The Miracle of Dunkirk

Sold On The Miracle Of Dunkirk

The only reasons I purchased this book were because of the movie about Dunkirk that premieres next month and the book's highest average rating. I wasn't sure what to expect due to the topic. The narrator was lively and "personable" as if relaying a story he new rather than reading and the book itself was exceptionally well written. The book itself was history told through macro and micro perspectives which demonstrated how an incredibly botched withdrawal operation did indeed turn out to be a miracle.

11 of 11 people found this review helpful

Book is better than the movie!!

What made the experience of listening to The Miracle of Dunkirk the most enjoyable?

I thought the way the events were detailed was well done. I had seen the preview for the movie and it looked compelling, which is what led me to seek out this book. The book was so fascinating and read as a novel. I was hugely disappointed in the movie because it didn't convey the enormity of this undertaking and left out so much of the humanity involved. This book did not disappoint!

What other book might you compare The Miracle of Dunkirk to and why?

I don't think I've read another book like this.

What does Jeff Cummings bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I found his voice entertaining to listen to and I wouldn't be able to read the book while accomplishing other things. I listen to audible books because I fall asleep while reading and I don't have time to just sit down and read.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There were so many interesting characters in the book, so no one moment particularly moved me.

Any additional comments?

The Miracle of Dunkirk does justice to the monumental task of the rescue of almost 400,000 men. It is well written and the narrator kept me engrossed. I would HIGHLY recommend this book.

8 of 8 people found this review helpful

heart stopping

I saw the movie and was inspired to learn more about Dunkirk and it's heroes

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

What a story !

I wish I would have had a map of France in front of me when I listened to the first couple of chapters. but in spite of that failing, I loved the book !

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

For heavens sake!

I have just finished this book. presently, I am on a jag, reading WWII military history and looked forward to this.

But... and what a big but. Audible needs to think very deeply about increasing their pool of readers. I don't mind this piece of British history being read by an American but for heavens sake! To hear almost every single vessel's name butchered with gross mispronunciation hurts the ear. And we won't even start on the mangling of the French place names. The flat monotone accent, coupled with the lacerated pronunciation left me gritting my teeth. Appalling.

As for the history itself, it does not have a patch on other histories. Robert Gandt's The Twilight Warriors, any of Antony Beevor's books or T R Ferenbach's 'This Kind of War leave this rather pedestrian account in the dust. In some places it reads like a cub reporters litany of names, all carefully captured at the expense of the narrative.

5 of 6 people found this review helpful

Dunkirk

Extremely interesting and substantive history of what events led to the evacuation and very effective description of the impact individual soldier.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

this could have been way shorter

I generally like WW books that build on the experiences of real people but this one just had too much. I also thought the narrative was a bit disjointed and I think he failed to paint an appropriate picture of the herculean effort done by the ships/boats/etc. that were used in this massive exodus.

I did however enjoy the analysis of the Naxi missteps and poor strategy/tactics. Dunkirk could have turned out way worse

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Relentless, Tense and inspiring.

All the chapters are 'nail biting'ly powerful. The final chapter got me goosebumps.

Of course, I started this only after watching Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Disappointed ... but good Subject

What disappointed you about The Miracle of Dunkirk?

Impressive story, one of the greatest of our time. But the book was a lot like the evacuation—jumbled, fractured, fragmented. There’s not much story here, meaning no context or theme, hardly nothing about how the evacuation fit in with the pre-Dunkirk machinations of war. Just plop there you are at the start of the evacuation, and the story is told in hundreds of little brief vignettes, related only because they were all in generally the same place. After a while they all just ran together.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Miracle of Dunkirk?

The discussion about the boats. And mentioning that this was probably the first time in history that the civilians came to the aid of the army. Very astounding and chilling.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Jeff Cummings?

Not sure. But Mr. Cummings sounds like he was reading marketing material for a toothpaste commercial. Nice voice, wrong book.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Miracle of Dunkirk?

Sometimes the author tells Jerry’s side, but only in small parts and it was not very effective or thorough, and sometimes confusing—the transitions were poorly done. I would have added more about the war strategy on both sides. The BEF didn't just suddenly appear in France. They had a mission.

Any additional comments?

Sorry I was disappointed, though I am a WWII book and podcast junkie.

9 of 13 people found this review helpful

Re: Informative & Inspiring

This is the full text of the book and is full of insight, individuals tales, key historic moments and extraordinary heroism, valour and the various mistakes by all parties involved in these events. The narration is well paced, easy to follow and clear in its depictions. An informative and inspiring masterwork by a superior author.