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The Sleepwalkers

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The Sleepwalkers

By: Christopher Clark
Narrated by: Peter Silverleaf
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About this listen

The pacy, sensitive and formidably argued history of the causes of the First World War, from acclaimed historian and author Christopher Clark.

Sunday Times and Independent Books of the Year 2012.

The moments that it took Gavrilo Princip to step forward to the stalled car and shoot dead Franz Ferdinand and his wife were perhaps the most fateful of the modern era. An act of terrorism of staggering efficiency, it fulfilled its every aim: it would liberate Bosnia from Habsburg rule, and it created a powerful new Serbia, but it also brought down four great empires, killed millions of men and destroyed a civilization. What made a seemingly prosperous and complacent Europe so vulnerable to the impact of this assassination?

In The Sleepwalkers Christopher Clark retells the story of the outbreak of the First World War and its causes. Above all, it shows how the failure to understand the seriousness of the chaotic, near genocidal fighting in the Balkans would drag Europe into catastrophe.

©2012 Christopher Clark (P)2018 Audible, Ltd Europe Military War Imperialism Middle Ages Russia Winston Churchill Soviet Union Royalty Socialism Africa Middle East Self-Determination Interwar Period
All stars
Most relevant
Narrator managed to butcher and mangle every single non-English name of the person or a place that it was almost impossible to enjoy such an amazing book. Shame!

Great book, awful narration

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‘Sleepwalkers’ is an important, thorough, and well-written account of the steps that led to the First World War. Many myths are exploded, and new insights offered. Unfortunately, this reading is execrable. Basic foreign terms and famous names are badly mispronounced. Many English words are repeatedly mispronounced. The reading is at times slurred. The recording breaks off and is edited back together with obvious changes in volume. For such an impressive book, the unprofessional production is lamentable and distracting.

Great book, terrible reading

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Outstandingly good historical analysis and excellently written. The performer was just not up to this task - unable to pronounce key terms and names (whether English or other) and adopted a gratingly arch tone totally incompatible with the material.

Great book poorly performed

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As a German, I had to sit through countless hours of history lessons in high school that drummed into me how Germany was the clear culprit that caused the two World Wars. this was mostly based on an overly simplistic view of the world in 1914, and the lack of the internet as a resource for better study. now as an adult, it is fantastic to have such a brilliantly researched masterpiece to get a much better understanding of the complexities of the situation back then. it was eye opener to me. not in the way that it would absolve Germany from its share of the guilt for starting this war, but rather in showing how stupendously difficult it was back then to make clear and rational decisions. the title "sleepwalkers" is the perfect metaphor for what ultimately happened. for any history but, this is mandatory reading. and for every European, it should be.

should be required reading for every European!

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It's too hard to follow all the details without having the text in front of you

Not really suitable for an audiobook

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Would you try another book written by Christopher Clark or narrated by Christopher Clark?

I rarely give poor reviews but in this case, I have to make an exception. The content was only o'kay but was completely overshadowed by the constant and surprising mispronunciations which made this almost unlistenable. I might purchase another Chris Clark book but not if he narrates. Did no one listen to this before it was published?

Has The Sleepwalkers put you off other books in this genre?

No

Who might you have cast as narrator instead of Christopher Clark?

Someone competent. It's not like the mispronunciations were only on strange or unusual words, often it was very common and particularly, words crucial to the story.

Constant mispronunciations

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