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Passchendaele

The Story of the Third Battle of Ypres 1917

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Passchendaele

By: Lyn Macdonald
Narrated by: Alison Dowling
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Brought to you by Penguin.

'Four years of war turned Ypres into a ghost town. Not a leaf grew on a tree. Scarcely one stone stood upon another. From the battered ramparts the eye swept clean across a field of rubble to the swamp-lands beyond . . .'

The Third Battle of Ypres, ending in a desperate struggle for the ridge and little village of Passchendaele, was one of the most appalling campaigns in the history of warfare. A million Tommies, Canadians and Anzacs assembled at the Ypres Salient in summer of 1917, mostly raw young troops keen to do their bit for King and Country. This book tells their tale of mounting disillusion amid mud, terror and increasingly desperate attacks, yet it is also a story of immense courage, comradeship, high spirits and hope.

In Passchendaele, Lyn Macdonald lets over 600 soldiers speak for themselves. In doing so, she portrays events from the only point of view that really matters.

© Lyn MacDonald 2013 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

 20th Century Europe Military Modern Political Science Politics & Government United States World
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Critic reviews

Lyn Macdonald writes splendidly and touchingly
It is rare to find a history of the First World War which manages to convey the front-line soldiers' experiences and to describe what it was that enabled those who survived to get through it. Lyn Macdonald has done just that
Her basic inspiration is compassion, her technique is scrupulously painstaking. And her application in finding, interviewing and editing innumerable contributions can only be admired
All stars
Most relevant
This is my second Lyn MacDonald audio book after Roses of No mans land.
This second book was offen a very harrowing story,not shy of telling of the full horrors of The battle for Passchendael. What the soldiers endured was horrific. It is not surprising that it was call the Hell of Passchendael.
Despite all the grim horrors, I enjoyed the book, and would definitely recommend it. Once again beautifully narrated by Alison Dowling.

Another First-class listen

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In 1989 I had the honour of dining with Lyn MacDonald and General Sir John Akehurst at a restaurant at Zonnebeke on Passchendaele Ridge. She had brought with her some survivors of The Great War that had fought there in 1917. An unforgettable evening indeed. This book brought back all the horrifying stories that were told to me then. Highly recommended. The narration is excellent.

Brilliant Book

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A detailed a forensic analysis of 3rd Ypres was ruined for me by the appalling attempt at regional
and international accents. From the ‘Allo Allo’ style Belgian accent to the classic ‘Australian passing for Australian and New Zealand’ the performer attempts Canadian (which comes out as American), Scottish with no attempt at anything other than colloquial Glaswegian, Generic Geordie and a really awful Northern Irish. If you can’t do the accents then get someone who can it don’t bother. It ruins the whole story

Ruined by the performer

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This was war in graphic detail as told through the eyes of those who witnessed the raw brutality. Shocking waste of life. Narrator was excellent.

Gripping accounts of epic battles at Passchendaele

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very well written tragic event. must not be forgotten or distorted by time. the book works towards this.

tragic History

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