers and commanders - Ryan brings to life one of the most daring and ill-fated operations of the war.A Bridge Too Farsuperbly recreates the terror, suspense, heroism, and tragedy of this epic operation, which ended in bitter defeat for the Allies.

About the author: Cornelius Ryan (19201974), born in Dublin, Ireland, became one of the preeminent war correspondents of his time, flying fourteen bombing missions with the US Eighth and Ninth Air Forces. He is the author of numerous books, including several classics of military history, which have appeared throughout the world in nineteen languages. He was awarded the Legion of Honor by the French government in 1973.

Critic Reviews:

I know of no other work of literature of World War II as moving, as awesome, and as accurate in its portrayal of human courage. (General James M. Gavin)

Ryan masters a spare, strong style to deliver a battle that has much of the majesty and beauty of classic tragedy. (

Kirkus Reviews)

Members Reviews:

Great story much better than the movie

Where does A Bridge Too Far rank among all the audiobooks youve listened to so far?

The research is good and goes so much further than the movie. The characters are complex and one has to remember that they are real. The inability of the allies to manage the campaign makes you wonder what would have happened if the German units were at full strength. The characterization of Field Marshall Montgomery is consistent with most books I've read. The inability of the allies to react nimbly was a result of too big a hierarchy; much like the Pentagon or many corporations. The inefficiency of the German military was unmatched. The saddest part of the book is the fate of the Dutch population who were simply in the way of Montgomery's unending need for glory. His "dagger thrust" strategy was tried and it failed despite the "90%" success.

How could the performance have been better?

Clive Chafer gives monotone delivery a bad name. Not awful but has the most creative and fantastic monotone ever heard. The story is too compelling to put you to sleep but his delivery reminds one of a flat landscape that uses a mouse's foot prints for mountains.

Listen to the book, watch the movie

The movie is referred to as "A Hour Too Long" and it is a long film (3hrs). The book though brings clarity and if you wish to watch the film, I suggest listening to this book; before, after or during it does not matter. Spoiler alert, the cavalry doesn't quite make it. What you do get from this book is a clear understanding of what happen, what went wrong and possibly a good answer to the question of why. This is the 'boys own adventure' to battle and even if you are not into history, is a good yarn.

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Title: Hell in the Pacific

Subtitle: A Marine Rifleman's Journey from Guadalcanal to Peleliu

Author: Jim McEnery, Bill Sloan

Narrator: Robert Fass

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 8 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-05-12

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 95 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

In what may be the last memoir to be published by a living veteran of the pivotal invasion of Guadalcanal, which occurred almost 70 years ago, Marine Jim McEnery has teamed up with author Bill Sloan to create an unforgettably immersive chronicle of horror and heroism.

Made famous by the HBO miniseries The Pacific, McEnery's rifle company - the legendary K/3/5 of the First Marine Division - fought in some of the most ferocious battles of the Pacific. In arresting detail, the author takes us back to Guadalcanal, where the Americans turned the tide of war against the Japanese; Cape Gloucester, where 1,300 Marines were killed or wounded; and to bloody Peleliu, where McEnery assumed command of the company and helped speed the final defeat of the Japanese garrison.

From his evocative recollections of hand-to-hand fighting and the loss of buddies in hellish fighting to his frank portraits of legends like Colonel Lewis Chesty Puller and General Douglas MacArthur, McEnery's gritty narrative is as valuable for its insights on a war increasingly lost to memory as it is terrifying and engrossing - a master work that no one interested in military history can afford to pass up.

Members Reviews:

true history a must listen or read

as a grandson whose grandfather served on the Centaurs during the war for the pacific. My grandfather passed before I could learn about his life aboard his ship. I do remember him saying to my mother that if it wasn't for what the Marines and what they had to do we wouldn't be living in the US as we know it today.. the books like this help me to understand my grandfather and his generation and understand the world i live in today. Thank you to the authors for sharing.

Great Memoir of a fighting Marine

A fascinating and important memoir by one of the last surviving veterans of many Pacific battles.

Highly Recommended!

Badass

This guy was in the thick of it. What a true hero and legend. He spares no detail when talking of the horrors and killing that he witnessed.

1 of the BEST!!!

Although I have a variety of audible genres, a constant favorite of mine however, are WWII (and specifically Pacific Theater) books. Among the 15 or so in my collection, this account finds itself comfortably on the same shelf / tier as my other three favorite Pacific Theater war accounts:

With The Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa

-E.B. Sledge

Bloody Ridge, and Beyond

-Marlin Groft

The Ultimate Battle

-Bill Sloan

outstanding

this is a detailed story of a marine in K 35. fantastic book. highly recommended.

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Title: Castles of Steel

Author: Robert K. Massie

Narrator: Richard Matthews

Format: Unabridged

Length: 40 hrs and 22 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-27-12

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 245 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

In a work of extraordinary narrative power, filled with brilliant personalities and vivid scenes of dramatic action, Robert K. Massie, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Peter the Great, Nicholas and Alexandra, and Dreadnought, elevates to its proper historical importance the role of sea power in the winning of the Great War.

The predominant image of this first world war is of mud and trenches, barbed wire, machine guns, poison gas, and slaughter. A generation of European manhood was massacred, and a wound was inflicted on European civilization that required the remainder of the twentieth century to heal.

But with all its sacrifice, trench warfare did not win the war for one side or lose it for the other. Over the course of four years, the lines on the Western Front moved scarcely at all; attempts to break through led only to the lengthening of the already unbearably long casualty lists.

For the true story of military upheaval, we must look to the sea. On the eve of the war in August 1914, Great Britain and Germany possessed the two greatest navies the world had ever seen. When war came, these two fleets of dreadnoughts - gigantic floating castles of steel able to hurl massive shells at an enemy miles away - were ready to test their terrible power against each other.

Their struggles took place in the North Sea and the Pacific, at the Falkland Islands and the Dardanelles. They reached their climax when Germany, suffocated by an implacable naval blockade, decided to strike against the British ring of steel. The result was Jutland, a titanic clash of fifty-eight dreadnoughts, each the home of a thousand men.

When the German High Seas Fleet retreated, the kaiser unleashed unrestricted U-boat warfare, which, in its indiscriminate violence, brought a reluctant America into the war. In this way, the German effort to seize the trident by defeating the British navy led to the fall of the German empire.

Ultimately, the distinguishing feature of Castles of Steel is the author himself. The knowledge, understanding, and literary power Massie brings to this story are unparalleled. His portrayals of Winston Churchill, the British admirals Fisher, Jellicoe, and Beatty, and the Germans Scheer, Hipper, and Tirpitz are stunning in their veracity and artistry.

Castles of Steel is about war at sea, leadership and command, courage, genius, and folly. All these elements are given magnificent scope by Robert K. Massies special and widely hailed literary mastery.

From the Hardcover edition.

Critic Reviews:

Praise for Robert K. Massies Dreadnought:

Dreadnought is history in the grand manner, as most people prefer it: how people shaped, or were shaped by, events. (Time)

A classic [that] covers superbly a whole era...engrossing in its glittering gallery of characters. (Chicago Sun-Times)

[Told] on a grand scale...Massie [is] a master of historical portraiture and anecdotage. (The Wall Street Journal)

Members Reviews:

Stick With It!

I'm glad I did. I stopped listening a few different times, went on to other newer books, but always returned once complete. I flew through the second half of this book....once Massie gets the main characters introduced it really picks up. I am a history enthusiast, but admittedly knew next to nothing about WWI naval engagements aside from the famous sinking of Louisitania and perhaps one other.

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Title: Joe Rochefort's War

Subtitle: The Odyssey of the Codebreaker Who Outwitted Yamamoto at Midway

Author: Elliot Carlson

Narrator: Danny Campbell

Format: Unabridged

Length: 22 hrs and 48 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-18-12

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 88 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

Elliot Carlson's biography of Captain Joe Rochefort is the first to be written of the officer who headed the U.S. Navy's decrypt unit at Pearl Harbor and broke the Japanese Navy's code before the Battle of Midway. Listeners will share Rochefort's frustrations as he searches in vain for Yamamoto's fleet prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and share his joy when he succeeds in tracking the fleet in early 1942 and breaks the code that leads him to believe Yamamoto's invasion target is Midway.

His conclusions, bitterly opposed by some top navy brass, are credited with making the U.S. victory possible and helping change the course of the war. The author tells the story of how opponents in Washington forced Rochefort's removal from the decrypt unit at Pearl and denied him the Distinguished Service Medal recommended by Admiral Nimitz.

In capturing the interplay of policy and personality and the role played by politics at the highest levels of the Navy, Carlson reveals a side of the intelligence community seldom seen by outsiders.

For a full understanding of the man, Carlson examines Rochefort's love-hate relationship with cryptanalysis, his adventure-filled years in the 1930s as the right-hand man to the Commander in Chief of the U.S. Fleet, and his return to code-breaking in mid-1941 as the officer in charge of Station Hypo at Pearl Harbor. He traces Rochefort's career from his enlistment in 1918 to his posting in Washington as head of the Navy's code-breaking desk at age 25, and beyond. In many ways a reinterpretation of Rochefort, the book makes clear the key role his codebreaking played in the outcome of Midway and the legacy he left of reporting actionable intelligence directly to the fleet.

An epilogue describes efforts waged by Rochefort's colleagues to obtain the medal denied him in 1942, a drive that finally paid off in 1986, when the medal was awarded posthumously.

Critic Reviews:

"The stuff of a wartime thriller." (The Wall Street Journal)

Members Reviews:

Amazingly engaging

How in the world do you make a 22 hour audiobook about an obscure Naval officer from 70 years ago work? Well, Elliot Carlson/Danny Campbell find a way. A large portion of this book is dedicated to a detailed account (almost day by day) of code-breaking in the Pacific theater from mid-1941 to mid-1942 period, but it's not boring. Before and after those detailed accounts is the story of Joe Rochefort and his career's many highs and lows; a compelling story itself.

Obviously, this is a book meant for people with a high level of interest in WWII (like me) and I can't imagine my wife sitting through even 30 minutes of this book. However, even for someone who finds the stories from WWII compelling, this could have been TMI if not written with as much care and style.

Danny Campbell's reading is adequate. He does have an occasional inflection/emphasis issue when pronouncing certain words and names (e.g. "Rabaul" comes out as "ra-BOW-el"), but overall it does not detract from the story.

Finally, when writing a book about a somewhat controversial figure from this period, Carlson could have sided with Rochefort unilaterally to make his subject an absolute hero.

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Title: Hell Above Earth

Subtitle: The Incredible True Story of an American WWII Bomber Commander and the Copilot Ordered to Kill Him

Author: Stephen Frater

Narrator: Pete Larkin

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 31 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-29-12

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 31 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

Hell Above Earth tells an unforgettable story of two World War II American bomber pilots who forged an unexpected but enduring bond in the flak-filled skies over Nazi Germany. But there's a twist: one of them was related to the head of the Luftwaffe, Reich Marshal Herman Goering, and the other had secret orders from FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover to kill him if anything went wrong during their missions. A heart-wrenching Greatest Generation buddy story, an adrenaline-filled account of aerial combat, and a work of popular history, Hell Above Earth centers around the author's discovery of a half-century old secret that has far-reaching and deeply personal repercussions for the pilots, and profound consequences for the FBI and the "Mighty" Eighth Air Force.

Critic Reviews:

"After the twists and turns in Goering's many missions, Frater finishes with a stunning revelation. . . the author delivers an exciting read full of little-known facts about the war. A WWII thrill ride." (

Kirkus)

Members Reviews:

A very unusual story

Two very interesting men are descibed in this book. This is one of those stories which lack much historical significance yet is interesting none less. There were parts of the story where I got lost as the author was trying to provide context. Not always sure that the context or asides were necessary. Not sure the author was following a linear time line or not. Still quite an unusual story. I don't want to give away the story as you're quickly told why this pilot can not fall in to German hands.

Dry as dust

This book wasnt for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

Someone who would enjoy reading, say, the US tax code.

Any additional comments?

Terrible book. The time devoted to the story line would have added up to maybe 31 minutes. The other 9 hours was a collection of disjointed stories, thumbnail biographies and statistics.Pete Larkins narration was dry as could be, although in retrospect, it's a wonder he didn't fall asleep during it....

Yawwwwwnnnnnn.......

This is probably the most boring book I have ever listened to. If I wanted a pre-war history lesson about Hermann Goering, J. Edgar Hoover and even Charles Lindburgh, I would not have looked for it in a book touted to be an "Incredible True Story of an American WWII Bomber Commander". It's about Werner Goering, the nephew of the Nazi Reichsmarschall and Commander of the German Luftwaffe who immigrated ti the US prior to the war and became a B-17 Bomber pilot. Consequently, his family relationships (and name) caused great concern to the FBI.

lost the story midway

Was a good book, but midway lost its story and got carried away with random stories elsewhere in the war unrelated to the book. found this went on until the end of the book where it came back to its original story. in a nutshell, started off great, got a bit random then finished with both guys lufe after the war.

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Title: Recondo: LRRPs in the 101st Airborne

Author: Larry Chambers

Narrator: Brian Hallas

Format: Abridged

Length: 2 hrs

Language: English

Release date: 02-20-12

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 34 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

Author Larry Chambers vividly describes the guts and courage it took to pass the though volunteer-only training program in Nha Tarng to be part of the 5th Special Forces Recondo School, the hair-raising graduation mission to scout out, locate, and out-guerilla the NVA. Here is an unforgettable account that follows Chambers and the Rangers every step of the way--from joining, going through Recondo, and finally leading his own team on white-knuckle missions through the jungle hell of Vietnam.

Critic Reviews:

I made this book mandatory reading for my Rangers.... We went from the worst platoon in the regiment to the best platoon in six months. In training wed get to the objective so fast they had to hold us back. (US Army Master Sergeant H. "Max" Mullen Ret. 75th Ranger Regiment)

Members Reviews:

Finally, a good book!

I loved this book because it's a first hand account of a Long Range Patrol soldier in Vietnam. It isn't some liberal writer's third hand account. It isn't a dry overarching history of the Vietnam War. It is the very interesting story of a very interesting job.

This is not the entire organizational book!!

I've read Mr Chamber's book many times and this is a shitty chopped up version with some Clint Eastwood want a be reading and mispronouncing much of the people, places, and things from the Vietnam war.

Do not waste your time nor money. Buy the paperback book and enjoy the entire story for a better price than this crap.

Recondo LRRPs

I liked this book and had read this very story in the three books of Recon called Six Silent Men, which I would recommend Audible to have in their store. They are very very good books as I served in a Recon Co. in Viet Nam.

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Title: Lost Kingdom

Subtitle: Hawaii's Last Queen, the Sugar Kings, and America's First Imperial Adventure

Author: Julia Flynn Siler

Narrator: Joyce Bean

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 54 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-03-12

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 97 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

First colonized around 200 A.D. by intrepid Polynesian islanders, Hawaii existed for hundreds of years in splendid isolation. Foreigners did not visit the islands until 1788, when Captain Cook, looking for the fabled Northwest Passage, stumbled upon this nation with its own belief system and culture. Three decades later, fourteen Calvinist missionaries left Boston bound for Hawaii, and when they arrived they converted the royal family to Christianity, and set up missionary schools where English was taught.

A thriving monarchy had ruled over Hawaii for generations. Taro fields and fish ponds had long sustained native Hawaiians but sugar plantations had been gradually subsuming them. This fractured, vulnerable Hawaii was the country that Queen Liliuokalani, or Liliu, inherited when she came to power at the end of the nineteenth century. Her predecessor had signed away many of the monarchys rights, but while Liliu was trying to put into place a constitution that would reinstate them, other factions were plotting annexation. With the help of the American envoy, the USS Boston steamed into Honolulu harbor, and Marines landed and marched to the palace, inciting the Queens overthrow. The annexation of Hawaii was extremely controversial; the issue caused heated debates in the Senate and President Cleveland gave a strongly worded speech opposing it. This was the first time America had reached beyond the borders of the continental U.S. in an act of imperialism. It was not until President McKinley was elected and the Spanish-American War erupted, that Hawaii became a critical strategic asset, and annexation finally passed Congress in 1898.

Critic Reviews:

Julia Flynn Siler's Lost Kingdom: Hawaii's Last Queen, the Sugar Kings, and America's First Imperial Adventure is a well-told history of the U.S. acquisition of Hawaii. The central figure is Lili'uokalani, who had the misfortune of being queen when Uncle Sam closed his grasp on the islands. (The Seattle Times)

[Julia Flynn] Siler captures what Hawaii was then and what it has evolved into today. What happened to the islands is known as one of the most aggressive takeovers of the Gilded Age Siler gives us a riveting and intimate look at the rise and tragic fall of Hawaii's royal family [It] is a reminder that Hawaii remains one of the most breathtaking places in the world. Even if the kingdom is lost. (Fortune)

A sweeping tale of tragedy, greed, betrayal, and imperialism The depth of her research shines through the narrative, and the lush prose and quick pace make for engaging reading absorbing. (Library Journal, Starred Review)

Members Reviews:

Fascinating story, sparsely told

As a native of the island state of Hawai`i, I grabbed this book with interest as soon as I found it to be available. I began listening and quickly realized that the author has attempted to tell too much story, much like a newspaper or magazine article. I wish that she had chosen instead a subtopic, such as the rise and fall of the monarchy, a biography of Lili`uokalani, or the dreadful land grab by foreign entrepreneurs. There is much backstory to all of these subjects. Unfortunately, Ms. Siler only skimmed the surface.

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Title: The Berlin Wall

Author: Frederick Taylor

Narrator: Daniel Philpott

Format: Unabridged

Length: 18 hrs and 57 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-11-11

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 94 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

The appearance of a hastily constructed barbed wire entanglement through the heart of Berlin during the night of 12-13 August 1961 was both dramatic and unexpected. Within days, it had started to metamorphose into a structure that would come to symbolise the brutal insanity of the Cold War: the Berlin Wall. A city of almost four million was cut ruthlessly in two, unleashing a potentially catastrophic East-West crisis and plunging the entire world for the first time into the fear of imminent missile-borne apocalypse. This threat would vanish only when the very people the Wall had been built to imprison breached it on the historic night of 9 November 1989. The Berlin Wall is the definitive account of a divided city and its people.

Members Reviews:

Makes a dark chapter "enjoyable"

If you could sum up The Berlin Wall in three words, what would they be?

A big story

What did you like best about this story?

It covered all facets and not just personal or diplomatic but intertwined the stories to give a really complete future. So you learned about the effect of the Wall on people like many histories but also how it was planned and then executed At first I wasn't sure about the narrator, but as I went along his narration really helped the story along.

Bad transfer from CD

Great story. Bad transfer from CD as various sentences and phrases would repeat themselves. In one case the entire name and title of the book was repeated. (I presume that this was were the end of one CD meet the beginning of the next CD.)

Good book so so reading.

Book had several repeats in the performance. Loved the depth of the authors knowledge of east Berlin. Other than recording issue it was worth the time

Excellent, intelligent, well-written book

What about Daniel Philpotts performance did you like?

Unlike another reviewer, I wasn't bothered by Philpott's mimicking the speech of various politicians. It made the book clearer for listening purposes. The pronunciation was largely good and it always helps that the reader speaks with an English accent. American narrators a. Are often nasal and b. Mispronounce foreign words more

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No but it was amusing at times in a cynical way

Any additional comments?

Good book, well worth reading

Marred only by the Narrator's Affectations

If you could sum up The Berlin Wall in three words, what would they be?

History worth knowing

Who was your favorite character and why?

It's a work of non-fiction. The question is inappropriate.

Would you be willing to try another one of Daniel Philpotts performances?

No. His attempts to apply fake (and poorly executed) English, German and Russian accents to the quoted passages detracted mightily from the book. It's a piece of non-fiction, not a community theater stage play.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

It's a work of non-fiction. This question is inappropriate.

Any additional comments?

The author has done an excellent job of telling the story of the Berlin Wall, providing considerable background that I was unaware of, even though I was born in Berlin in 1954. I expected the book to start in 1960 or thereabouts, but to my surprise it started long before then. The historical context added greatly to the story.

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Title: Lisbon

Subtitle: War in the Shadows of the City of Light, 19391945

Author: Neill Lochery

Narrator: Robin Sachs

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-01-11

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 86 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

Throughout the Second World War, Lisbon was at the very center of the worlds attention and was the only European city in which both the Allies and the Axis powers openly operated. Portugal was frantically trying to hold on to its self-proclaimed wartime neutrality but in reality was increasingly caught in the middle of the economic, and naval, wars between the Allies and the Nazis. The story is not, however, a conventional tale of World War II in that barely a shot was fired or a bomb dropped. Instead, it is a gripping tale of intrigue, betrayal, opportunism, and double-dealing, all of which took place in the Cidade da Luz and along its idyllic Atlantic coastline. It is the story of how a relatively poor European country not only survived the war physically intact but came out of it in 1945 much wealthier than it had been when war broke out in 1939. Portugals emergence as a prosperous European Union nation would be financed in part, it turns out, by a cache of Nazi gold.

During the war, Lisbon was a temporary home to much of Europes exiled royalty, over one million refugees seeking passage to the US, and to a host of spies, secret police, captains of industry, bankers, prominent Jews, writers and artists, escaped POWs, and black marketeers. An operations officer writing in 1944 described the daily scene at Lisbons airport as being like the movie Casablanca - times twenty.

In this riveting narrative, renowned historian Neill Lochery draws on his relationships with high-level Portuguese contacts, records recently uncovered from Portuguese secret police and banking archives, and other unpublished documents to offer a revelatory portrait of the wars backstage.

Critic Reviews:

As interested as history readers may be in the spying, the economic war over tungsten and Allied demands for an Azores base dominate this history. A productive archival sleuth, Lochery makes original contributions to the literature of neutrality in WWII." (

Booklist)

Members Reviews:

Expostiion of Little Known Story

I didnt know much (well truthfully nothing) about the role that Portugal played in the Second World War when I opened Lisbon: War in the Shadows of the City of Light, 1939-45. I found Neil Locherys book both engaging, informative, and entertaining. In this volume, Lochery (While Blame Israel 2011; View from the Fence 2006) tells the story of how dictator Antonio Salazar kept Portugal neutral in WWII and left his country relatively intact after the conflict. I found insights into how Salazar dealt with day-to-day management of the country intriguing. Anecdotes revealing how Salazar made decisions and implemented policies are particularly interesting. Certainly, Salazar was a gifted leader in this context. I would have appreciated more discussion of fascism in this context and how Salazar fit into that era. Perhaps Lochery has another book which will shed more light. At any rate, I was well rewarded by reading this book.

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Title: Behind Closed Doors

Author: Hugo Vickers

Narrator: John Telfer

Format: Unabridged

Length: 16 hrs and 22 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-21-11

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 82 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

The life of the Duchess of Windsor came to an end in Paris on 24 April 1986. She was almost 90. Many people assumed that she had died years before, since she disappeared from public view for over a decade. Sebastian Faulks wrote in the Sunday Telegraph, She is seen as no more than the star of an old romantic film that most French have forgotten.

But the world did take note, describing her death as the final curtain on one of the greatest love stories of the twentieth century. The story of the Abdication was retold, embers of the feud between the British Royal Family and the Windsors in exile were fanned once more, and there was increasing speculation about the many historical treasures owned by the Duke and Duchess, in particular her jewels.

Hugo Vickers has followed the unfolding saga of this tragic couple since he was a young man. And, with the help of previously unpublished papers and personal testaments, he now brings a whole new perspective to the story. In particular, Vickers focuses on the last years of the Duchess of Windsor, revealing the cold truth about the ruthless exploitation of a vulnerable old woman by an unscrupulous French lawyer called Suzanne Blum.

Behind Closed Doors is a potent mixture of detective story and revelatory royal history. Hugo Vickers combines meticulous research with an intense fascination with his subject to tell a tale whose dramatic impact has only increased with time.

Members Reviews:

You Reap What You Sow

I just finished reading That Woman, and was curious to learn more about Wallis and Edward in exile. This couple never looked happy to me, and I suspect that he only used this woman to relieve himself of being King, a job he never enjoyed. No love there to make your wife the most hated woman in England.

I suspect that had they had inkling of how ostracised they would be in their new life he might not have abdicated. The most startling revelations in this book are the chapters dealing with the Duchess after Edward died. Poor of health and isolated from all her remaining friends, she is a virtual prisoner of her staff and lawyer. Who rob her blind.

Not a great love story at all, but a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions.

This is a thoroughly well researched book and dispels much of the nonsense and innuendo that have followed this couple.

The end of the Affair

This is a very accurate and sad account of the dishonest lawyer who overtook the life of the Duchess of Windsor and her money.

Interesting

I like the narrator. The book started out strong but I didn't feel that the life stories of some of the people surrounding the duchess were necessary. Intervening overall and well read.

Incredibly Boring

What didnt you like about John Telfers performance?

His voice is a bit monotone. Could put you to sleep.

Any additional comments?

The subject matter is what caught my attention because I love their story.