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Dead Wake
- The Last Crossing of the Lusitania
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 13 hrs and 4 mins
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Dead Wake
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Summary
On 1 May 1915, a luxury ocean liner as richly appointed as an English country house sailed out of New York, bound for Liverpool. The passengers - including a record number of children and infants - were anxious. Germany had declared the seas around Britain to be a war zone. For months its submarines had brought terror to the North Atlantic.
But the Lusitania's captain, William Thomas Turner, had faith in the gentlemanly terms of warfare that had, for a century, kept civilian ships safe from attack. He also knew that his ship - the fastest then in service - could outrun any threat. But Germany was intent on changing the rules, and Walther Schwieger, the captain of Unterseeboot-20, was happy to oblige. Meanwhile, an ultrasecret British intelligence unit were tracking Schwieger's U-boat...but told no one.
As U-20 and the Lusitania made their way towards Liverpool, forces both grand and achingly small - hubris, a chance fog, a closely guarded secret and more - converged to produce one of the great disasters of 20th-century history.
It is a story that many of us think we know but don't, and Erik Larson tells it thrillingly, switching between hunter and hunted. Full of glamour, mystery, and real-life suspense, Dead Wake brings to life a cast of evocative characters, including the US president Wilson, a man lost to grief, dreading the widening war but also captivated by the prospect of new love. Gripping and important, Dead Wake captures the sheer drama and emotional power of a disaster that helped place America on the road to war.
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What listeners say about Dead Wake
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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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
- Wayne
- 09-07-17
Really entertaining historical read
Narrator has done a great job here setting the perfect tone for this fascinating historical piece. It really informs of the way life was in the first world war with many interesting asides regarding life in a submarine also learned much about the life of the ships passengers
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3 people found this helpful
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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
- Lex
- 13-09-21
Interesting topic but slow presentation
I found the topic very interesting and there was clearly some excellent research undertaken to write the book- however I found myself bored for several hours of the runtime. I would have preferred more information about the mechanics of the disaster rather than the life stories of those onboard but I imagine this is personal preference and may well suit another listener.
In terms of narration I found it extremely slow- I actually sped up the listening speed which I don’t think I ever have before and it still sounded quite slow and ponderous. Also some occasional mispronunciations of British place names which I suppose is to be expected from an American narrator.
Overall and interesting topic but very slow in places both in terms of content and presentation. Worth a try if you are interested in topic area but be prepared to get bogged down in minute details at times and consider increasing listening speed…
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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
- Michael Taylor
- 27-05-17
Fascinating insight into the events
Interesting story with excellent narration! I'd previously read The Devil in the White City by the same author, and this didn't disappoint.
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2 people found this helpful
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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
- Keith McCrea
- 23-02-18
Fantastic book.
Fantastic book. I had previously read this book and I just had to relive the book through Audible.
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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
- Anonymous User
- 10-04-22
heartbreakingly brilliant
an absolutely fantastic detailed telling of the last voyage of the Lusitania. so well written you feel like you know these people and cannot help but become attached to them .
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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
- Rosanne Walker
- 13-12-18
Fantastic
My mum joined half way through and we both enjoyed the quality of the detail and the result of the of a very well put together narrative. An excellent and informative story with the background of a well structured social history.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Philip
- 21-01-19
Mesmerising
Larson has done a great job peeling away the layers of mystery behind the tragic sinking of the Lusitania. The scope and technical detail are ambitious. The sheer extent of political skullduggery in the background is absolutely breathtaking. A well-paced historical thriller. I picked this one up on recommendation and it was well worth the credit.
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