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Colditz

Prisoners of the Castle

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Colditz

By: Ben Macintyre
Narrated by: Ben Macintyre
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

THE #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER - AND PERFECT GIFT FOR HISTORY BUFFS!

FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF SAS: ROGUE HEROES

Colditz Castle: a forbidding Gothic tower on a hill in Nazi Germany. You may have heard about the prisoners and their daring and desperate attempts to escape, but that's only part of the real story.

In Colditz: Prisoners of the Castle, bestselling historian Ben Macintyre takes us inside the walls of the most infamous prison in history to meet the real men behind the legends. Heroes and bullies, lovers and spies, captors and prisoners living cheek-by-jowl for years in a thrilling game of cat and mouse - and all determined to escape by any means necessary.

Deeply researched and full of incredible stories, this is a tale of ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances - and will change how you think about Colditz forever.

'A master at setting the pulse racing' Daily Mail

'A fine feat of storytelling . . . will surely become the last word on the subject' Telegraph

'Like watching a black-and-white photograph being colourised' Spectator

'Every Ben Macintyre book is a treat' The Tablet

© Ben MacIntyre 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

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Critic reviews

A fine feat of storytelling . . . will surely become the last word on the subject (Patrick Bishop)
Like watching a black-and-white photograph being colourised . . . rich in humour and quirky detail . . . another compelling narrative (Clare Mulley)
Nuanced and gripping . . . told with sensitivity and insight, with an eye for telling detail (Gerard DeGroot)
Fascinating
Every Ben Macintyre book is a treat (Jane Thynne)
Entertaining yet objective and often moving
Macintyre's genius has long been to excavate the nuance, subtlety and ambiguity beneath the myths he explores . . . remarkable (Matthew D'Ancona)
Another fine history . . . His unerring eye for the telling detail that can illuminate a greater story is apparent in Colditz (Ronan McGreevy)
Macintyre so seamlessly fuses so many different accounts that their compilation creates something more profound than a simple escape yarn: a biography of the prison itself and the world detainees built there (Andrea Pitzer)
Macintyre recreates the daring escape stories with punchy flair . . . a lively page-turner (NJ McGarrigle)
All stars
Most relevant
A riveting telling of a story I thought I knew well, having watched the 1950’s movie and subsequent 1970’s TV series.
This book sheds light on elements of the story previously untold. Highly recommend.

An unbiased telling of the full story of Colditz prison.

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If you have any internet in recent history, WWII or human ingenuity you should find this book fascinating and a jolly good story brilliantly narrated by the author.

A hugely interesting, fascinating, informative and important book

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So great to hear Ben MacIntyre read his own book! As one old enough to remember seeing Escape from Colditz on a black and white tv, it has been wonderful to hear that part of history again, so well written and carefully researched. I am really glad that Ben is writing these histories and that new generations will get to hear some of the greatest feats of courage and endurance that the wartime generation ever achieved. It’s not that long ago, less than 100 years, recent history. Keep writing Ben!

Wonderful!

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So enjoy listening to this book! Really well told balance of facts and insights into the people. Thank you

Amazing really great

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I have always enjoyed Ben’s books immensely whether that be in audio or written format. This one is no exception. He writes (and reads) in the style of a gripping novel and his subject matter is always fascinating.

Another Ben gem

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