• The Longest Day

  • June 6, 1944
  • By: Cornelius Ryan
  • Narrated by: Clive Chafer
  • Length: 8 hrs and 46 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (1,172 ratings)

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The Longest Day  By  cover art

The Longest Day

By: Cornelius Ryan
Narrated by: Clive Chafer
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Publisher's summary

The classic account of the Allied invasion of Normandy....

The Longest Day is Cornelius Ryan’s unsurpassed account of D-day, a book that endures as a masterpiece of military history. In this compelling tale of courage and heroism, glory and tragedy, Ryan painstakingly re-creates the fateful hours that preceded and followed the massive invasion of Normandy to retell the story of an epic battle that would turn the tide against world fascism and free Europe from the grip of Nazi Germany.

This book, first published in 1959, is a must for anyone who loves history, as well as for anyone who wants to better understand how free nations prevailed at a time when darkness enshrouded the earth.

©1959 Cornelius Ryan; 1987 by Kathryn Morgan Ryan, Victoria Ryan Baida, and Geoffrey J. M. Ryan (P)2012 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

Critic reviews

“What I write about is not war but the courage of man.” (Cornelius Ryan)
“Fifty years from now, the history of D-day, I am sure, will lean heavily on this book.” ( New York Times Book Review)
“A dramatic, moving masterpiece, a living memorial to the men who died, and as suspenseful as the most gripping mystery story.” ( Chicago Sunday Tribune)

What listeners say about The Longest Day

Average customer ratings
Overall
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good recap of events. well rounded points of view

Enjoy reading or listening to the historic events of d day? grab this one.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Give the narator a chance. you get used to him hh

17th di fghhhhbbff j j bv u j hibibibj j h j j j

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Love thus book

if you have ever seen the movie version of this book you will already now what you are going to hear but it is a moving story of brave men who fought on both sides.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great story. Monotone performance.

Enjoyed the story and time-line. The reader did a good job of reading but showed no interest in the story, with a monotone cadence and voice fluctuation.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Good Book, Performance So So

Excellent book, but the reading leaves much to be desired. Droning, without much inflection. Very moving, all the same.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Still a Classic

There have been many books written about D Day, but this still remains a touchstone standard history. Well written and presenting a complete picture from both sides.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great detail and insight

The Longest Day gives great detail and insight of the D Day invasion from verified accounts from both sides of the battle lines. A must read for anyone who loves history, studies war, or those who are interested in how one of the biggest battles in history played out.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Readable History

I bought this for the 75th anniversary of D-Day, and I'm glad I did. It's very readable. We all know the outcome, of course, but the details of preparation, scale, and German thinking come across as fresh and informative. Sprinkled with short quotes from letters home by GIs that are fairly predictable. The agony, gruesome deaths, and inevitable instances of cowardice are not much if at all in evidence. It's not very l;ong, since it ends at the end of the day itself. The tone of the narrator is downbeat, with little range, and almost disinterested. I found that annoying at first, but got used to it eventually.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

great book

great historical account, should be listened to by everyone. da da da da da

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Loved the book

Absolutely great book of course. Narration of this edition is annoyingly robotic, but sufficient. It added nothing to the book and often was a distraction, but it wasn’t a deal breaker.

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