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Title: When Paris Went Dark
Subtitle: The City of Light under German Occupation, 1940-1944
Author: Ronald C. Rosbottom
Narrator: Malcolm Hillgartner
Format: Unabridged
Length: 14 hrs and 1 min
Language: English
Release date: 08-05-14
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 104 votes
Genres: History, 20th Century
Publisher's Summary:
The spellbinding and revealing chronicle of Nazi-occupied Paris.
On June 14, 1940, German tanks entered a silent and nearly deserted Paris. Eight days later, France accepted a humiliating defeat and foreign occupation. Subsequently, an eerie sense of normalcy settled over the City of Light. Many Parisians keenly adapted themselves to the situation - even allied themselves with their Nazi overlords. At the same time, amidst this darkening gloom of German ruthlessness, shortages, and curfews, a resistance arose. Parisians of all stripes-Jews, immigrants, adolescents, communists, rightists, cultural icons such as Colette, de Beauvoir, Camus and Sartre, as well as police officers, teachers, students, and store owners-rallied around a little known French military officer, Charles de Gaulle.
When Paris Went Dark evokes with stunning precision the detail of daily life in a city under occupation, and the brave people who fought against the darkness. Relying on a range of resources - memoirs, diaries, letters, archives, interviews, personal histories, flyers and posters, fiction, photographs, film and historical studies - Rosbottom has forged a groundbreaking audiobook that will forever influence how we understand those dark years in the City of Light.
Members Reviews:
Good but not great
Is there anything you would change about this book?
I was expecting a book that I could not wait to listen to each time I got in my car, but I was a bit disappointed. I feel that the book lacked a personal perspective and felt too broad. Moments within it had a personal touch, but overall, it was faceless.
Compelling Account of Nazi Occupation
Would you listen to When Paris Went Dark again? Why?
I would listen to it again in a couple of years, because of its insights into an intriguing moment in history.
What did you like best about this story?
The author provides intelligent, insightful analysis of a time period that has been covered before. He brings together the insights of many historians, and adds his own astute observations.
Interesting
Well done story about Paris under Nazi occupation - even for someone that's not a history buff. Seem to repeat some - same info in a different way.
not a page turner
What disappointed you about When Paris Went Dark?
I expected a novel but this is written text book style, merely stating the difficulties people endured, with no characters to bring the reader empathetically into the situation. I did pick this after listening to "The Nightengale" and I guess expected something similar. For the type of book that it is, it is fine.
What do you think your next listen will be?
THE PAYING GUESTS
What three words best describe Malcolm Hillgartners performance?
good for this
What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?
It was done well for content but not an enlightening or entertaining read.
Any additional comments?
I don't know how I could have known that this book would not involve specific people or situations on a personal level.
