Patton

The Man Behind the Legend, 1885-1945

By: Martin Blumenson

Narrated by: William Lavelle

Length: 8 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

In paying final tribute to his Third Army commander, General Eisenhower said: "He was one of those men born to be a soldier...whose gallantry and dramatic personality inspired all he commanded to great deeds of valor." This detailed and persuasive study by the author of The Patton Papers was described by Patton's daughter Ruth as "an extraordinary book". It is widely considered the best biography ever written of the General, an American hero as compelling as he was complex.

©1985 by Martin Blumenson (P)1990 by Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"A gem of a biography...No previous work on Patton can match it." (Stephen E. Ambrose)
"Blumenson makes [clear]... the contradictory elements in his character that caused him at times to be outrageously impossible but made him a winning commander." (Forrest Pogue)

Great book!

Very good book, very well written,a lot of unknown facts about Patton and that author clears the air on a lot of rumors about him. The only issue i had with this book was that often times it would blank out and or skip. It did it pretty often throughout the story, it got really annoying, other than that it was a great listen!

Hated the narrator<br />

terrible quality recording. I did not like the style or voice of the narrator. loved the story but could have used a lot more detail.

Patton

I’ve read many biographies of this General, and this is one of the best.solid biography, without the fluff, to the point. There was more to the man than what was in the book, but this book hit all the high and low points. Great read, or should I say great listen.

The reading seemed skip at times

There were 1/2 dozen times the reading would stop for a few seconds and then start again in the middle of another sentence. I would rewind and listen again but it would skip every time?

Good biography of Gen Patton

Very interesting material. As a retired audio editor/producer— the production and editing of this book was not good. Reading talent was good but production did not live up to the written story.

Good Story

It was an insightful story. The narration seem to be from an old tape and had gaps. With that said, I thought it was a great story.

An excelletn book about a man larger than life

A must-read for anyone who wants to know greatness, humility and genius all wrapped in one person.

Dou you want to know Patton? This is the place.

What made the experience of listening to Patton the most enjoyable?

The story itself. This is a hero at the fullest extention of the word, loaded with great deeds as well as deep downfalls. One might even think this to be a carefully crafeted work of fiction. Because it did hapen, Patton's life soars above any myth. He was a living myth.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Patton?

His notes and letters, where he expressed his focused drive to become famous, his view on military tactics, and the role and attributes of a true leader.

What about William Lavelle’s performance did you like?

Clear voice, as well adequate emmotional rendering where applicable.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Definitely!e

Any additional comments?

Some small parts of the recording are damaged. It would be great having them fixed.

Truly focused on the man and his persona!

instead of being an action-filled war book disguised as a biography, this was all about the man, his personality, persona, and those who were close to him.

A lot of similarities to the 45th of the US

Had no idea he was such a piece of work. It becomes very apparent in the last chapters. Still an honorable warrior. The book does a very good job start to finish explaining the type of character Gen. Patton was doesn’t dive into his tactics but explains his feelings and actions through it all.