Five Days in London, May 1940 cover art

Five Days in London, May 1940

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Five Days in London, May 1940

By: John Lukacs
Narrated by: Geoffrey Howard
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About this listen

 In the days between May 24th and 28th, 1940, the British War Cabinet held a historical debate over whether to negotiate with Hitler or to continue the war. In this magisterial work, John Lukacs demonstrates the decisive importance of those five days. Lukacs takes us hour by hour into the critical unfolding of events at 10 Downing Street, where Churchill, who had only been prime minister for a fortnight, painfully considered his war responsibilities. We see how the military disasters taking place on the Continent - particularly the plight of the nearly 400,000 British soldiers bottled up in Dunkirk - affected Churchill's fragile political situation, and how the citizenry, though only partly informed about the dangers that faced them, nevertheless began to support Churchill's determination to stand fast.©1999 John Lukacs (P)1999 Blackstone Audio Inc. Europe Great Britain Military Politics & Government Winston Churchill War Royalty England Imperialism United Kingdom British History

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Critic reviews

"With a delightful British accent and a professional quality voice, Howard...communicates the tension during those fateful days." ( AudioFile)
"[This book] is lucid and splendidly readable, and furthermore, commands a host of dramatic characters....[It] has the power and sweep of Shakespeare's chronicle plays." ( Boston Globe)
"Eminent historian Lukacs delivers the crown jewel to his long and distinguished career with this account....It is the work of a man who lives and breathes history, whose knowledge is limitless and tuned to a pitch that rings true." ( Publishers Weekly)
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A superb work of histroy very well presented.

Excellent history

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This book manages to get over the difficulties that Churchill faced when taking over the reigns of government in 1940, for me as someone far removed from this period in our history it can be a little confusing to follow all of the details and fully grasp then, I suspect that another listening would help.

It is a gripping tale, and one that we should all be thankful ended in the right way.

A seminal period in UK history

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Do try this history of how Britain came to stand alone. The politics I expected, but of equal interest - and for me a little unexpected - was the recounting of the feelings and reactions of the Britsh people. The two threads combine to make compelling listening. Oh, and as well as not being able to win without the Americans, it was good to hear that without Britain the war would have been lost... and that from an American. Buy it.

Not as I expected, in some ways better.

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A fascinating record of five vital days in World War II and the events leading up to them. Excellently narrated by Geoffrey Howard.

Very enjoyable and informative

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a fascinating analysis of five of the most important days in the long history of the UK.

analysis of 5 of the most vital days in UK history

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