Author:Antony Beevor
THE NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER - REISSUED WITH A NEW FOREWORD FOR THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY
'Magnificent, vivid, moving, superb' Max Hastings, Sunday Times
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This is the closest you will ever get to war - the taste, the smell, the noise and the fear
The Normandy Landings that took place on D-Day involved by far the largest invasion fleet ever known. The scale of the undertaking was awesome and what followed was some of the most cunning and ferocious fighting of the war. As casualties mounted, so too did the tensions between the principal commanders on both sides. Meanwhile, French civilians caught in the middle of these battlefields or under Allied bombing endured terrible suffering. Even the joys of Liberation had their darker side.
Antony Beevor's inimitably gripping narrative conveys the true experience of war. He lands the reader on the beach alongside the heroes whose stories he so masterfully renders in their full terrifying glory.
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'A thrilling story, with all Beevor's narrative mastery' Chris Patten, Financial Times
'Beevor's D-Day has all the qualities that have made his earlier works so successful: an eye for telling and unusual detail, an ability to make complex events understandable, and a wonderful graphic style' Ian Kershaw, Guardian, Books of the Year
'D-Day's phenomenal success is both understandable and justified' James Holland
'D-Day is a triumph . . . on almost every page there's some little detail that sticks in the mind or tweaks the heart. This is a terrific, inspiring, heart-breaking book' Sam Leith, Daily Mail
A knockout reassessment of one of the Second World War's great set-piece battles. Swoops from the vicious close-quarter fighting in the hedgerows to the petrified French onlookers and onwards to the political leaders wrestling with monumental decisions
—— Sunday TimesBeevor has succeeded brilliantly. D-Day can sit proudly alongside his other masterworks on Stalingrad and the fall of Berlin. Superbly brings the events of that summer to life again
—— Patrick Bishop , Daily TelegraphAs near as possible to experiencing what it was like to be there. . . It is almost impossible for a reader not to get caught up in the excitement
—— Giles Foden , GuardianImpeccable, splendid, thoroughly researched and gripping. Beevor is master of narrative, expertly blending the grand sweep with the telling anecdote
—— Dominic Sandbrook , ObserverBeevor can be credited with single-handedly transforming the reputation of military history
—— David Edgar , GuardianHis singular ability to make huge historical events accessible to a general audience recalls the golden age of British narrative history, whose giants include Gibbon, Macaulay and Carlyle
—— Boyd Tonkin , IndependentFew authors compare to Andrew Roberts. He dips his pen in the most eloquent ink to bring to life figures who have heaps of lessons to teach us
—— Marc Nadeau , BookmarcRoberts has a gift for finding the anecdote or quotation which reveals an essential truth about his subject.
—— Nigel Jones , History TodayFew authors compare to Andrew Roberts. He dips his pen in the most eloquent ink to bring to life figures who have heaps of lessons to teach us
—— Marc Nadeau , BookmarcHis analyses of the criteria needed for success are succinct and... convincing. ... The mysteries of leadership in times of conflict probably evade ultimate explanation, but Roberts, the biographer of Napoleon and Churchill, does much to throw new light on them,
—— Nick Rennison , Sunday TimesWith enormous flair and confidence, Tim Bouverie has brought his subject to life, elegantly drawing out the historical parallels while also presenting a gripping and well-paced narrative. Lively, nuanced, and full of surprising details, this is a stunning debut
—— Henry HemmingWith tremendous narrative flair and impeccable judgement, Bouverie illuminates the wishful thinking, the gullibility and the appalling amateurishness that led us to the precipice
—— Simon Griffith , Mail on SundayAn eye-opening narrative which makes for exciting but at times uncomfortable reading as one reflects on possible lessons for the present
—— Antonia FraserTruly impressive and enjoyable. Tim Bouverie writes with verve and wit, gives us an often moving and always human angle on the story, and removes the tarnish from the word ‘appeasement’ to make us look anew at one of the most important, and salutary, periods of modern times
—— Roland PhilippsNo previous book on Appeasement has managed to cast such a vivid, detailed and utterly fascinating light on the incredible political machinations that were being played out in the late 1930s. Tim Bouverie has brilliantly brought alive the tension, political brinkmanship and immense drama of those days... This is political drama at its most compelling, and one whose relevance sits with the reader long after the book has been put down. Superb.
—— James HollandTim Bouverie breathes new life into this familiar story. His vivid narrative is compelling, even exciting, as it hurtles towards its tragic conclusion. This is a superb book that deserves to be widely read
—— Adam Sisman , Literary ReviewVivid, engaging... pacy, personality driven
—— Susan Pedersen , GuardianBouverie… retells [the story of appeasement] with gusto
—— Dominic Sandbrook , Sunday TimesBouverie gives a lucid account… [and] skilfully traces each shameful step to war… which he describes in moving and dramatic detail
—— Lewis Jones , Sunday TelegraphGripping.. Bouverie has written a searching, wide-ranging, and above all readable chronology of a shameful era of British history… a very cautionary tale
—— Nigel Jones , Spectator[An] impressive and very readable account
—— Tony Rennell , Daily MailTim Bouverie’s first historical work… is a well-argued, lucid case for the prosecution of the appeasers
—— David Aaronovitch , The Times, *Book of the Week*So assured is Bouverie’s writing, and so sound his judgments, that it is hard to believe that Appeasing Hitler is his first book. It is a wonderful debut that marks the arrival of a young historian to watch
—— Saul David , Evening Standard, *Book of the Week*[An] accomplished and lucid account
—— Josh Ireland , ProspectBouverie’s well-written Appeasing Hitler aims to provide a timeless lesson on the challenges of standing up to aggression.
—— Jo Johnson , Financial TimesBouverie has mined an impressive range of sources and quotes from them judiciously. His narrative is lucid, his prose efficient, his put-downs witty… [he] tells an important story well.
—— Lucy Hughes-Hallett , New StatesmanThe skill with which Tim Bouverie navigates here through the worlds of politics, officialdom and diplomacy is quite exemplary… his explanations of complex issues are always lucid; his narrative style is thoughtful, unshowy and always a pleasure to read… This is, quite simply, the best book ever to have appeared on this whole subject
—— Noel Malcolm , OldieBouverie’s Appeasing Hitler provides a meticulous picture of a Britain that faced very different problems from our own
—— Thelma Lovell , Catholic HeraldScrupulously fair, [and a] readable account… [an] excellent book
—— Marcus Tanner , TabletAppeasing Hitler…is a staggeringly good account of the build-up to the Second World War… gripping, dramatic and revelatory
—— Christian May , City AMBouverie’s prose is fluent and assured throughout. Those in search of an entertaining read will find one… an admirable retelling of traditional history
—— Robert Crowcroft , History TodayAn enthralling, nuanced tale… the narrative is absolutely compelling
—— Times Literary SupplementAn elegantly written account by a rising young historian
—— The Times, *Summer reads of 2019*This is a gripping account of the wishful thinking that led us to the precipice
—— Neil Armstrong and Hephzibah Anderson , Mail on Sunday, *Summer reads of 2019*There is a sure command of narrative and judgment in faultlessly lucid prose, with subtexts of pathos
—— Bruce Anderson , SpectatorA fascinating narrative on the politics of wishful thinking and the law of unintended consequences in international relations
—— Ali Ansari , History Today, *Books of the Year*[A] finely researched and well-argued book
—— Daily Mail, *Books of the Year*[A] phenomenal book
—— William Keegan , ObserverExcellent
—— Andrew Roberts , Wall Street JournalExcellent and compelling
—— William Leith , Evening Standard