No Simple Victory

World War II in Europe, 1939-1945

By: Norman Davies

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Length: 20 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

If history really belongs to the victor, what happens when there's more than one side declaring victory? That's the conundrum Norman Davies unravels in his groundbreaking book No Simple Victory. Far from being a revisionist history, No Simple Victory instead offers a clear-eyed reappraisal, untangling and setting right the disparate claims made by America, Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union in order to get at the startling truth.

In detailing the clash of political philosophies that drove the war's savage engine, Davies also examines how factors as diverse as technology, economics, and morale played dynamic roles in shaping battles, along with the unsung yet vital help of Poland, Greece, and Ukraine (which suffered the highest number of casualties). And while the Allies resorted to bombing enemy civilians to sow terror, the most damning condemnation is saved for the Soviet Union, whose glossed-over war crimes against British soldiers and its own people prove that Communism and Nazism were two sides of the same brutal coin.

No Simple Victory is an unparalleled work that will fascinate not only history buffs but anyone who is interested in discovering the reality behind what Davies refers to as "the frozen perspective of the winners' history".

©2007 Norman Davies (P)2007 Tantor Media Inc.

Critic reviews

"Enormously readable....This will explode all your ideas about the 'Good War.' " (Details)
"This is a self-consciously contrary book, cutting against the grain of much self-congratulatory Western writing since 1945." (London Sunday Telegraph)
"Davies' topical approach judiciously surveys the military, economic and political aspects of the war....His interpretations rest on solid scholarly work." (Publishers Weekly)

History for those who think they know WW2 history

Would you listen to No Simple Victory again? Why?

A valuable addition to the written collection of WW2 history. Covers the causes and effects of the war from a myriad of perspectives, not otherwise commonly discussed.

Who was your favorite character and why?

NA

Which character – as performed by Simon Vance – was your favorite?

NA

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

NA

Any additional comments?

I have listened to the book twice and may listen to it again

Dry But Worth It.

If you could sum up No Simple Victory in three words, what would they be?

I didn't know!

Would you be willing to try another book from Norman Davies? Why or why not?

Yes - no stone left unturned in this book.

Have you listened to any of Simon Vance’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

no

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Thanks for our todays

Any additional comments?

If you think you know WWII listen to this and then rethink

Somber and enlightening account of WW2

This book presents a sobering and enlightening account of the second World War in Europe. This review however has obvious limitations, I do not have the necessary formal training in the science of history to properly judge the ways in which the author has analyzed and interpreted information, but as a trained therapist I can see the painstaking attempts made by Norman Davis to address the subject from a perspective that is decidedly more balanced and less triunfalistic. This book will challenge the uninformed assumptions that are prevalent in most popular portrayals of the events during 1939-45. The authors emphasis on precision may be mildly annoying for some readers (i.e. he provides the birth and death dates of every single individual named on the book), but it makes further independent research into the topics far easier.

Exhaustingly detailed. Very well written

I thought I knew a lot about the second world war, I grew up at a time when everyone's father or grandfather had served in the conflict, but No Simple Victory made me rethink things.
The author makes two points at the beginning of this book; one, that the history of the second world war as we know it was written at the war's end with little attention paid to recent discoveries; and two, that we should view it as a larger conflict that began in 1914 with the assassination of archduke Fredinand and ended in 1989 with the fall of the soviet union.
He also does not pull any punches when it come to assigning blame to those that deserve it.
I highly advise that you buy the matching Kindle book along with the Audible version (no I don't work for amazon); there is so much info (much of it new) that you will get lost without it.

Brilliantly narrated.

Although little in this volume can be described as revolutionary, there is a great deal of insightful commentary and fresh perspective. The central thesis of the book - that the war in Europe was won chiefly by the USSR ("Saving Private Ryan" notwithstanding), and that the USSR was, in some ways, as bad as the regime it defeated - is probably under-appreciated in the US, but the point does not seem particularly controversial.

Whatever the merits of the book may be, what made it incredibly enjoyable was, without a doubt, the voice of Simon Vance. The tone and tempo of his reading were perfect. The scorn dripping from his voice as he speaks of those treated too generously by history, in particular Stalin (the "monstah"), is nothing short of delicious.

Good book, narrated brilliantly.

Looks at WWII in a different way!

This book was different from any other WWII history I've come across in a number of ways. First is the author's organization of information. Instead of taking a purely chronological approach, Mr. Davies broke out aspects of the war into categories such as geographical and political details, weaponry, generals, etc. Each category was a history in its own right, from its own viewpoint.
Another difference from other histories was his emphasis on the role and character of the Red Army and the USSR. Lots of food for thought, and a new perspective on world events which followed.
This is an excellent book...very informative, well narrated and easily listened to.

Easy to listen, full of facts

Much of what is said in the book should by now be common knowledge - the barbarity of the Eastern Front and Stalin's and Hitler's crimes. On the other hand, the book is an easy listen and the writing is personal and witty. Simon Vance does an excellent job as a narrator. The organization of the book is somewhat disconcerting, as the author first offers a short synopsis of the war, mainly from the Eastern Front point of view, and then goes on to dissect several aspects of the conflict, sometimes in minute and often repetitive details. The book is full of facts and figures. I bought the paperback edition just for the notes and bibliography. On the other hand, I was bothered by small mistakes that cast doubt of the veracity of some of the sources. For example, Vlasov was hung with 11 others at the Lubyanka, not shot. The Amber Room was at Catherine's Palace at Tsarskoye Selo, not at Peterhof Palace. At any rate, I did enjoyed listening to the book and recommend it to others, in particular those who wish to have a more balanced view of the war.

Could be better

I am bothered by the number of mistakes in the book. Whether this is in the book or is from the narrator, I don't know. Couple of examples:
1) when describing frigid Eastern front conditions, the narrator states that temperatures got down to 30 deg C (where's the 'minus'). One time, I'll forgive this but not multiple.
2) After a lengthy discourse about the 1 Sep invasion of Poland, the narrator says that Hitler gave the order on 31 July for the invasion to begin the next day....
I don't like sloppy books, this one is sloppy

Well done

Overall a well done book. It jumped around a bit chronologically and it did contain the aforementioned temperature errors but I did not feel that it detracted from the book. It is not a narrative of the war but gives some perspective to the significance of the roles of the various combatants and some perspective that helps balance the home country centric view that you may have learned in school.

Not your average coverage of WWII

This is not a history of the war in Europe. It is a study of multiple facets of WWII. The author attempts to take a very broad overview when looking at causes, factors, and fallout of the war. Very little attention is given to discussing battles.

One major theme is that what you know about the war is heavily biased and incomplete. It is asserted that Russia is greatly undervalued in its contribution to the war, and also overlooked when it comes to atrocities. The author goes out of his way to shed light on the evils of Stalin's regime. The case he makes is compelling.