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The Quick and the Dead
- Fallen Soldiers and Their Families in the Great War
- Narrated by: Allen O'Reilly
- Length: 9 hrs and 16 mins
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The Quick and the Dead
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Summary
At the end of the First World War more than 192,000 wives had lost their husbands and nearly 400,000 children had lost their fathers. A further half a million children had lost one or more siblings. Appallingly, one in eight wives died within a year of receiving news of their husband's death. Few people remained unscathed and the effects of the conflict are still with us. The Quick and the Dead will pay tribute to the families who were left to suffer at home while their husband, fathers, and sons went off to fight, and the generations that followed. Through the stories in this groundbreaking history, we realize not just what became of our grandfathers but how their experiences influenced the children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren of a generation that they left at home.
Against all the odds some stories ended happily - missing fathers did return, men thought to be dead returned from prisoner of war camps to a joyous reunion. For others the loss, while difficult to bear at the time, gave them an independence, drive, and ambition that ensured that their lives were successful and a fitting tribute to those who died. Very few people know that only the first minute's silence on Armistice Day is in memory of the dead of the Great War and all the subsequent wars. The second minute is for the living, the survivors of the war, and the wives and the children they left behind.
Through a unique collection of over 50 interviews, private diaries, and a remarkable collection of unpublished letters written by the soldiers to their families back home, The Quick and the Dead is a history of those who are commonly forgotten and neglected when the fallen are remembered on Armistice Day.
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Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Carmen
- 04-10-18
Persevere
This is an excellent book. I've used it twice now in preparing public presentations on topics related to the Great War. That said, this narrator is dire. I checked my machine twice to make sure it was playing at the right speed, as I thought it had somehow been speeded up. His mispronounciations are utterly ghastly; if they had to use an American narrator for a British Great War topic, they could have at least found one who would use correct pronouciations for place-names. Between his rush to finish, ,and the horrible mangling of words he perpetuates along the way, it is a bit of a strain. That said, I'm glad it is available on audio, as it's meant I could get through it when other things in life made it difficult to read it physically. Just, it's so sad about this reader.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Gemma
- 06-04-22
Good except for the American narrator
I loved this, however I found the narrator very annoying. Would be much better with an English narrator, this one spoke too fast
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mrs O
- 03-06-24
Beautiful beautiful book, absolutely ruined by narrator
Honestly, how could you take a magnificently written book about such a significant topic and cast a narrator that has absolutely no idea how to pronounce any of the names. He completely mispronounces Leicester, Southwark, Lieutenant (!!!) Pall Mall, Ypres, Popperinge, Warwickshire, Lancashire, Subaltern, Colqhoun, Le Havre, Albert, Somme, Thiepval… i lost count but it was maddening. How can you narrate a military book and not know that the British pronunciation of Lieutenant is completely different to the American one? Richard Van Emden’s magical writing deserves so much better than this. Please re-record this with someone who has received more of an education? Someone British would do it proper justice. It’s such an important piece of writing. How could this happen??
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