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A Certain Idea of France
- The Life of Charles de Gaulle
- Narrated by: John Banks
- Length: 35 hrs and 19 mins
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Publisher's summary
Penguin presents the audiobook edition of A Certain Idea of France by Julian Jackson, read by John Banks.
In six weeks in 1940, France was overrun by German troops and surrendered. One junior French general, refusing to accept defeat, made his way to England. On 18 June he spoke to his compatriots over the BBC, urging them to rally to him in London. At that moment, Charles de Gaulle entered into history.
For the rest of the war, de Gaulle frequently bit the hand that fed him. He insisted on being treated as the true embodiment of France, and quarrelled violently with Churchill and Roosevelt. But through sheer force of personality and bloody-mindedness he managed to have France recognised as one of the victorious Allies.
For 10 years after 1958 he was President of France's Fifth Republic, which he created and which endures to this day. His pursuit of 'a certain idea of France' challenged American hegemony, took France out of NATO and twice vetoed British entry into the European Community. His controversial decolonisation of Algeria brought France to the brink of civil war and provoked several assassination attempts.
Julian Jackson's magnificent biography reveals this the life of this titanic figure as never before. No previous biography has depicted his paradoxes so vividly. Much of French politics since his death has been about his legacy, and he remains by far the greatest French leader since Napoleon.
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Andrew Roberts' Napoleon is the first one-volume biography to take advantage of the recent publication of Napoleon's thirty-three thousand letters, which radically transform our understanding of his character and motivation. At last we see him as he was: protean multitasker, decisive, surprisingly willing to forgive his enemies and his errant wife Josephine.
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What a dynamo!
- By Tad Davis on 01-16-15
By: Andrew Roberts
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The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution: 1763-1789
- By: Robert Middlekauff
- Narrated by: Robert Fass
- Length: 26 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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The first book to appear in the illustrious Oxford History of the United States, this critically-acclaimed volume - a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize - offers an unsurpassed history of the Revolutionary War and the birth of the American republic.
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Strong History Rich With Behind The Scenes Details
- By John on 10-06-11
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The Weimar Years
- Rise and Fall 1918–1933
- By: Frank McDonough
- Narrated by: Paul McGann
- Length: 19 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Established in 1918–19, in the wake of Germany’s catastrophic defeat in the First World War and the revolution that followed swiftly on its heels, the Weimar Republic ushered in widespread social reform, a radical cultural flowering and the most democratic conditions the German people had ever known. The Weimar Years is a vivid narrative of a dramatic period in German history. Year by year, from 1918 to 1933, Frank McDonough covers the major events in both domestic and foreign policy and the personalities who shaped them, together with developments in music, art, theatre and literature.
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An excellent history of the time period
- By Jackie Renee Johnson on 04-02-24
By: Frank McDonough
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Out of the Darkness
- The Germans, 1942-2022
- By: Frank Trentmann
- Narrated by: Patty Nieman
- Length: 37 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1945, Germany lay in ruins, morally and materially. Its citizens stood condemned by history, responsible for a horrifying genocide and war of extermination. But by the end of Angela Merkel’s tenure in 2021, Germany looked like the moral voice of Europe. How did a nation whose past has been marked by mass murder reinvent themselves, and how much? Trentmann tells this dramatic story of the German people from the middle of the Second World War through the Cold War and the division of East and West to the fall of the Berlin Wall and their struggle to find their place in the world today.
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A very long book
- By Georjaneknighthawk on 03-20-24
By: Frank Trentmann
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The Soviet Sixties
- By: Robert Hornsby
- Narrated by: Peter Noble
- Length: 20 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Beginning with the death of Stalin in 1953, the "sixties" era in the Soviet Union was just as vibrant and transformative as in the West. The ideological romanticism of the revolutionary years was revived, with renewed emphasis on egalitarianism, equality, and the building of a communist utopia. Mass terror was reined in, great victories were won in the space race, Stalinist cultural dogmas were challenged, and young people danced to jazz and rock and roll. Robert Hornsby examines this remarkable and surprising period.
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Comprehensive and Emtertaining
- By Peter on 02-26-24
By: Robert Hornsby
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Citizens
- A Chronicle of the French Revolution
- By: Simon Schama
- Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
- Length: 36 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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From one of the truly preeminent historians of our time, this is a landmark book chronicling the French Revolution. Simon Schama deftly refutes the contemporary notion that the French Revolution represented an uprising of the oppressed poor against a decadent aristocracy and corrupt court. He argues instead that the revolution was born of a rift among the elite over the speed of progress toward modernity and science, social and economic change.
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Audio Skips!!
- By Joseph M. Arnold on 07-02-15
By: Simon Schama
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The Prize
- The Epic Quest for Oil, Money & Power
- By: Daniel Yergin
- Narrated by: Michael David Axtell
- Length: 46 hrs
- Unabridged
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Now with an epilogue that speaks directly to the current energy crisis, The Prize recounts the panoramic history of the world’s most important resource—oil. Daniel Yergin’s timeless book chronicles the struggle for wealth and power that has surrounded oil for decades and that continues to fuel global rivalries, shake the world economy, and transform the destiny of men and nations. This updated edition categorically proves the unwavering significance of oil throughout the twentieth century and into the twenty-first by tracing economic and political clashes over precious “black gold.”
By: Daniel Yergin
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To Lose a Battle
- France 1940
- By: Alistair Horne
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 24 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1940, the German army fought and won an extraordinary battle with France in six weeks of lightning warfare. With the subtlety and compulsion of a novel, Horne's narrative shifts from minor battlefield incidents to high military and political decisions, stepping far beyond the confines of military history to form a major contribution to our understanding of the crises of the Franco-German rivalry.
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You're going to need a French dictionary and a map
- By Mike From Mesa on 06-17-24
By: Alistair Horne
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Moscow 1812
- Napoleon’s Fatal March
- By: Adam Zamoyski
- Narrated by: Matthew Waterson
- Length: 17 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1812 the most powerful man in the world assembled the largest army in history and marched on Moscow with the intention of consolidating his dominion. But within months, Napoleon's invasion of Russia—history's first example of total war—had turned into an epic military disaster. Over 400,000 French and Allied troops perished and Napoleon was forced to retreat.
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Very well done
- By Zach Simon on 06-25-24
By: Adam Zamoyski
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Empire
- By: Niall Ferguson
- Narrated by: Sean Barrett
- Length: 15 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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The British Empire was the largest in all history: the nearest thing to global domination ever achieved. The world we know today is in large measure the product of Britain's age of empire. The global spread of capitalism, telecommunications, the English language, and the institutions of representative government - all these can be traced back to the extraordinary expansion of Britain's economy, population, and culture from the 17th century until the mid-20th. On a vast and vividly colored canvas, Empire shows how the British Empire acted as midwife to modernity.
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Not Balanced till Conclusion
- By Hectoris on 08-13-20
By: Niall Ferguson
What listeners say about A Certain Idea of France
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- M
- 05-13-21
Outstanding biography, awful pronunciation
Excellent dissection of De Gaulle's personality and deep understanding of the wider context although in my opinion the book would have benefited from being a bit shorter.
Julian Jackson shows De Gaulle's theatrical and almost grotesque pride and prickliness was real but he made a srewd use of brinkmanship and was ready to back down when necessary. Still, his ingratitude to the Allies and later his meanness to the US and Britain is shocking. His extreme awkwardness in his early career gave way to a more self-assured stance and there is an element of mischievous fun in his brutality which somehow makes it less odious. His oratory and litterary style, while often vague and opaque, was clearly outstanding.
Unfortunately the reader mispronounces half the French names he comes across, sometimes beyond recognition. This became so annoying that I switched to the excellent French version of the book, also available on Audible.
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- Roderigo
- 07-04-23
Excellent, but weird pronunciation of some French names
Great voice acting, on the whole, but I couldn't let the narrator's pronunciation of Montesquieu as "Monteskwee" slide.
Five stars in spirit, nonetheless; I like this narrator a lot, and I don't want to be impolite. Still, though.
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- Nicolai Kjær
- 09-24-21
Excellent and thorough tour de Force of de Gaulle
It is by far one of the best biographies of de Gaulle. A very interesting walk through his life and career. I knew a lot about de Gaulle during the war but found it interesting to know more of him “ruling” France in the 60s.
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- AZ
- 10-10-20
A masterpiece
Thrilling account of the life and time of De Gaulle. Brilliantly written and read and difficult to put down.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Doggy Bird
- 09-04-22
One of the best biographies I’ve read
I have a special relationship to France where I spent part of my life learning French and later teaching English and I try to keep up with French history, culture and ideas and visit the country several times each year. I don’t know if others who do not feel as passionately as I do will be interested in such a long and in depth audiobook but I’ve been listening for over a month and could not abandon this book - it is so well done. I have some small objections to the narrator who reads too fast and whose French is not as well pronounced as he might think. I slowed the recording down to .9x to deal with the first and noticed some small improvement as the book advanced for the second (or maybe I just got used to it). As for the text itself it couldn’t be more comprehensive or better. The author clearly knows his subject and is well read and knowledgeable about all aspects of French life and culture and politics. I found his analysis both informative and insightful. The reader, although he mispronounces things right and left, is at least comprehensible and the rhythms of his narration made things relatively easy to follow once I got used to his pace and pronunciation and kept my interest through what is a very long and detailed history. At the end of the book I felt I had a much better grasp of De Gaulle and his role in 20th century French history than even after several French history courses in college and graduate school and many years in France. I was also impressed with the scholarship of the book and I cannot recommend it highly enough for those with a passion for France or a desire to understand more about France before going there to live or visit. It was really the highlight of my reading and listening so far this year.
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- Marc
- 08-13-24
Best history of the last Frenchman
This book truly tells the tale of the last Frenchman and the one who saved the honor of France.
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- Amazon Customer
- 07-10-21
Engaging Narrative Biography of a man embodying “Gradure”
The narrator was excellent with perfect french pronunciation. De Gaulle’s life and bombastic presence on the world stage makes for a fascinating story. Well researched and neutral.
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- Amazon Customer
- 10-24-21
This book will help you understand modern France
Terrific book. The narrative is we structured and the content is well researched. The narrator has a great voice although he occasionally has trouble with certain French pronunciations. Although it’s a long book, it helps illuminate much of modern France and it’s institutions through the person of General De Gaulle. If you enjoy history or biography, this is a book for you!
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- Anna Noehre
- 08-04-23
Insightful, beautiful spoken, well documented
As another reviewer mentioned, this 35 hour audio is richly detailed, insightfully written, and so engaging that it's hard to press stop! C’est parfaitement écrit et très difficile d’arrêter d’écouter!
Yes, the narrator John Banks delivers a few odd French vowels and also a few odd English syllable stresses, but these are idiosyncrasies of the voice-actor and no cause for righteous indignation. Author Julian Jackson weaves a brilliantly nuanced portrait of CdG as a towering, determined, and often intimidating man.
De Gaulle believed that He * was * France. The scion of conservative Catholic academics, he held an unswerving belief in his own historical destiny. The text is interwoven with quotations from many contemporary sources, including deGaulle's memoires, letters, and speeches; diaries of his peers; and scholarly assessments from professional historians.
CdG's quirks, habits, style of movement, family life, literacy -- all suggest his inner world, feelings, and convictions. WW-2 figures play complex psychological roles. Through the eyes of those in his orbit, we meet Churchill [who despised deG] Roosevelt [who dismissed deG] Stalin [who toyed with deG] and Eisenhower [who remained friendly] along with the hard-working diplomats who had to deal with the moody, vengeful savior [Harriman, Eden].
His autocratic leadership and bitter animosities emerge again during the violent Algerian independence and the creation of the Fifth Republic. The author's stance is profoundly insightful while remaining coherently objective. It was so good that I listened twice! Well recommended!
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- KDN
- 09-15-23
Excellent
An excellent review of a complex figure. Well worth a listen. I recommend the book highly.
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