Strangers on a Bridge

he Case of Colonel Abel and Francis Gary Powers

De: James Donovan

Narrado por: George Newbern

The #1 New York Times bestseller and subject of the acclaimed major motion picture Bridge of Spies directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Tom Hanks as James B. Donovan.

Originally published in 1964, this is the “enthralling…truly remarkable” (The New York Times Book Review) insider account of the Cold War spy exchange—with a new foreword by Jason Matthews, New York Times bestselling author of Red Sparrow and Palace of Treason.

In the early morning of February 10, 1962, James B. Donovan began his walk toward the center of the Glienicke Bridge, the famous “Bridge of Spies” which then linked West Berlin to East. With him, walked Rudolf Ivanovich Abel, master spy and for years the chief of Soviet espionage in the United States. Approaching them from the other side, under equally heavy guard, was Francis Gary Powers, the American U-2 spy plane pilot famously shot down by the Soviets, whose exchange for Abel Donovan had negotiated. These were the strangers on a bridge, men of East and West, representatives of two opposed worlds meeting in a moment of high drama.

Abel was the most gifted, the most mysterious, the most effective spy in his time. His trial, which began in a Brooklyn United States District Court and ended in the Supreme Court of the United States, chillingly revealed the methods and successes of Soviet espionage.

No one was better equipped to tell the whole absorbing history than James B. Donovan, who was appointed to defend one of his country’s enemies and did so with scrupulous skill. In Strangers on a Bridge, the lead prosecutor in the Nuremburg Trials offers a clear-eyed and fast-paced memoir that is part procedural drama, part dark character study and reads like a noirish espionage thriller. From the first interview with Abel to the exchange on the bridge in Berlin—and featuring unseen photographs of Donovan and Abel as well as trial notes and sketches drawn from Abel’s prison cell—here is an important historical narrative that is “as fascinating as it is exciting” (The Houston Chronicle).

The Actual Basis for the Movie "Spies on a Bridge"

We highly recommend this book if you want to learn the details of James Donavan's work in the exchange of Francis Gary Powers (plus TWO other hapless prisoners) for Colonel Abel as told in the movie, Spies on a Bridge.

I have to recommend to the interested reader/listener that you also read/listen to the book "Spies on a Bridge" for the fascinating background on the U2 flights. You really need both books for the (almost) complete story.

Now, I have get "Operation Overflight" to complete (I think) the details.

Very interesting book... looking forward to movie

Where does Strangers on a Bridge rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Towards the top of the middle...

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

The conflict between the main characters obligation as a citizen and a lawyer

Which character – as performed by George Newbern – was your favorite?

The main character, the lawyer

Cold War at its best

A phenomenal piece written directly from the Diary of Donovan himself. The story of Francis Gary Powers and Rudolf Ivonivch Abel is a fascinating and interesting tale.

Starts a little dry but picks up momentum

Initial impression was that it was overly dry, but The lawyers logic and political negotiating tactics combined with the history won me over.

Cold war history and law woven into a good story

What made the experience of listening to Strangers on a Bridge the most enjoyable?

This book is less a story about espionage and intrigue, though it certainly has much to offer along those lines, than a snapshot in the history of the cold war and the legal system. Several reviews found the detail devoted to the legal wrangling and the trial to be tedious. However, those with an interest in the law and legal proceedings might find this very interesting. It is unsurprising that Mr. Donovan devoted much of the book to the legal wrangling given his role as legal counsel to Colonel Abel and I thought he told the story well. For the spy aficionados, the latter part of the book dealing the negotiations and ultimate transfer should prove interesting. Overall, a good audio book.