Winter

Penguin Modern Classics

By: Len Deighton

Narrated by: James Lailey

Length: 24 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

Peter and Paul, the two sons of German businessman Harald Winter, are bonded together by a childhood trauma. But as they grow up, the brothers also grow apart. When the shadow of the Third Reich falls, they become divided by war and their differing ideals - only to meet again years later at the Nuremberg trials. An epic prelude to the Bernard Samson Game, Set and Match trilogy, Winter is a rich, tragic portrait of the fortunes of a family, and a nation, over half a century.

©1987 Len Deighton (P)2021 Penguin Audio

Critic Reviews

"A monumental work...brilliantly executed." (Daily Telegraph)

"The pace and tension leave one almost breathless. A frightening yet compelling novel." (Sunday Telegraph)

Wonderful narrator and talented author.

I wish I could give a higher star rating for this narrator. He is excellent and never once through the 24 hour audio book did I lose concentration. A gripping and emotional story with an excellent historical basis. I learnt so much from this book and when looking up various events which were new to me using other sources (whilst still absorbed in this book) I learnt more about historical facts I had previously not understood before. Thank you for a wonderful book.

fascinating family saga as Hitler comes to power

Fascinating Family saga following the
Winters through the 1st world
War into the 2nd world war in Germany. It also sets up most of the characters or their family Members of the rest of the Bernard Sampson Series. Well read, Well researched and well written - Not to be
missed.

Simply brilliant. A masterpiece!

Len Deighton's books are always superbly written. This audio book is without doubt one of the best I have ever listened to. An amazing story brilliantly narrated. An absolute masterpiece! It's a long book but it had me enthralled from beginning to end. No wonder it is considered a classic!!

great story, disappointing reader

the narrator's tube and accents were good almost all of the time. but his pronunciation of German, even in one case (Marylebone) English names was inexplicably variable.

very atmospheric

very atmospheric, loved it but you need to concentrate, it is not something you can pick up and put down, it needs the time it deserves. I will listen again when I have time set aside.

Gripping Stuff

An excellent narration of an intriguing story line cutting across family and national boundaries in war times and peace.

Quite a marathon listen

I found the prospect of a 24+ hours listen quite daunting, especially since we mostly know the history behind the story. Still, it was well crafted, turning a family drama into a story illustrating various aspects of the first half of the 20th century and the world wars. These mainly from the German population's point of view. This in itself was quite interesting and well researched as mostly the stories about this period that are written by Western writers, describe how Westerners or non-German people experienced the era.

Very good indeed

A fascinating prequel which was an enjoyable listen throughout . And well read too. I would recommend it :

Wonderful

I’m bereft that Winter is over. It’s such a fine piece of writing, planting questions in your mind right from the start that run all the way through the book. Great performance by the narrator. Very highly recommended.

Fabulous

A wonderful story set in the backdrop
of WWI and WW2. Fascinating characters go throughout the story. Probably the most engrossing story I’ve heard on Audible. Is a very long listen but I could have gone on listening. Was sorry to finish.