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Defiant Courage  By  cover art

Defiant Courage

By: Astrid Karlson Scott,Tore Haug
Narrated by: Peter Altschuler
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Publisher's Summary

In late March of 1943, four commandos arrive in northern Norway with a mission of establishing a base for sabotage operations. Before they can unload their cutter, they are betrayed, as a German Schnell boat arrives and turns the quiet fjord into a battle zone. Only one man, Jan Baalsrud, surrvives the attack. This is the story of his perilous journey to freedom.

Wounded, the dauntless soldier swims icy fjord waters, climbs snow-laden granite peaks, endures violent snowstorms and is hurled off a mountain by an avalanche. Fleeing the Gestapo and battling the harsh Arctic cold, Jan suffers snowblindness and frostbite. Though he possesses raw courage and an iron will, they are not enough to deliver him all the way to neutral Sweden and safety.

The people of northern Norway's Troms district step forward to assist Jan. Selflessly defying Nazi dictates, more than 60 people risk their lives to help the fugitive commando.

©2010 Astrid Karlsen Scott and Dr. Tore Haug (P)2012 Audible, Inc.
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

What listeners say about Defiant Courage

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

GOOD STORY THAT'S JUST TOO LONG

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I would shorten it. The story is a compelling and interesting one. However, there's too much unnecessary information which adds nothing. Also the dialogue is contrived and written as if this is a fiction novel rather than a true account.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The heroic survivor Jans Baalsrud. His courage and faith was incredible.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Peter Altschuler?

Maybe. However, I didn't like him in this work because his tone is too cavalier, almost as if he's reading a fairy tale like "Hansel and Gretel" to a group of transfixed school children.

Any additional comments?

Overall, this was a great inspiring story of courage under the worst conditions ever. An abridged version would keep the listener engaged. In the hard copy, at least one can scan through and/or skip irrelevant pages.

6 people found this helpful

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Excellent, old-school story

The tone of this book reminded me of 1950s America, before Nam and endless scandals stole our innocence.

The subject matter is first rate. The heroic soldier certainly inspired me not to whine about my little physical problems. I’ve been recommending this one to everyone I know who uses Audible.

2 people found this helpful

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SIMPLY AMAZING!

It's hard to believe what people went through during the war. They truly are the greatest generation.

1 person found this helpful

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Gripping story of courage and love

What a powerful story of courage... so thoroughly researched and artfully crafted. I had a difficult time putting it down. For days I lived and dreamed the story I had listened to. Captivating.

1 person found this helpful

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The Courage of a Community to Rescue One Man

This is a great story and Audible has done another outstanding job with the audio version of this book.

1 person found this helpful

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Outstanding

A testament to Norwegian character and courage of the Norwegian people. A must read for all.

1 person found this helpful

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Fascinating Historical Gem

This book is one of the many lesser known biographies of strength and sacrifice lived out through WWII. A must read!!!

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Amazing story but needs pdf maps to be included

The authors used their exhaustive research to weave an inspiring narrative of many heroes… but it’s hard to follow all the characters, movements and locations without any visual reference; The inclusion of a downloadable pdf with those photos and maps, and maybe a timeline would enhance the readers understanding and appreciation of what these people sacrificed and endured.

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Epic war story

I liked this true story of another aspect of WW2.
Felt frozen most of the time from author's descriptions of snow and wind!

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Enjoyed this book!

I love World War II stories and this one being a true story made it that much more amazing I was happy to see if this was offered for free w my subscription. It’s amazing what a good attitude and the will to survive can do.

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  • maggie
  • 01-25-23

Fantastic

This is a heartwarming read men of great courage endurance bravery and hope unbelievable success

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  • Joy
  • 12-14-22

astonishing

Well this is an astounding account of a group of brave wonderful people. Norway must be a marvellous place and it's people full of courage. God bless those dear people

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  • Anonymous User
  • 12-12-22

COURAGE BEYOND BELIEF

A Truly moving story, of not just one man, but of a community, who's sheer courage and determination triumphed over such overwhelming odds.
Well done to the author's for bringing this story to light, so that many people like myself can learn of the stories of the war.
Beautifully narrated by Peter Altscheuler.

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  • Amazon Customer
  • 09-20-22

superb and uplifting

a true story told as if you were there. very well written and absolutely captivating.

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  • Craig
  • 08-22-22

Bloody awful narration!!!

Am sorry, really, what is it about Americans and narration!!.... Cant string proper sentences together, fail to observe comas or full stops. Your left trying to put the story together as the person rants on and literally destroys perfectly good story. I failed to get past chapter 12. I would rather buy the actual book and read rather than listen to this botched attempt.

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  • Amazon Customer
  • 07-28-22

A Truly Remarkable Story of Real Heroes

A tale of incredible bravery and determination to survive and escape after an operation goes wrong, in occupied Norway during the Second World War.

The story brings to life the terror of living under Nazi occupation; particularly if you, or your family, helped or supported anyone who was involved fighting against the occupation.

The risks Norwegians, both men and women, were prepared to undertake knowing their whole family could be killed in order to help their compatriots is humbling!

This book offers a glimpse into real bravery.



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  • Chrissie
  • 01-13-21

An amazing true story of real courage

This true story of real courage was gripping but for me I’m afraid spoilt by the narration. The narrator has a strange and annoying way of emphasising certain words and syllables that take away from the text. His Norwegian pronunciation was good but it would have got 5 stars if it had been better read