The Guns at Last Light

The War in Western Europe, 1944-1945

By: Rick Atkinson

Narrated by: L. J. Ganser

Length: 32 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

The eagerly awaited final volume in Pulitzer Prize-winner Rick Atkinson's New York Times best-selling Liberation Trilogy.

It is the 20th century's unrivaled epic: At a staggering price, the United States and its allies liberated Europe and vanquished Hitler. In the first two volumes of his best-selling Liberation Trilogy, Rick Atkinson recounted the history of how the American-led coalition fought its way from North Africa and Italy to the threshold of victory. Now he tells the most dramatic story of all - the titanic battle in Western Europe.

D-Day marked the commencement of the war's final campaign, and Atkinson's astonishingly fresh account of that enormous gamble sets the pace for the masterly narrative that follows. The brutal fight in Normandy, the liberation of Paris, the disaster that was Market Garden, the horrific Battle of the Bulge, and finally the thrust to the heart of the Third Reich - all these historic moments come utterly alive. Atkinson tells the tale from the perspective of participants at all levels, from presidents and prime ministers to ambitious generals, from war-weary lieutenants to terrified teenage riflemen. When Germany at last surrenders, we understand anew both the devastating cost of this global conflagration and the awe-inspiring effort that led to Germany's surrender.

With the stirring final volume of this monumental trilogy, Rick Atkinson's remarkable accomplishment is manifest. He has produced the definitive chronicle of the war that restored freedom to the West. His lively, occasionally lyric prose brings the vast theater of battle, from the beaches of Normandy deep into Germany, brilliantly alive. It is hard to imagine a better history of the western front's final phase.

©2013 Rich Atkinson (P)2013 Simon & Schuster

Critic reviews

"Superb… The book is distinguished by its astonishing range of coverage… [Atkinson’s] lively, occasionally lyric prose brings the vast theater of battle, from the beaches of Normandy deep into Germany, brilliantly alive. It is hard to imagine a better history of the western front’s final phase." ( Publishers Weekly, starred review)

"[An] extraordinary accomplishment. This is a beautifully written, moving account of one of the most bittersweet chapters in modern history… The details build a stunning and precise account of major movements—from Normandy to Paris, from the South of France to Grenoble—and close-up portraits of famous figures that make them living, breathing beings." ( Smithsonian Magazine)

"Superb… The book is distinguished by its astonishing range of coverage… [Atkinson’s] lively, occasionally lyric prose brings the vast theater of battle, from the beaches of Normandy deep into Germany, brilliantly alive. It is hard to imagine a better history of the western front’s final phase." ( Publishers Weekly, starred review)

Superbly Detailed Account of the War in Europe

Painstakingly detailed story going far beyond recounting the normal historical facts and entering into intensely personal stories of the soldiers who participated. Atkinson has researched into the personal lives of soldiers, through their letters diaries and memories and has woven them into a moving, emotional account that pulses with life. I read, (listened to), this account with intense interest. Even the accounting of statistics, usually boring, was done in a manner that captured my attention. I especially liked the inclusion of events that took place immediately following the cessation of hostilities, the scramble to recover the remains of those killed in battle, the search for criminals and trials. I finished the book and now I will go over it again. Yes, it is that good and I must mention L.J. Ganser’s superb reading of the text, his voice bringing to life the characters whether famous or not. The book would have lost something without Ganser’s voice. 5 Stars for sure, in every category!

probably the best book/series of books I ever read

a history for all of the younger generations now to understand the gravity of the war that reshaped the world

Objective and comprehensive

I’ve now read the entire Atkinson trilogy on WWII in the west, and this final installment surpassed my expectations. Objective treatment of all the characters: Ike, Patton, Monty, Bradley, Rommel, etc. Thorough and sober coverage of triumph and tragedy. Holocaust and other atrocities portrayed in all their horror. I assume written text includes lots of maps. Audible version sent me scrambling to the atlas each time I returned from the gym or from walking the dog.

Epic finish to an epic story

Atkinson puts a fitting capstone to the trilogy of the WWII Mediterranean and European Campaign from a U.S. perspective. He continues to expertly blend the detailed human elements of personalities and backgrounds with the higher geopolitical and strategic themes. Well researched and backed by official histories and primary sources, it is not a dry read. He makes this gargantuan topic accessible. Wonderfully narrated and written, this is a must read with the previous two books to get the full
picture of global war.

a story to remember

the account, history, was told in an almost story like format. I liked the personal reading of notes and messages. like when the Germans asked for clarification of what's "Nuts" meant when the Americans were given a surrender notice.

Fantastic book

A fantastic book bringing new details to a well trodden subject... BUT... if you are going to narrate a book about a 'well trodden subject' at least get the pronunciation right!! It made me wonder whether he had ever heard anyone else say the place names or if he had simply read them from the page! Aside from that it was an excellent engaging performance and I would listen to a book read by Mr Ganser in the future.

A story too big to tell

The stories that made up WWII will go on being discovered and told for centuries. This series establishes a mere framework for the story of the allies in the African and European theaters. The ability of the author to zoom out and show the reader a bird’s eye view of the battle space one minute and then zoom in on the individual humanity of a soldier engaged in the struggle makes for compelling reading or listening.

Full of Info

What made the experience of listening to The Guns at Last Light the most enjoyable?

The expanse of military politics.

Who was your favorite character and why?

No favs - it is non-fiction.

What didn’t you like about L. J. Ganser’s performance?

His flourish in pronouncing non-English place names and other nouns in (what I assume to be) native accents begins to grate on the listener....

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

The Longest Book.

Mr. Ganzer brought this history book to life

Where does The Guns at Last Light rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This ranks high - partly because of its historical importance, but mostly because of Mr. Ganzer, the reader. Unlike many readers, he researched the characters' names enough to know how to pronounce all of them - and his ability with German names made a huge difference in the clarity of the narrative. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

What does L. J. Ganser bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I couldn't possibly pronounce the German names as well as Mr. Ganzer.

Excellent. The best I have read.

Where does The Guns at Last Light rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I would rate this book and its narration at the top of the list of my reads from Audible.