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Now It Can Be Told

By: Philip Gibbs
Narrated by: Matthew Lloyd Davies
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Publisher's summary

Sir Philip Gibbs served as one of five official British reporters during the First World War. In this book he relays the experiences of British soldiers and offers a detailed narrative of the events of World War I, while trying to draw broader conclusions about the nature of war and how it can be prevented in the future.

Public Domain (P)2018 Tantor
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History
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What listeners say about Now It Can Be Told

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Pay Close Attention...

This is a great book, but it is easy to let your mind wander. The problem is when you do that you have no idea what you missed, and you missed some exceptional information. There is so much information the author is trying to convey and relate. The First World War was a great tragedy, one that the author, being he was a war correspondent, is continually trying to get to the point of it all. The problem is there is no way to do that. This is the human condition. And the other confusing thing is jumping around from philosophical points to actual happenings during the way. However, this book is very good, and these issues shouldn't deter one from reading it. The narrator does a fine job. No issues there.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

a bit hard to follow at times but powerful

don't go into this book expecting one arcing story. it is more a collection of anecdotes, ideas, and accounts of the western front, though some parts follow this line more than others.

over all absolutely splendid.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

An unusually worthwhile listen.

I have a reasonably good lay knowledge of the political & military history of WW1: the archduke, trench warfare, etc. But this firsthand account by a British war correspondent who experienced the whole thing from beginning to end provides a much more personal and up-close account. Very worthwhile, and wonderfully written and performed.

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Haunting and tragic

This story gave me chills and saddened me to know how foolish people could be in the name of patriotism.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Powerful

First class history, told by a first-person witness of the trials and tribulations of soldiery in the First World War.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Beautifully Ctafted Work

A very sincere, emotionally impacting story of WW1 "Trench Warfare" as seen through the eyes of a British war correspondent, who, other than the combatant militias from all participants, is qualified to record the horror of war and the changing of lives directly affected.

I recommend this book for anyone who wants to learn more about life's transgressions and the full range of how civilization is both Beautiful and Horrible simultaneously...It's the choice of each as to how they perceive.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Ignore the poor reviews, great book

I delayed in purchasing this audiobook because of the bad reviews complaining about the narrator whispering or talking too quietly. I'm glad I didn't pay attention to these, as they should have turned up their hearing aids, or put the children to bed. I listened to this book with headphones next to a loud factory machine all day and I heard every word loud and clear.

This is an excellent collection of accounts by the author who visited the men fighting in the trenches daily during the duration of the war. Easy to follow, eloquently written, and disturbingly graphic. if you have any interest in WW1 or military history, this book is right in your zone, one I will soon add to my bookshelf. Don't let the deaf reviewers prevent you from getting this masterpiece.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent War Correspondent Perspective

I loved getting insights from a war correspondent during WW1. It covered a range of subjects from censorship, soldier and command views from the allies, German perspectives, civilian accounts, etc.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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Loud than Quiet

The narrator starts most sentences out really loud than finishes at a whisper . It was hard to hear and if you turned up the volume the start of each sentence was deafening.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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The most humanizing view of an industrial war

I've been on a WWI kick for the last few weeks, listening to audiobooks and watching every documentary I can find. This is, by far, the best of the lot. The scope of the work captures the evolution of the war from a close-up perspective that's exceedingly rare in my limited experience. Most WWI narratives are either hopelessly removed from the people in the trenches (aside from the obligatory catalog of filth and misery there), or else only focus on a particular battle like the Somme.

This book is exactly what I've been looking for, with remarkable breadth threaded through with the sort of strong personal experience I came to expect from reading books like Band of Brothers or Slaughterhouse 5. It feels unique, even fresh, for the way it embodies dangers beyond trench foot and shell shock, though the latter appears and is met with all the understanding available at the time. (Be prepared for some quietly disappointing misogyny, thankfully brief and rare.)

In addition to the stirring yet frank writing, the narrator for this recording has a slew of accents he wields to great effect, bringing the subjects to life.

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