The Beauty and the Sorrow
An Intimate History of the First World War
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Narrated by:
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David Stifel
About this listen
An intimate narrative history of World War I told through the stories of 20 men and women from around the globe - a powerful, illuminating, heart-rending picture of what the war was really like.
In this masterful book, renowned historian Peter Englund describes this epoch-defining event by weaving together accounts of the average man or woman who experienced it. Drawing on the diaries, journals, and letters of 20 individuals from Belgium, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Venezuela, and the United States, Englund's collection of these varied perspectives describes not a course of events but "a world of feeling". Composed in short chapters that move between the home front and the front lines, The Beauty and Sorrow brings to life these 20 particular people and lets them speak for all who were shaped in some way by the war, but whose voices have remained unheard.
©2009 Peter Englund; English translation copyright 2011 by Peter Graves (P)2021 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
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Swansong 1945 chronicles the end of Nazi Germany and World War II in Europe through hundreds of letters, diaries, and autobiographical accounts covering four days that fateful spring: Hitler's birthday on April 20, American and Soviet troops meeting at the Elbe on April 25, Hitler's suicide on April 30, and finally the German surrender on May 8.
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Important, Tragic, Poignant...
- By Amazon Customer on 07-31-15
By: Walter Kempowski, and others
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Tobruk
- By: Peter FitzSimons
- Narrated by: Humphrey Bower
- Length: 23 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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In the early days of April 1941, the 14,000 Australian forces garrisoned in the Libyan town of Tobruk were told to expect reinforcements and supplies within eight weeks... Eight months later these heroic, gallant, determined 'Rats of Tobruk' were rescued by the British Navy having held the fort against the might of Rommel's never-before defeated Afrika Corps.
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Fair dinkum
- By J B Tipton on 11-22-08
By: Peter FitzSimons
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Red Road from Stalingrad
- Recollections of a Soviet Infantryman
- By: Mansur Abdulin
- Narrated by: Alex Hyde-White
- Length: 8 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Mansur Abdulin fought in the front ranks of the Soviet infantry against the German invaders at Stalingrad, Kursk, and on the banks of the Dnieper. This is his extraordinary story. His vivid firsthand account of a ruthless war on the Eastern Front gives rare insight into the reality of the fighting and into the tactics and mentality of the Red Army's soldiers.
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Memoir of a Soviet soldier fighting the Nazis
- By Ladybug on 09-16-21
By: Mansur Abdulin
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Panzer Commander
- The Memoirs of Colonel Hans von Luck
- By: Hans von Luck, Stephen E. Ambrose - introduction
- Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot
- Length: 15 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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A stunning look at World War II from the other side.... From the turret of a German tank, Colonel Hans von Luck commanded Rommel's 7th and then 21st Panzer Division. El Alamein, Kasserine Pass, Poland, Belgium, Normandy on D-Day, the disastrous Russian front - von Luck fought there with some of the best soldiers in the world. German soldiers. Awarded the German Cross in Gold and the Knight's Cross, von Luck writes as an officer and a gentleman.
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Reads like Forrest Gump ( a fiction )
- By Randall on 11-08-16
By: Hans von Luck, and others
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The Crowded Hour
- Theodore Roosevelt, the Rough Riders, and the Dawn of the American Century
- By: Clay Risen
- Narrated by: Fred Sanders
- Length: 12 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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The “gripping” (The Washington Post) story of the most famous regiment in American history: the Rough Riders, a motley group of soldiers led by Theodore Roosevelt, whose daring exploits marked the beginning of American imperialism in the 20th century. Both a portrait of these men, few of whom were traditional soldiers, and of the Spanish-American War itself, The Crowded Hour dives deep into the daily lives and struggles of Roosevelt and his regiment. Using diaries, letters, and memoirs, Risen illuminates an influential moment in American history.
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Dissapointed
- By Bill on 09-13-19
By: Clay Risen
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The Polar Bear Expedition
- The Heroes of America's Forgotten Invasion of Russia, 1918-1919
- By: James Carl Nelson
- Narrated by: Johnny Heller
- Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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An extraordinary lost chapter in the history of World War I: the story of America’s year-long invasion of Russia, in which a contingency of brave soldiers fought the Red Army and brutal conditions during the fall and winter of 1918-1919.
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Good history, idiot author.
- By Glaudrung on 12-30-19
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Blood and Soil
- The Memoir of a Third Reich Brandenburger
- By: Sepp de Giampietro, Lawrence Paterson - foreword, Eva Burke - translator
- Narrated by: P.J. Ochlan
- Length: 14 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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The Brandenburgers were Hitler's Special Forces, a band of mainly foreign German nationals who used disguise and fluency in other languages to complete daring missions into enemy territory. Overshadowed by stories of their Allied equivalents, their history has largely been ignored. First published in 1984, de Giampietro's highly-personal and eloquent memoir is a vivid account of his experiences. In astonishing detail, he delves into the reality of life in the unit from everyday concerns and politics to training and involvement in Brandenburg missions.
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Memoir of a Liar and War Criminal? Perhaps.
- By Erik on 06-14-21
By: Sepp de Giampietro, and others
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Brothers in Arms
- One Legendary Tank Regiment’s Bloody War from D-Day to VE-Day
- By: James Holland
- Narrated by: Al Murray
- Length: 16 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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One of the last cavalry units to ride horses into battle, the Sherwood Rangers were transformed into a “mechanized cavalry” of tanks in 1942. After winning acclaim in the North African campaign, they spearheaded one of the D-Day landings in Normandy and became the first British troops to cross into Germany. Their courage, skill, and tenacity contributed mightily to the surrender of Germany in 1945.
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All the details
- By GY on 01-03-22
By: James Holland
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X Troop
- The Secret Jewish Commandos of World War II
- By: Leah Garrett
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 9 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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June 1942. The shadow of the Third Reich has fallen across the European continent. In desperation, Winston Churchill and his chief of staff form an unusual plan: a new commando unit made up of Jewish refugees who have escaped to Britain. The resulting volunteers are a motley group of intellectuals, artists, and athletes, most from Germany and Austria. Many have been interned as enemy aliens and have lost their families, their homes - their whole worlds. They will stop at nothing to defeat the Nazis.
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Very amazing and moving story!
- By Jonathan D. Feldman on 09-18-21
By: Leah Garrett
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Churchill's Hellraisers
- The Secret Mission to Storm a Forbidden Nazi Fortress
- By: Damien Lewis
- Narrated by: Matt Bates
- Length: 12 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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It is the winter of 1944. Allied forces have succeeded in liberating most of Axis-occupied Italy - with one crucial exception: the Nazi headquarters north of the Gothic Line. Heavily guarded and surrounded by rugged terrain, the mountain fortress is nearly impenetrable. But British Prime Minister Winston Churchill is determined to drive a dagger into the "soft underbelly of Europe." The Allied's plan: drop two paratroopers into the mountains-and take the fortress by storm....
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chaotic and hard to follow
- By E. Idenmill on 09-27-24
By: Damien Lewis
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Marine!
- The Life of Chesty Puller
- By: Burke Davis
- Narrated by: Bill Thatcher
- Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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In the glorious chronicles of the US Marine Corps, no name is more revered than that of Lt. Gen. Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller. The only fighting man to receive the Navy Cross five separate times - a military honor second only to the Congressional Medal of Honor - he was the epitome of a professional warrior.
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good book, God awful reading.
- By Amazon Customer on 12-28-21
By: Burke Davis
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The defeat of South Vietnam was arguably America's worst foreign policy disaster of the twentieth century. Yet a complete understanding of the endgame—from the January 27, 1973 signing of the Paris Peace Accords to South Vietnam's surrender on April 30, 1975—has eluded us. Black April addresses that deficit.
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The First World War created the modern world. A conflict of unprecedented ferocity, it abruptly ended the relative peace and prosperity of the Victorian era, unleashing such demons of the 20th century as mechanized warfare and mass death. It also helped to usher in the ideas that have shaped our times - modernism in the arts, new approaches to psychology and medicine, radical thoughts about economics and society - and in so doing shattered the faith in rationalism and liberalism that had prevailed in Europe since the Enlightenment.
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November 1942
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At the beginning of November 1942, it looked as if the Axis powers could still win the Second World War; at the end of that month, it was just a matter of time before they would lose. In between was El Alamein, Guadalcanal, the French North Africa landings, the Japanese retreat in New Guinea, and the Soviet encirclement of the German 6th Army at Stalingrad. It may have been the most important month of the twentieth century. In this hugely innovative and riveting historical marvel, Peter Englund has reduced an epoch-making event to its basic component: the individual experience.
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What listeners say about The Beauty and the Sorrow
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Christine
- 06-26-23
Must read
World War 1 as viewed on multiple fronts by the common man. Compilation of all the hoodies of prolonged war
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- Nancy Pf
- 06-28-23
One of the best historical books I’ve read/heard
History on a human level. This is not a narrative of WWI, but the thought# snd words of those who lived it-without the benefit of hindsight. The author did an outstanding job of finding an extraordinary range of characters in different roles and in different theaters of the war - including those involved in the war in Africa, and the Middle East. Both men and women, members of the military, and civilians are represented. Outstanding. Narration must be unobtrusive. It was a little grating when the narrator changed his voice when quoting a woman. He didn’t sound like a woman,and would have been better to omit this styling.
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- Bowen Florsheim
- 05-21-22
NEED TO READ
Certainly one of the best books I have ever heard or read. How real people viewed and were affected by WW I at the most basic and personal level. Really opens the readers eyes to what ordinary people face in war. Superb narration. Should be required reading in every high school history class.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Michelle
- 04-26-22
Great narration but exceedingly long chapters
Although I thoroughly enjoyed David Stifel's narration, this Audible book.suffered from exceedingly long chapters which bounced around from one protagonist to the next, over the period of single years in multiple countries on several different continents. Chapters in.excess of 3 hours is not the best way to follow. I think this book would benefit from multiple narrators, one for each story, to be able to more easily keep track of whose story we are listening to. I am very happy that the end of the book wraps up each characters story but I would have to get the book or listen again to understand each individual. Breaking the chapters up into Seasons would help the audio book.
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2 people found this helpful