The Second World War: The Grand Alliance

By: Sir Winston Churchill

Narrated by: Christian Rodska

Length: 9 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

Dealing with war on a giant scale, The Grand Alliance focuses on events as Britain, after fighting a desperate battle alone, was joined in the struggle against the enemy by Soviet Russia and the United Sates.

Hitler's invasion of Russia brought to an end a period of almost exactly a year during which Britain and her Empire had stood alone. Six months later, the United States, attacked by Japan, joined the war and the Grand Alliance was born. It was a momentous turn in the course of the war and Sir Winston Churchill noted, 'United we could subdue everybody else in the world. Many disasters, immeasurable cost and tribulation lay ahead, but there was no more doubt about the end.'

©1990 The Estate of Winston Churchill (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

What now?

This is the third of a 4 volume series. I enjoyed it, but was surprised to find out that the 4th volume is not done yet. What??? I wish I would have known that before I started the first book.

Excellent work

Enjoyed the first three volumes very much. I hope they're working on the final volume -- I can't wait for it. The narrator is excellent and sounds just like Churchill.

Classic work well delivered

Would you listen to The Second World War: The Grand Alliance again? Why?

Yes, the book is obviously rich in historical context, and very well presented. The Narrator did an excellent job, at times you feel you're listening to Winston Churchill himself.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Churchill - You have to like him to of been interested in this book.

What about Christian Rodska’s performance did you like?

The Narrator did an excellent job, at times you feel you're listening to Winston Churchill himself. The tones and inflections are great, but the reading isn't overly dramatized either.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Difficult to isolate a particular point.

John

Just a great listen. Like the other reviewers I can assure you - its like listening to Churchill read the book. I have listened to three of books and just downloaded the fourth. It is compulsive listening.

From the Lion’s Mouth

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this to anyone interested in leadership, WWII, and history in general.

What other book might you compare The Second World War: The Grand Alliance to and why?

In terms of style, force and superb command of English, there are no comparisons

Which character – as performed by Christian Rodska – was your favorite?

His reading in Churchill’s voice were very good

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Sorry that it did not go on forever.

Any additional comments?

A must read!

Another great installment

A lot more politics and strategy in this book as the alliance forms and begins fighting back. Enjoyable as always, roll on book 4!

exhilarating performance, I cannot stop listening

exhilarating performance, I cannot stop listening. highly recommend listening to this book especially in the light of parallels between the 1930s Germany and current day US

Inspiring and gripping

The clearness of the language and his willingness to take responsibility for failure and share success make Winston Churchill a true leader and devoted statesman. His ability to articulate the importance of personal relationships to make decisions is a template for our political leaders

Feel like Churchill told his story directly to me

I haven't been much of a history buff until I started listening to Audible. I first listened to Washington: A Life, next The Last Lion (#1) and then I've been listening to all of Churchill's books The Second World War. There's so many facts about WWII that I didn't know.

I'm a baby boomer and my Dad and my Mom were both in the Philippines during WWII. My Mom was lucky enough to escape on a submarine after Corregidor fell. My Dad was not so lucky. He was at the surrender of Bataan plus the Bataan Death March and a prisoner of war for 3 and a 1/2 years.

Although my parents were involved with the Pacific Theater, I wanted to understand the whole enchilada. Wow, is there a lot to learn about the European theater. So, if you want to know what really happened in the European theater, Africa and Middle East. This series is your time to learn. Churchill also shares about battles and situations in the Far East. There's no lacking of info in this series.

Lastly, Rodska is a wonderful narrator....he's one of the reasons that I bought the whole series. I truly feel I'm having lunch with Churchill and he's filling me in like I'm an insider on the whole story. Wow!

Good but more difficult for me to follow

If you could sum up The Second World War: The Grand Alliance in three words, what would they be?

Interesting but difficult.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Churchill is the central character so it would be difficult for him not to be my favorite.

Have you listened to any of Christian Rodska’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Just the first two in the series. This one is consistantly good.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

As with the other books in the series it makes me worry about the future of our country because we are repeating so many of the same mistakes.

Any additional comments?

Everyone should read this series. As Churchill says, WWII was the "unnecessary war". The mistakes of the allies after WWI led to WWII. If we learn from these mistakes perhaps we could avoid future wars.