The War Came to Us

Life and Death in Ukraine

By: Christopher Miller

Narrated by: Craig Van Ness

Length: 14 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

'Vivid… Shocking… [Miller] brings a seasoned, personal perspective to his account of both the 16-month conflict and its wider roots.' Daily Telegraph

'A beautiful blend of memoir, reportage and history...superb.' Irish Times

'...powerful and insightful...Miller provides a human dimension to a bloody conflict.' Kirkus Reviews

A breathtaking exploration of Ukraine’s past, present, and future, and a heartbreaking account of the war against Russia, written by a leading journalist who has lived and worked in Ukraine for over a decade.

When Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his unprovoked, full-scale invasion of Ukraine just before dawn on 24 February 2022, it marked his latest and most overt attempt to brutally conquer the country, and reshaped the world order. Christopher Miller, the Ukraine correspondent for the Financial Times and a foremost journalist covering the country, was there on the ground when the first Russian missiles struck and troops stormed over the border. But the seeds of Russia’s war against Ukraine and the West were sown more than a decade earlier.

This is the definitive, inside story of its long fight for freedom. Told through Miller’s personal experiences, vivid front-line dispatches and illuminating interviews with unforgettable characters, The War Came To Us takes readers on a riveting journey through the key locales and pivotal events of Ukraine’s modern history. From the coal-dusted, sunflower-covered steppe of the Donbas in the far east to the heart of the Euromaidan revolution camp in Kyiv; from the Black Sea shores of Crimea, where Russian troops stealthily annexed Ukraine’s peninsula, to the bloody battlefields where Cossacks roamed before the Kremlin’s warlords ruled with iron fists; and through the horror and destruction wrought by Russian forces in Bucha, Bakhmut, Mariupol, and beyond.

With candor, wit and sensitivity, Miller captures Ukraine in all its glory: vast, defiant, resilient, and full of wonder. A breathtaking narrative that is at times both poignant and inspiring, The War Came To Us is the story of an American who fell in love with a foreign place and its people — and witnessed them do extraordinary things to escape the long shadow of their former imperial ruler and preserve their independence.

©2023 Christopher Miller (P)2023 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Amazing coverage

The author has experience not just in the country, but specifically in the place of war and controversy.While many authors write on behalf of the people of Donbas, none of the authors I've read can claim to know them like Christopher Miller does. He provides a very honest and realistic presentation of the situation, which clarifies why there was so much confusion surrounding the "eastern Ukrainian" narrative.
in addition to this, he also managed to do reporting on Maidan and Crimea, which are actually very far away from each other. In fact, Christopher Miller 's book seems to cover every single possible location in Ukraine as if Christopher Miller were able to teleport . His experience is rather vast. Strongly recommend

WOW!

Very detailed story of what is happening in Ukraine. This book is one of a kind. Christopher is brilliant journalist and a very talented writer. Sad story with a hopefully happy ending 🙏

Great read

Wonderful story, very enlightening. Really helpful real life background. Narration could have flowed better, was hard to stay tuned in many parts but well worth it if you can.

Well-written and touching

To me, it read a little less as an overall narrative than as a selection of dispatches, which wasn’t what I expected, but didn’t detract at all from my enjoyment. The personal connections Chris has to the region are what made the book really shine for me. It brought a new dimension to what could have been a book of bog-standard war reporting stories. My only quibble is with the narration, which had what I assume were some late additions that created bizarre inflections in some sentences. Also, the pronunciation of Yanukovych throughout the book really threw me for a loop.

The war came to us

Outstanding work & excellent narrative of on the ground war experiences of Ukrainian perseverance! Throughly enraptured by the stories @ peoples 💙🇺🇦👍

A Wonderful Experience

The story and narrative brought home to me the experience of what is truly happening in Ukraine and the love of the people of that country despite everything that is happening!

Amazing reporting on the things we at home in USA will never see or know is happening in Ukraine.

Highly recommend, I have followed this war since 2013-14 and it’s main characters. So I appreciate the depth of the reporting. Not just scraping up headlines. He even mentions pro Russian fighters call signs that I read about in 2014-15. I learned a few new names and info I was missing. Read it!!!

Cringeworthy pronunciations and half hearted accents

The story is ok. It’s a chronological telling of the authors experiences. While informative, it lacks any spice to keep it interesting. I’m watching the progress bar and having a hard time. I don’t like to leave a book unfinished. The worst part for me is the terrible pronunciations. The narrator could spent a few minutes on YouTube or chatting up a grocer at a local Russian supermarket to get some pointers. As someone who dearly loves Ukraine and has spent a lot of time there, the mispronunciation makes me feel like I’m being duped by someone who has spent less time there than myself.

Typical audiobook problem for book about Ukraine

Why don’t audiobook producers and voice artists try harder to pronounce terms correctly? There are mispronounced words and names probably every 10 seconds in parts of this book. Have some pride in your work and some respect for the author and subject matter. Native Ukrainian pronunciation isn’t necessary, but approximate pronunciation that is correct enough for a non native speaker familiar with the topic is what listeners would appreciate. Yes, maybe you need to spend time and resources to achieve this. But maybe it’s worth it not to butcher a book that people pay money to hear.