Bomber cover art

Bomber

Penguin Modern Classics

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Bomber

By: Len Deighton
Narrated by: Richard Burnip, Len Deighton
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

31 June, 1943. An RAF crew prepare for their next bombing raid on Germany. It is a night that many will never forget. Len Deighton's devastating novel is a gripping minute-by-minute account of what happens over the next twenty-four hours. Told through the eyes of ordinary people in the air and on the ground - from a young pilot to the inhabitants of a small town in the Ruhr - Bomber is an unforgettable portrayal of individuals caught up in the wreckage of war.

'Probably the best thing ever written about the wartime air campaign against Germany' Max Hastings

'Magnificent ... rich with historical detail' The Times

'A superbly mobilised tragedy of the machines which men make to destroy themselves. Masterly' Spectator

© Len Deighton 1970 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

 20th Century Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Military Thriller & Suspense War & Military Fiction War Exciting Aviation Air Force

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Critic reviews

Probably the best and certainly the most accurate popular novel about the Second World War in the air. (John Sutherland)
A massively different novel... the effect is - quite literally - devastating.
A massive and superbly mobilised tragedy of the machines which men make to destroy themselves. Masterly and by far Mr Deighton's best. (Douglas Hurd)

Bomber is probably the best thing ever written about the wartime air campaign against Germany.

(Max Hastings)

A magnificent story ... the characters lean out of the pages.
What raises Deighton's genre to art is not only his absorbing characters but his metaphoric grace, droll wit, command of technical detail ... and sure sense of place. (Andy Solomon)
All stars
Most relevant
I cannot remember the last time a book gripped my attention this well, and cannot recommend it enough.

Breathtaking

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This is an astonishingly accomplished piece of writing that kept me gripped for all of its 21 hours. It plunges the listener into the heart of the action and makes us see both sides of the conflict. It is read with great skill and authority.

Immersive Tour De Force

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This is an outstanding book - utterly compelling. It makes for an outstanding audiobook of course although I'm afraid the performance didn't work for me. This is the first time I have ever used the 'fast play' feature in the Audible app (I set it to play at 1.2 times speed). This made the narration bearable - until I found the fast play I was on the point of giving up. I am so glad I didn't - BOMBER has me transfixed and this was one of those books where I found myself making up a reason to pop out in the car so that I could listen to another chapter. A night bombing raid is described from a variety of perspectives both in England and in Europe - with the entire book covering just a single 24 hour period in 1943. Chilling, terrifying, gripping, authentic, detailed, technical, human - it is all of these things. Deighton is a genius - and his introduction to the audiobook makes it worth the credit alone, notwithstanding the rather disappointing performance. So - a wholehearted recommendation - 5 Stars!

FIVE STARS - poor performance can't affect that

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I struggled with the first hours of this audiobook, as the action was slow and too many people involved. I was even close to shooting down the "Bomber" even before it set off for the mission but I continued listening and I was highly rewarded, as the second part of the book is epic!

Slow start, epic finish

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I had to listen at 1.2x speed as I found the narration painfully slow. Once I’d done this and got into the detail of the characters it improved as scenes chopped and changed. Obviously very well researched and imaginatively constructed. Painfully raw incidents reflect the brutality and randomness on war and doesn’t glorify it. Showing the damage done to all and the attitudes which sadly infected the German population at the time.

I grew into this book for several reasons

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