The Allies

Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin, and the Unlikely Alliance That Won World War II

By: Winston Groom

Narrated by: George Guidall

Length: 15 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

Best-selling author Winston Groom tells the complex story of how Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin - the three iconic and vastly different Allied leaders - aligned to win World War II and created a new world order.

By the end of World War II, 59 nations were arrayed against the Axis powers, but three great Allied leaders - Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin - had emerged to control the war in Europe and the Pacific. Vastly different in upbringing and political beliefs, they were not always in agreement - or even on good terms. But, often led by Churchill's enduring spirit, in the end, these three men changed the course of history.

Using the remarkable letters between the three world leaders, enriching narrative details of their personal lives, and riveting tales of battles won and lost, best-selling historian Winston Groom returns to share one of the biggest stories of the 20th century: the interwoven and remarkable tale, and a fascinating study of leadership styles, of three world leaders who fought the largest war in history.

©2018 Winston Groom (P)2018 Recorded Books

Engaging and well written

At first I thought this was going to be a snoozer.
Not at all.
Insight into all three men as pertaining to WWI and WWII.
This book kept me
Looking to go research other areas of WWII and each of the leaders individually.
Informative and engaging.

Great book! Well done.

History that is also entertaining! Look forward to another book from the author. Soon I hope.

More intriguing than fiction

From birth to death of three of the most powerful men of the twentieth century.

Great read

Excellent! Great narration as well. There is so much information in just this one book...

World War 2 for my Dad

Besides anything school related, this was my first audiobook to listen to outside of school. Throughout school, I have always loved World War 2, but they never taught us the more important stuff; my Dad was the one who taught me the stuff they lied or never talked about. For instance, even though Hitler was evil, Stalin was more evil than him; even if Stalin was an Allie. I loved hearing everything I just heard. It’s opened my eyes more to stuff I didn’t know about Pre, during, and after WW2. O greatly enjoyed it all.

Great historical overview of the subjects

While the narrator's British accent was a bit difficult for me to follow at points, the story was smartly told and for some reason anyone with an interest in WW2, very entertaining. The impression left at the end of the day is that Stalin was a monster, Churchill was an inspired genius, and FDR was something of an enigma. For anyone who is a student of WW2, there is little that they would already have known.

Worth Your Time

This is a good book, although not Winston Groom's best. The book provides (1) good, short biographies of Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin; (2) a short history of World War II (particularly in Europe); and (3) a good summary of the interactions of the "Big Three" in World War II. It would be an excellent reference for those who are not well read on World War II. The book demonstrates that Churchill was the consummate leader, Roosevelt was effective, but surprisingly naive (and had lost his edge at the end), and Stalin was one of the most evil persons ever to live.

One somewhat distracting, although perhaps inevitable, aspect of the book is that the story jumps around a bit. Because the book switches among the protagonists, it will sometimes cover an event from, say, the point of view of Churchill, and then later cover the same event from the viewpoint of Stalin. This is a nit, but is noticeable.

I found the narration to be less than first rate. The narrator's voice seemed to vary from time to time, and, to me anyway, had an odd quality to it.

The rest of the story

What were the 3 really like? How did they work together? Fascinating details not in the traditional history books. Great narration! I’m looking for his other books.

Compelling from start to finish

Outstanding book. Very comprehensive look at all 3 men. Russian revolution and Stalin’s rise. The red famine. Both WWI and WWII. Narration is excellent.