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Alan Turing: The Enigma
- Narrated by: Gordon Griffin
- Length: 30 hrs and 40 mins
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Alan Turing: The Enigma
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Editor reviews
Summary
Listed as one of the essential 50 books of all time in The Guardian
Inspired the Academy Award-nominated film, The Imitation Game
It’s only a slight exaggeration to say that the British mathematician Alan Turing (1912-1954) saved the Allies from the Nazis, invented the computer and artificial intelligence, and anticipated gay liberation by decades--all before his suicide at age forty-one. This classic biography of the founder of computer science, reissued on the centenary of his birth with a substantial new preface by the author, is the definitive account of an extraordinary mind and life.
A gripping story of mathematics, computers, cryptography, and homosexual persecution, Andrew Hodges's acclaimed book captures both the inner and outer drama of Turing's life.Hodges tells how Turing's revolutionary idea of 1936--the concept of a universal machine--laid the foundation for the modern computer and how Turing brought the idea to practical realization in 1945 with his electronic design. The book also tells how this work was directly related to Turing's leading role in breaking the German Enigma ciphers during World War II, a scientific triumph that was critical to Allied victory in the Atlantic. At the same time, this is the tragic story of a man who, despite his wartime service, was eventually arrested, stripped of his security clearance, and forced to undergo a humiliating treatment program--all for trying to live honestly in a society that defined homosexuality as a crime.
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What listeners say about Alan Turing: The Enigma
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- R. Maines
- 11-04-18
Bloated
After finishing this book I was left with a feeling that this biography of Alan Turing was a bloated if ‘readable’ mess. Taking far too long to get to the WW 2 work of Turing and then not covering it in enough detail ( half the book cover the last nine years of Turing’s life).
Still I learnt a lot about the life of Alan Turing and this book confirmed how loosely based on reality the film The Imitation Game’ was.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- NiceSteveB
- 09-03-18
hard to sum up!
A difficult "read" I think you need more than a basic understanding of mathematical principles and logic to be able to fully comprehend the story. very heavy going in places, however the book does give an understanding of the genius of Alan Turing and the sadness of his demise.
the narration is clear and easy to understand, although I found the use of an American accent for all American characters unnecessary and a little patronising
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Mr. R. Flatters
- 29-04-21
Follows the life of a quite genius
the book pulls together the strings of his life from childhood through university. it also detailed those people b came close to as well as Turning becoming aware of his attention to other men. I think the one thing this book make clear is Alans thought processes on a machine brain and the foot stones of ideas for the computer. worth listening to
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Mom of boyz
- 20-03-15
Unless your a super geek don't listen
I really thought this was going to be a good listen however it is so technical you really need to be a super geek to enjoy it.
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14 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Bea
- 08-07-12
Insight into a genius and a man
I enjoyed this book because it made me understand as Alan Turing's interests in various branches of science led him to start the era of the computer, to figure out a machine could be developed to have an intelligence which is a wonderful tool for human intelligence and can even challenge it. And also this book portrays Alan's personal life, explains his love for freedom, truth and integrity, how he stood up to prejudices of society until he died. The listening was wonderful and involving, I loved it.
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10 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
- Robin Frisby
- 16-11-20
Superb story and storytelling
This is a demanding listen but well worth the effort. The excellent narrator makes even the complicated passages comprehendible. Highly recommended.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Petri
- 14-07-12
Interesting yet technical at times
Apparently the life of Alan Turing wasn't so special after all. Nevertheless, this is an interesting listen even though it gets very technical a couple of times. The reader was enjoyable to listen to most of the time, but his young Alan Turing voice sounds annoyingly innocent.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Gary Palmer
- 15-12-15
hard going, but with some moments of brilliance.
hard going, but with some moments of brilliance. I enjoyed it but was glad when I got to the end
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mikal
- 08-02-15
amazing insight into a true genius.
what a great man. A shame he did not live to see and experience how respected he now is.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- F. Hopkinson
- 17-01-16
A compelling and sophisticated biography
What made the experience of listening to Alan Turing: The Enigma the most enjoyable?
Andrew Hodges' epic biography tells Alan Turing's story on a number of different levels. This is not just a chronology of facts and events in Alan Turing's life, but also an examination of some of the mathematical theories and the political background to the events that shaped and ultimately contributed to Turing's demise. It is a remarkable achievement. Stripped of sentimentality and coming across as scrupulously non-judgemental, it is a masterpiece of research and a recording that I will come back to.
What did you like best about this story?
Its precision
What about Gordon Griffin’s performance did you like?
It is difficult for any audio book narrator to cover the variety of accents that are thrown up by the narrative. In previous audio books, I've had the joy of listening to Crispin Redman reading Patrick Leigh-Fermor's travelogues, and the despair of listening to the extended voicemail message that is SPQR voiced by Phyllida Law. Gordon Griffin sounds slightly odd as a young exciteable Alan Turing, but his Malcolm Muggeridge is utterly brilliant, and you ended up wishing there were more Muggeridge quotes in the book. However overall it's a gripping narrative tale which Gordon Griffin enhances.
Any additional comments?
It gives you a far greater understanding of the cracking of the Enigma code and makes you realise that any previous documentary you have seen has only been skimming the surface.
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