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  • Battle for the Falklands

  • Written by: Max Hastings
  • Narrated by: Cameron Stewart
  • Length: 16 hrs and 24 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (48 ratings)

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Battle for the Falklands

Written by: Max Hastings
Narrated by: Cameron Stewart
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Publisher's Summary

The Falklands War was one of the strangest in British history - 28,000 men sent to fight for a tiny relic of empire 8,000 miles from home.

At the time, many Britons saw it as a tragic absurdity, but the British victory confirmed the quality of British arms and boosted the political fortunes of the Conservative government. But it left a chequered aftermath; it was of no wider significance for British interests and taught no lessons. It has since been overshadowed by the two Gulf Wars, however, its political ramifications cannot be overestimated. Max Hastings’ and Simon Jenkins’ account of the conflict is a modern classic of war reportage and the definitive book on the war. Republished as part of the Pan Military Classics series, The Battle for the Falklands is a vivid chronicle of a call to arms and a thoughtful and informed analysis of an astonishing chapter in the history of our times. Max Hastings, author of over 20 books, has been editor of the Daily Telegraph and the Evening Standard. He has won many awards for his journalism, particularly his work in the south Atlantic in 1982.

©1983 Max Hastings (P)2014 Audible Studios
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

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What listeners say about Battle for the Falklands

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Very well written

Does an excellent job of covering causes, effects, consequences . Analysis is even-handed, without obvious bias and well presented. Reader's voice cadence is excellent.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • HM
  • 2022-12-04

Best historical account of the war

This book takes you through the entire Falklands story from the discovery of the islands centuries ago, to the tensions in the late 70s that led to war, to the actual war. It's all there. The book is written extremely factually. Don't expect to get emotive accounts of battles from a soldier's perspective. There's some of that but mostly it's a dry, factual account of what exactly happened. Highly recommended.

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Superb

Interested in the Falklands conflict? Then this is is a must buy. The structure is near perfection and the performance matches the material. Found myself sitting in my car long after arriving at my destination unable to turn it off.

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An excellent deep dive

Excellent deep dive into one of the strangest wars on modern history. Definitely worth a listen.

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A long and in-depth look at a short war.

How's into terrific detail. Lots of politics. Not to much military jargon . Knowledgable author on military matters.

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Detailed walkthrough of the Falklands War.

Loved the detail and quick pace of this historical narrative. It was not a struggle to get through and the narrator was excellent in tone and expression.

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A job well done

classic British war story with the anecdotes and attitude you'd expect. good land of historic and anecdotal details but not too long and boring either with different perspectives explored. didn't feel dated as I expected.

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Excellent book, well read

Excellent book blending political and military aspects of the war from the British perspective primarily. Cameron Stewart did an excellent job narrating, and I will be looking for other books read by him.

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  • Amazon Customer
  • 2014-06-19

One sided--British view

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

A narrative history--well done-- as usual for Max Hastings

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Any additional comments?

Hastings does make an effort to present the Falklands crisis in context of Argentine history and politics, but still rather one-sided British perspective. Other wise a very good history of the war.

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7 people found this helpful

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  • Charlie Hovenas
  • 2015-02-14

Superb in every regard.

Max Hastings writing makes the English language bloom with the peculiarity typical of the British. Laden with humor and wit, it conveys the story of the Falkland war in great detail. The chosen narrator is the perfect match and makes the entire experience a treat. I recommend it wholeheartedly.

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6 people found this helpful

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  • IPL
  • 2018-03-30

Political Wrangling and the Fog of War

Having been a 12 year old and living in Britain at the time of the Falklands War, this book brought back a mixture of strong emotions and memories. A number of reviewers have stated that this book has a heavy bias towards the British and this is true to some extent. However, it is important to note that Argentina was at the time rules by a Military Junta, who refused to release or confirm accurate details of their countries loses. This book was written by two English writers, for a predominately British audience. That said, the book is well written, offering a largely balanced perspective, is historically accurate and the audio is excellently narrated. 8.5/10

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4 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • James P. Allen Johns
  • 2018-11-24

Probably the definitive work on the Falklands

This is the most comprehensive look at the war. While the battle descriptions are good, the most interesting is the political dimension to this conflict. In an even handed manner the flaws and miscalculations of Britain, Argentina, and the United States are shown.

An excellent study in how pride and hubris can lead to a conflict, that only the bravery and determination of the soldiers, sailors, and air crew can get their political masters out of.

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3 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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  • Bryan
  • 2015-06-13

The Story behind the Story of the Falklands war

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

Hastings and Jenkins have provided a very detailed account of what happened before the conflict and the failure of the major powers to settle a very simple question by diplomatic means. Efforts by Great Briton, the US and Argentina to resolve the question of who should own this tiny piece of real estate went back many years but after numerous meetings by various high powered teams of negotiators agreement could not be obtained.
Argentina then took the first step by sending troops to occupy the islands, effectively challenging Great Briton to do something (or nothing as they assumed) about it.
There followed the decision to take back the Islands by force and this forms the major part of the story.
A fascinating tale of success in spite of many errors and mistakes by all those involved. Very well written and an excellent narration by Stewart

What other book might you compare Battle for the Falklands to and why?

I have listened to a number of Hasting's books and have yet to find one that has proved to lack interest. All his works are well researched and, more importantly a great story to tell. His work "Bomber Command" and "The Second World War" are both highly recommended

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

Have not heard Cameron Stewart before. His delivery was excellent including pronunciations of the Spanish and other foreign names and places.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Not sure?

Any additional comments?

This book comes highly recommended.

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3 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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  • iceph03nix
  • 2018-05-16

So British it hurts sometimes.

The style, focus, and context of the book are all unashamedly British. The authors (and narrator) thankfully don't try to hide that, but I had hoped for something a little more unbiased. Part of that may be because of the long term fallout from the topic and that much of the primary material is from the British side of things so it's somewhat forgivable.

That being said, the content is excellent, and the authors do go out of their way to criticize and compliment both sides. And the level of detail is in just the right spot for my tastes. It can give an excellent taste of what both the people on the ground were thinking as well as a higher overview.

I definitely learned a lot about a fight I'd only had vague references to before.

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  • Cord
  • 2019-08-01

A good but biased history

Interesting account! Apparently the entire war was due to the bumbling American Administration! Sort of kidding, but worth a read.

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  • Rodney
  • 2018-03-18

Incomplete

I love history books, I love learning about things I don't know much about - and I knew very little about the Falklands war. However this book just didn't do much for me as the book was written shortly after the war ended and as such it lacks much of the scope that comes with time. Also the account is all from one side, which I don't mind and which they clearly state is the case at the beginning of the book - it's not done from a bias standpoint that way, it's just that it comes from the known history available at the time and from Hastings being first hand on the scene - to me that makes the book much less interesting since you fail to understand the motivations of Argentina, and no that isn't a political statement or some PC garbage, I just would prefer to know what the thought process is behind different moves, etc.

So it's by no means a bad book, it's just a very complete one. I think if you knew more about the subject this might be more interesting, but for me I felt like I learned the basics and some details but came away with a very incomplete knowledge of the subject.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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  • Christian Jorgensen
  • 2017-08-03

Interesting but Anglo-centric

Would you listen to Battle for the Falklands again? Why?

This is definitely a worthwhile book and it describes a war that (outside of the UK and Argentina) is largely forgotten.

What did you like best about this story?

Cameron Stewart's narration is superb in this book.

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

This is definitely one of his better performances. Maybe because he is not forced to fake so many accents.

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  • Todd R Fredricks
  • 2015-03-22

At the level of Ryan in the telling of war history

This is my first Max Hastings book but it will not be the last. I often tell people that my favorite war history is a book by the name of Pegasus Bridge by Stephen Ambrose. It is a great story about a critical but small operation during the D Day landings in France.

Hastings is in that style and for those interested in learning about the last war of empire this book is a critical and beautifully assembled collection of strategic, tactical and individual narratives that allows one to see the folly of overconfidence and the instability of a world were extreme violence and loss of life can occur over the most trivial of issues.

I have ordered more Hastings books and look forward to hearing them.

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