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Who Dares Wins
- Britain, 1979-1982
- Narrated by: Dominic Sandbrook
- Length: 42 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: History, Europe
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Summary
Brought to you by Penguin.
The early 1980s were the most dramatic, colourful and controversial in our modern history. Margaret Thatcher had come to power with a daring plan to reverse Britain's decline into shabbiness and chaos. But as factories closed their doors, dole queues lengthened and the inner cities exploded in flames, would her harsh medicine rescue the Sick Man of Europe - or kill it off?
Evocative, surprising and gloriously entertaining, Dominic Sandbrook's new book recreates the great turning point in Britain's modern history. For some people this was an age of unparalleled opportunity, the heyday of computers and credit cards, snooker, Sloane Rangers and Spandau Ballet.
But as industries collapsed, working-class communities buckled and the Labour Party tore itself apart, it was also an age of extraordinary acrimony. And when Argentine forces seized the Falklands, it seemed the final humiliation for a deeply divided country.
Here are the early 1980s in all their gaudy glory: Tony Benn, Ken Livingstone, Ian Botham and Princess Diana. Here are Joy Division, Chariots of Fire, the Austin Metro and Juliet Bravo; wine bars, cruise missiles, the battle of Goose Green and the ZX Spectrum. And towering above them all, the most controversial prime minister in our modern history - the Iron Lady.
What listeners say about Who Dares Wins
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- cathy smith
- 13-10-19
Chapters missing
I’ve had the same issue as other reviewers. My download stops at High Noon at Leyland and does not include anything relating to the Falklands War. There’s obviously an issue with this download.
I have re-downloaded it twice but this hasn’t made any difference. I am waiting for a response from Audible as I assume the problem is at their end.
Hopefully this will get sorted as it’s a really good book - like the previous ones - and I’m sure the final chapters will be worth the wait. Just very frustrating.
20 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 15-10-19
Incomplete but rest being uploaded soon
As others have said - this is not the full book, which is supposed to be 42 hours long! I contacted Penguin Publishing and they have said:
"Please accept our apologies for this error. We are supplying the remainder of the audio to Audible shortly and once this has been processed, you will be able to delete the audiobook and re-download from the site in order to get the full content."
16 people found this helpful
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- sequoia taylor
- 06-12-19
Would have been better with David Thorpe reading!
Whyy not keep the continuity with DT reading- authors are often not good readers. DS is not too bad but he just doesn't have the same lovely way of bringing it to life. A pity as I've loved the 70s series of the same books read by David Thorpe and have frequently re written
7 people found this helpful
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- Jim 8888
- 29-10-19
Abrupt Ending?
I was listening to this book when suddenly it seemed to finish. "That's strange", I thought, "He's obviously moving on to 1983. Maybe he became bored with the story?" Only when I came on to write a review did I see I had another 3 sections to listen to! So, my review of Part One of this book is relatively positive. Having lived through these years as a teenager, the book inspired many memories of the time, from the Brighton Bombing to Bowie's Ashes to Ashes video. Sandbrook picks out some great stories and quotes to give colour to his history, so it's not a dull account but it does focus quite a bit on the political side. Not surprising I suppose, given Thatcher. We lived in interesting times, but I have to say that the tales of economic catastrophe didn't bother me too much at school. Unemployment was a fact of life, Mrs Thatcher was Mrs Thatcher and who was on Top of the Pops? As I say, it's not a dull narrative, but what does it all mean for life today? How did the Eighties shape us? No doubt I'll have to listen to the rest of the book to maybe find out, and I intend to.
6 people found this helpful
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- Iron Duke
- 17-12-19
Does nobody proof these books?
The content is great but two things break the concentration for me;
1. If you have a lot of Welsh names and have no idea how to pronounce them, please ask someone from Wales. Does anyone not know that Abertillery rhymes with fairy and not artillery?
2. You’ll have so much de ja vue because there are so many retakes that haven’t been edited out.
Real shame, the content is actually really good.
4 people found this helpful
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- Markrlll
- 10-10-19
This is only one third of the actual book
The book is 1000 pages or so long. The narration on this version stops at about page 338. I have told Audible but received a very daft response that “all 16 hours are included”. Mmm. It is a shame because otherwise it is a superb book. I suggest you wait until Audible have sorted this issue out.
18 people found this helpful
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- Callum
- 15-10-19
2/3 of the book is missing
Love Mr. Sandbrook and was eagerly awaiting this book, alas Audible (depsite advertising the recording as 'complete and
unabridged') have managed to somehow only upload 1/3 of the book, with the narrative stopping somewhere around 1981. Hopefully they'll rectify it soon but in the meantime, don't bother.
8 people found this helpful
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- MR DAVID A WOODFINE
- 15-10-19
Half a book
This is only half a book as the other reviewers have said. As good as it is, it’s incomplete. Audible have said it’s up to the publishers but half a book shouldn’t be sold on the site as unabridged.
8 people found this helpful
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- Andrew
- 11-10-19
Something missing?
I think there's something missing at the end of this production, perhaps a third chapter? It seems to end very abruptly and not cover areas mentioned in the blurb later in the story, such as the Falklands War.
8 people found this helpful
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- Mael Dujardin
- 16-05-20
Really good as everything from Sandbrook
Superb account of the early Thatcher era. We forgive him from writing on the Daily Mail, since he is a great narrator.
2 people found this helpful
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- Paul
- 14-01-22
Disappointing
I listened to and loved the previous books in this series, unfortunately, this book does not measure up. Firstly, the audio editing is sloppy to say the least, with numerous repetitions and mispronunciations. Secondly, the author's personal views, kept largely in check in previous books, show through more often than the claim to impartiality would suggest. I could undoubtedly have overlooked these faults were it not for the narration. I can only imagine that David Thorpe (narrator of Seasons in the Sun and State of Emergency) was unavailable. Thorpe is an excellent narrator, gifted with the ability to mimic individual voices, regional and national accents. Sandbrook tries to match Thorpe, but fails. His lisping Tony Ben impersonation and breathy Margaret Thatcher to name but two are cringeworthy in the extreme. So please Mr. Sandbrook, when the next book in the series comes out (and I hope it will) spend the extra and get David Thorpe to narrate it.
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- John
- 20-11-21
Superb. Thoughtful and incredibly vivid.
The early 80s were a hugely significant time in the history of the UK. This book really does justice to the importance of this years. It’s thoughtful and incredibly thoroughly. Throw in a cast of vivid characters and a gripping narrative and I recommend it to anyone who wants to take a time machine back 40 years.
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- Fridtjof
- 24-05-20
Great history lesson
Born in the early 1960s this book is even for non-British readers a great book to understand the history of the early 80s. Its entertaining, setting matters in context and explains hos the world has developed in to the society of today.
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- Jon Hustad
- 21-10-19
Unabridged?
It was only half the book. I feel cheated. Where is the rest of the book?