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  • Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945

  • Written by: Tony Judt
  • Narrated by: Ralph Cosham
  • Length: 43 hrs and 1 min
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (32 ratings)

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Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945

Written by: Tony Judt
Narrated by: Ralph Cosham
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Publisher's Summary

Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize • Winner of the Council on Foreign Relations Arthur Ross Book Award • One of the New York Times’ Ten Best Books of the Year

“Impressive . . . Mr. Judt writes with enormous authority.” —
The Wall Street Journal

“Magisterial . . . It is, without a doubt, the most comprehensive, authoritative, and yes, readable postwar history.” —
The Boston Globe

Almost a decade in the making, this much-anticipated grand history of postwar Europe from one of the world’s most esteemed historians and intellectuals is a singular achievement. Postwar is the first modern history that covers all of Europe, both east and west, drawing on research in six languages to sweep listeners through thirty-four nations and sixty years of political and cultural change—all in one integrated, enthralling narrative. The book incorporates international relations, domestic politics, ideas, social change, economic development, and culture—high and low. Every country has its chance to play the lead, and although the big themes are superbly handled—including the cold war, the love/hate relationship with America, cultural and economic malaise and rebirth, and the myth and reality of unification—none of them is allowed to overshadow the rich pageant that is the whole. Vividly and clearly written for the general listener, witty, opinionated, and full of fresh and surprising stories and asides, Postwar is a movable feast for lovers of history and lovers of Europe alike.

Both intellectually ambitious and compelling, thrilling in its scope and delightful in its small details, Postwar is a rare joy.

©2005 Tony Judt (P)2010 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

What the critics say

“A book that has the pace of a thriller and the scope of an encyclopedia…A very considerable achievement…Brilliant." ( New York Review of Books)
“Remarkable…. The writing is vivid; the coverage—of little countries as well as of great ones—is virtually superhuman.” ( The New Yorker)
“Massive, kaleidoscopic, and thoroughly readable…[Judt’s] book now becomes the definitive account of Europe’s rise from the ashes and its takeoff into an uncertain future.” ( Time)

What listeners say about Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Good content; terrible narrator

The content of this book is something I am very interested in, and this book is quite informative. Unfortunately, and to my surprise, I found this very boring. I'm not usually picky about narrators, but this one somehow managed to make very interesting content sound incredibly boring. You can tell that the narrator is very bored while reading. That boredom gradually rubbed off on me and made me feel bored. In turn, this made it hard to pay attention to the story. I tried my hardest to get through this book. But at about the one third mark, I gave up. I just wasn't retaining the information due to the drab way the book is read.

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent content, terrible narration

What a disappointment! I was looking forward to this book because the content promised to answer so many questions I had, plus many more I hadn’t even thought of, but they couldn’t have picked a worse narrator. So monotone, I often fell asleep. More than once I thought about giving up and asking for a refund, but the content is unique and ultimately worth the slog.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Thorough and comprehensive documentary and commmentary

Judt has managed to reveal and explain European history since 1945 His monumental work should form a basis for any study of the latter half of the twentieth century. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to understand the state of Europe and Russian politics today.

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