A must for anyone with a WW2 interest

very well narrated. A fantastic view of the home front politically and socially. Looking forward to Part two.

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Excellent Narration

Thoroughly enjoying listening to this book and I will then move on to Part 2. Both long books but superb to have during the lockdown as time passes so quickly whilst I am listening. Ric Jerrom is perfect as the narrator.

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4 people found this helpful

Myth busting triumph of a book

Great research provides detailed rationale of the policy and politics of pre war and war time decision making backed up by a wealth of statistical facts Also illuminated and rehabilitated some of the myriad personalities involved , many of whom are often normally ignored or glossed over in favour of the traditional main characters . Great job !

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2 people found this helpful

Challenging convention

An exceptional review of the shared British experience during the opening phase of WW2.

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Excellent unbiased account

Well researched with lots of data. The narrator is very good, I like his Churchill voice.

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Mostly superb, one bigger issue

I have now finished this first book and will start with the next one and it's exactly the type of book I enjoy a lot, a very long and detailed account of a limited topic (i.e. a specific nation during a set period) in a very interesting period of time. Let's face it, nothing beats the WW2 era when it comes to interesting events and the amount of historical information available, while still nit being quite recent enough to be too familiar.
The book is very good, for the most part even among the best of these types of historical books and the narration is very well done. There's just one area where there’s a pretty massive issue for me, the book is so good otherwise that I still gave it 4 stars even with such a glaring weakness. The issue is the clear political bias and ideological bend the writer has when it comes to political and social issues, which is of the common academic left wing type. The writer also clearly dislikes Churchill and it shows throughout. Now, no one can be fully objective, but here it feels like the author isn't even trying and even though it doesn’t really affect the way he covers issues related to the war, it casts a shadow of doubt on that part as well. Without that this would be a nearly perfect work in its category, so it's really a shame. Still, I realky recommend this to anyone who enjoys heavy historical accounts like this!

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1 person found this helpful

Great Political & Social History

Gives you the necessary military context and timeline, but really shines on the worldwide and domestic political machinations. Excellent on the social and economic aspects of the conflict. Good use of contemporary comments from all social strata without becoming a unfocused quote fest.
Clear narration but a bit monotonous in inflection, leavened with a few am dram surprised/quizzical cadences.
Looking forward to part two. Wonder who wins? Ahem.

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7 people found this helpful

Quite in depth, well read.

Good details for what was going on behind the scenes in the British government. Plenty of sources referred to and it rolls along a pace, never boring. Very well narrated. It could have been disastrous with the wrong narrator. I'll be re listening as there is so much to take in.

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2 people found this helpful

Innovative and insightful but a bit repetitive

Excessive focus on political maneuvering and weapon production. It's understandable to focus on this before the war starts but the continued extreme detail on these topics once war broke out began to feel slightly absurd.

The highlight was insight into Chamberlain's strategy, more nuanced than the usual caricatures, with many quotes from his private letters.

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1 person found this helpful

Lots of interesting detail

This is a book which is interesting in the way in which Britain strived to keep up with constant changes and demands from the home right through to supply around the globe, and how they interacted with other countries, such as France, Russia , America plus many more. There was an awful lot which we today don’t understand. It is very compelling, yet hard reading. I do recommend this book, with the caveat that you need to listen to it intently to grasp the context.

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