Munich

A novel

By: Robert Harris

Narrated by: David Rintoul

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In this “crackling and intelligent thriller spun from the ill-fated Munich Agreement” (USA Today), two opposing diplomats reunite under the shadow of World War II on a secret mission—from the acclaimed author of Conclave, V2, and Fatherland.

The inspiration for the Netflix film Munich – The Edge of War starring Jeremy Irons

“Meticulously researched and expertly paced. . . . Harris steeps his tale in vivid descriptions of Europe on the brink of conflict.” —The New York Times Book Review

September 1938. Adolf Hitler is determined to invade Czechoslovakia. The British Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain, is desperate to avoid the war that would certainly follow such a move. The city of Munich is to be the site of an eleventh-hour meeting between them—a last-ditch effort to preserve a precarious peace.

Aboard the plane flying Chamberlain to the meeting is Hugh Legat, a rising star of the British diplomatic corps, serving at 10 Downing Street as a private secretary to the prime minister. Aboard the overnight train bringing Hitler to Munich is Paul von Hartmann, a staff member of the German Foreign Ministry.

Legat and Hartmann were close friends at Oxford in the 1920s but have not been in contact for six years. Each of them is carrying the weight of a painful personal secret. Now, as their paths cross in Munich, they will become privy to state secrets that could profoundly affect the very future of Europe. And each will be confronted with a dreadful decision.

It’s not the writing

I don’t double this was a big deal for a moment in history. However considering how this story not to mention the rest of the story turned out, I’m not sure of the point. It would be reading about how the titanic almost put life boats onboard.

Both underexamined History and a Novel

With the backdrop of 1938 European "Great Powers" - preparing for War with a "time out" for the Munich Agreement to assuage Hitler's demands - Robert Harris' "Munich - A Novel" - has both this background and the foreground containing details of the diplomatic meetings, some espionage and dialogue.

Very interesting to listen to; very interesting to "rethink" Munich and Chamberlain's label of "Appeasement" - actively used as a derogatory term as is today's U.S. political analysis and custom. My insight gained is that while Great Britain was in its second year of rearming - it simply wasn't prepared for war; it's Dominions wouldn't have supported a war; so Chamberlain's actions were what was necessary to gain even a day/week/month of peace.

There's a saying that "For every complex problem - there is a simple solution.....and its usually wrong...." That's where I am after reading this Novel - and rethinking the contemporary political name-calling about Chamerlain and "Appeaser".

Carl Gallozzi
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Superbly crafted

What did you love best about Munich?

Harris has meticulously researched historical facts and woven the two fictional protagonists into the lives of real people. He is an excellent writer.

What did you like best about this story?

Suspenseful and real. Also, the book shows how Chamberlain had little choice but to give in to Hitler's demand for the Sudetenland. Chamberlain has been vilified ever since the 1938 deal he made with Hitler, but the book, though its characters, makes a compelling argument why going to war with Germany in 1938 was not possible for Britain.

Riviting

Great history, great suspense, and a remarkable performance. I felt that I knew personally each of the characters. I would have listened for either the history or the plot; the two together make this one of my favorite audible books ever.

Historical Fiction

I enjoyed this book but it is revisionist. If you don’t know your history treat it as a good spy story.