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Is Paris Burning?  By  cover art

Is Paris Burning?

By: Larry Collins, Dominique Lapierre
Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
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Publisher's summary

"Is Paris burning?" is the question Hitler asked over and over as the French Second and American Fourth Divisions battered their way into the city.

Few moments in history are as stirring as the Allied liberation of Paris. Yet few people are aware of how narrowly, and how miraculously, the city escaped Hitler's secret plan to reduce it to ashes. Is Paris Burning? reconstructs, in meticulous and riveting detail, the network of fateful events, day by day, moment by moment, that saved the City of Light.

Best-selling authors and renowned journalists Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre spent three years researching this stirring book. They drew on French Resistance radio messages, German military records, and secret correspondence between de Gaulle, Churchill, Roosevelt, and Eisenhower. They tracked down and interviewed countless people: soldiers, civilians, Allied generals, and even the Nazi commandant who helped Paris fight for her life. And they re-created the drama, the fervor, and the triumph that heralded one of the most dramatic events of our time.

©1965 Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre (P)1994 Blackstone Audiobooks
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

Critic reviews

"Is Paris Burning? is researched with meticulous and riveting detail, well narrated, and certain to keep you intrigued." (AudioFile)

What listeners say about Is Paris Burning?

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Is Paris Burnning

I first read this book when it was published, and have since gone on to read other books from this author. For me it was a thrilling day by day account of the last days of German Occupation of Paris. It is a real "page turner" and I didn't want to miss a word. Books I enjoy this much I read over and sometimes over again. To find this on audible was a special treat. I highly recommend it to all.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Interesting history

This book is worth the listen, but not a high priority. The underlying book is an interesting one, but the narration gets on the nerves after awhile. Every German sounds like Col. Klink from Hogan's Heroes...same voice, same inflection. It's hard to overlook after awhile!

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

An outstanding piece of history that I had missed

Although this book has been in print for 30 years, I had always assumed Paris was not destroyed because of a decision by Hitler to withdraw his troops, akin to the events in Prague. Perhaps it was my ignorance of the actual events (or was it the excellent narrative) that made this a delightful listening experience. Particularly fascinating was the relationship between the French and American military leadership and the most surprising was the collusion of the German general in charge of Paris with the Allies. Although I was initially put off by the formal British accent of the reader, it grew on me. A great story!

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A Heartwarming Story

While I had seen the movie Many years ago - I had not read the book.
Good pace to the story and the narrator does a decent job with the multitude of accents of the participants.
Very moving when Paris is liberated and I found myself appreciative that there was some honor in the German officer corps.
Sad though with all the personal stories of loss -soldiers who didn't live to see the end result - citizens sent off to concentration camps at the very end.
All in all a great book

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Is Paris Burning?

I decided to revisit this book after reading it decades ago and loving it then. I hoped it had held up over the years. It is STILL a fascinating, sweep-you-along, joyous, heartbreaking tale of the liberation of Paris. Better even the second time, when I could bring maturity to the book

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Is this a joke?

While the subject matter is about the extraordinary heroism displayed by "regular people", the narrator's feminine, pompous upper-class presentation completely destroys any opportunity to enjoy the author's work. Nobody enjoys hearing anyone talk about themselves incessantly, and yet the narrator has hijacked an event involving four countries, and made it about himself.

This is just awful.

If audible customers are unable to stomach a purchased item for more than 10 minutes, can we request an exchange for a book that is treated seriously?


Louis Wellmeier

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

great book, annoying narration

This is a 4-star book read with a one-star accent. I can normally overlook a readers style but this one was truly annoying. The reader has a british accent and seemed to be snearing down his nose at everything this book was about. Why a british reader was used is beyond me, the book is about French, German and American personnel. A baffling choice that nearly ruined what is a great book.

The other reviewers truly cover the basics of the book and there is little I can add to their comments.
The book I can recommend, but read it - don't try listening to it.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Slow paced and uninteresting

While other books by these authors are great, this one is particularly slow paced and unfocused in its narrative and the storyline.

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1 person found this helpful

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

Brings liberation of Paris to life with detail and good writing.

I wanted to learn more about the French civilians, resistance fighters, and DeGualle's part in the liberation and not just the Allies part. I found the accounts well written with interesting details, including stories about the German occupiers and their fates. Chock full of fascinating details, so often I replayed chapters to garner more. If this period of history is of interest to you, you will surely enjoy this book.

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1 person found this helpful

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

Well done

I recently acquired the unabridged audiobook, after having the hardback languish on my shelves so long that I sold it to the used book store. Glad to have finally got to "read" this one. The book does a good job of introducing a good number of characters. Some of the figures are covered in less depth than others, despite probably being as interesting as LeClerc or any of the other major figures. Some minor participants have interesting highlights. This isn't a life altering book. It is an interesting look from a primarily French and German viewpoint on the Paris uprising and its eventual liberation by LeClerc's 2nd Armored.

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1 person found this helpful