Prunes for Breakfast: One Man's War

Based on a True Story

De: John Searancke

Narrado por: Nicholas C Jermyn

Many years after the deaths of my parents, my aunt handed me a box filled with letters that my father had written to my mother over the period from 1940 to 1945. This was the starting point of a journey for me to rediscover the father I had never really known.

This is the story of John Searancke's parents, told mostly from the side of his father, Eddie Searancke, from the time of his calling up in early 1940 to his release from a prisoner of war camp in Germany in 1945, thence his return to England to try to pick up the pieces of his old life. Nothing could ever be quite the same afterwards.

The letters take listeners through five captivating years, telling of the ups and downs, the plots and counterplots, as Eddie rose through the ranks to end his war as a captain, elevated to that rank in the field as his troops faced the formidable might of the SS Panzers. The letters also reveal where his battle came to an abrupt end, in an orchard surrounded by the enemy and captured after a series of bloody skirmishes as the British army spearheaded its way from the beaches of Normandy. The journey as a prisoner across France and Germany in a truck, with comrades dying each day, may be as hard to listen to as it is to tell, particularly when a new life and new harsh rules had to be learned and rigidly enforced in a prison camp in northern Germany, the final destination.

This is written as part memoir, part fictionalized retelling and partly in letter format; John draws together all sources to recreate the five years of war and hardship that the letters span.

©2015 John Searancke (P)2016 John Searancke

A touching tale of love through hardship

What made the experience of listening to Prunes for Breakfast: One Man's War the most enjoyable?

A quality narration. It brings life to the story without getting in the way.

What did you like best about this story?

A soldier's love for family, country, and his comrades.

Which character – as performed by Nicholas C Jermyn – was your favorite?

The story is about Edward's experience as told by Edward, and he is a very likable and admirable person.

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

I would never listen through an entire book at once but I always looked forward to my next opportunity to start it up again.

Any additional comments?

I thoroughly enjoyed the story and give it my highest recommendation.