Paris After the Liberation cover art

Paris After the Liberation

1944 - 1949

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Paris After the Liberation

By: Artemis Cooper, Antony Beevor
Narrated by: Sean Barrett
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About this listen

Penguin presents the audiobook edition of Paris After the Liberation by Antony Beevor, read by Sean Barrett.

Antony Beevor's Paris After Liberation: 1944-1949 is a remarkable historical account of the chaos and uncertainty that followed the liberation of Paris in August, 1944


Post-liberation Paris: an epoch charged with political and conflicting emotions. Liberation was greeted with joy but marked by recriminations and the trauma of purges. The feverish intellectual arguments of the young took place amidst the mundane reality of hunger and fuel shortages. This is a thrilling, unsurpassed account of the drama and upheaval of one of history's most fascinating eras.

'A dashing, multi-dimensional story. This book covers all aspects of life - diplomacy, strategy, rationing, politics and politicking (from Churchill, Pétain's and de Gaulle's point of view), the international theatricals and the tourist invasion, blitzkrieg and Ritzkrieg - to create a lovely tapestry, threaded with facts and figures'
Olivier Todd, Sunday Times

'Absorbing . . . a rich, many-layered account, selecting from official documents, private archives, memoirs and histories with a wonderful lightness of touch, so that the most complex events become clear' Jenny Uglow, Independent on Sunday

'A beautifully written book about a vast tapestry of military, political and social upheaval. Remarkably well-researched, wise, balanced, very funny at times . . . I was a witness to events in Paris in the first desperate, glorious, mad weeks, and this is just how it was'
Dirk Bogarde

20th Century Europe France Modern Imperialism War Russia Soviet Union Socialism Military Interwar Period

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Critic reviews

Outstanding. Enormously enjoyable to read - exciting, lively, funny, and admirably tolerant and objective in its opinions. It is hard to see how it could have been better done (Philip Ziegler)
Held me gripped by every page and I was impatient at any interruption. The details of this book are spellbinding, often frightening and sometimes funny (Alec Guinness)
Skilfully balances historical narrative with social analysis, and tempering the appalling with the absurd (Jan Morris)
This book, like the city it discusses, oscillates satisfyingly between blunt history and roistering gossip (Frank Delaney)
To understand France today you should read this book about France yesterday . . . a wonderfully enjoyable picture. It is compulsive reading (Mark Bonham-Carter)
There is hardly any aspect of French life during that period which the authors do not explore, always with compelling liveliness and omniverous zeal. . . I shall return gratefully to it again and again (Alistair Horne)
A rich and intriguing story which the authors disentangle with great skill (Piers Paul Read)
A perceptive portrait of Paris in its heyday (J. G. Ballard)
A beautifully written book about a vast tapestry of military, political and social upheaval. Remarkably well-researched, wise, balanced, very funny at times . . . I was a witness to events in Paris in the first desperate, glorious, mad weeks, and this is just how it was (Dirk Bogarde)
A dashing, multi-dimensional story. This book covers all aspects of life - diplomacy, strategy, rationing, politics and politicking (from Churchill, Pétain's and de Gaulle's point of view), the international theatricals and the tourist invasion, blitzkrieg and Ritzkrieg - to create a lovely tapestry, threaded with facts and figures (Olivier Todd)
All stars
Most relevant
A hugely interesting period of history and much was learned about life in France during and after the war ended...it was a little heavy going for an audio book at times and the narrator's voice was easy to drown out until I tuned in on a bit that wasn't excessively in depth about French communists or CDG general disdain of all things..

historically important but a bit hard for audio

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An insightful study of the aftermath of war (an often neglected subject) and French national identity, almost completely ruined by a dull and monotonous delivery, though at least the narrator pronounces most French words correctly. A struggle to listen to, which is a great pity.

Interesting book, shame about the voice.

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There are so many ways in which the post-war history of France could have taken another route. A brilliant and detailed acount.

great!

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Amazing listen, going to buy some and download some of the others of Anthony Beevor's, really well narrated!

Amazing listen!

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I have listened or read almost all of Antony Beevor's books, and think he is a fine military historian.Stalingrad was a masterpiece.However, this was a mixture of diferent elements in each chapter, some of which were anecdotal.
I also found Sean Barrett's voice somewhat anachronistic, reminding me of Pathe News.

Disappointing

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