Author:Spike Milligan,Spike Milligan
Spike Milligan's legendary war memoirs are a hilarious and subversive first-hand account of the Second World War, as well as a fascinating portrait of the formative years of this towering comic genius, most famous as writer and star of The Goon Show. They have sold over 4.5 million copies.
Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable, audiobook edition of Goodbye Soldier, written and read by Spike Milligan.
'My namer is Maria Antonoinetta Fontana, but everyone call me Toni.''I'm Spike,' sometimes known as stop thief or hey you.'Yeser, I know.'
The sixth volume of Spike Milligan's off-the-wall account of his part in World War Two sees our hero doing very little soldiering. Because it's 1946. Rather, he is now part of the Bill Hall Trio - a 'Combined Services Entertainment' inflicted on unsuspecting soldiers across Italy and Austria - and is largely preoccupied with the unbearably beautiful ballerina, Ms Toni Fontana ('Arghhhhhhhhh!). But he must enjoy it while he can before he is demobbed and sent home to Catford - so he does ...
A marvellously readable book
—— Gary Sheffield , BBC History Magazine – Books of the Year 2015Impeccably researched and superbly written . . . Holland’s fascinating saga offers a mixture of captivating new research and well-considered revisionism. The next two volumes should be unmissable.
—— Alexander Larman , ObserverHolland’s history is a work of revisionism with a vengeance. Through his emphasis on logistical support and technology, he continually demolishes cherished myths about the war . . . This is a magnificent, authoritative contribution to the study of the Second World War.
—— Leo McKinstry , Literary ReviewThis brilliant, lucid and intimate history is a game-changer, the Second World War will never seem the same again. If you think you know the real history of the Second World War this book will astonish you: it renders other popular histories redundant
—— Professor David Edgerton , King's College, LondonThe most refreshing and engaging book about the Second World War that I have read in a long time. The absorbing narrative is laced with a passion and enthusiasm and stands head and shoulders above the current crop of titles in the genre
—— Soldier MagazineJames Holland is the best of the new generation of WW2 historians. His epic new venture convincingly challenges many received ideas about the war and draws some exciting new conclusions
—— Sebastian FaulksJames Holland’s War in the West takes a fresh look at the familiar and finds much food for thought – turning several conventions on their heads in a compelling and revelatory way
—— Al MurrayThis book stands apart and for all the right reasons: Holland has something new to say. Every page is alive with a level of excitement and enthusiasm. Here is a perspective that turns on its head what I thought I understood about those astonishing years - filled with insight and detail
—— Neil OliverWith this magnificent, hugely readable debut, James Holland’s War in the West is set fair to become one of the truly great multi-volume histories of the Second World War
—— Andrew RobertsJames Holland has produced a gripping multi-layered study of the War in West. It weaves together accounts from all levels of those caught up in the opening stages of the war and provides an accessible and captivating narrative. More importantly still it offers a challenging reappraisal that forces us to rethink our attitudes to the conduct of the most destructive and important war in history. Essential reading
—— Professor John Buckley, Professor of War Studies, Wolverhampton University & author of Monty’s MenA hugely engaging, scholarly and ambitious book that strips away the myths surrounding the Second World War and - uniquely - tells the human stories, not just the political and military history. A must-read for anyone with an interest in this turbulent and transformative period.
—— Tracy BormanIn The War in the West, James Holland weds his typically deft writing to years of research and thought. He seeks - and finds - that elusive middle ground between the high politics of Hitler, Churchill, and Roosevelt and the personal experience of the soldier in the field. I am already making room on my shelf for volumes two and three. I would read anything Holland writes.
—— Rob CitinoJames Holland’s excellent first volume in his new trilogy The War in the West skewers many myths about the beginning of the Second World War, not least that of invincible Nazi superiority and comparative Allied incompetence
—— Alexander Larman , Daily ExpressBrilliantly captures the actions of an astonishing, taciturn wartime community
—— Dermot Bulger , Sunday Business PostA story of courage and determination, of heroic individuals…and of what can be done when people come together to oppose tyranny
—— Sunday TelegraphA unique story of courage and determination
—— Daily TelegraphElegant style
—— WOW247Moorehead’s account makes for frequently moving and, at times, harrowing reading… Fascinating
—— Hanna Diamond , BBC History Magazine[Moorehead is a] brilliant investigative journalist
—— Country LifeA work of remembrance and a moving tribute
—— Iain Finlayson , Saga MagazineMoorehead skillfully intersperses layer after layer of historical fact with narratives of deeply human stories
—— Henriette Wentink , Reform MagazineA moving piece, splendidly told
—— Lucy Beckett , TabletIt’s an inspiring story
—— Peter Lewis , Daily MailMoorehead does an expert job in pulling together testimonies from survivors to filter myths and memories from fact to retell an extraordinary tale
—— Julia Richardson , Daily MailStory of courage and determination, of a small number of heroic individuals who risked their lives to save others, and of what can be done when people come together to oppose tyranny
—— Miss DinkyVillage of Secrets is crammed full of stories from survivors, tales of courage, betrayal, failure, success, hope, despair. It is a helter-skelter ride through the most extreme of human experiences
—— Susannah Perkins , Nudge