Listen free for 30 days
-
Homelands
- A Personal History of Europe
- Narrated by: John Sackville
- Length: 13 hrs and 36 mins
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy Now for £25.99
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Beyond the Wall
- East Germany, 1949-1990
- By: Katja Hoyer
- Narrated by: Sam Peter Jackson
- Length: 16 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1990, a country disappeared. For the previous forty-one years, East Germany had existed in Western minds as more of a metaphor than a place, more of a grey communist blur than a land of real people with friends and families, workplaces and homes. As Germany once again became a single state, the history of the GDR was simplified and politicised. It was nothing but Stasi spies and central planning, nothing but a wall in Berlin. In Beyond the Wall, acclaimed historian Katja Hoyer looks past these outdated conceptions and toward a more comprehensive history.
-
-
So informative and just brilliant
- By Ms. C. Beak on 19-04-23
-
Killing Thatcher
- The IRA, the Manhunt and the Long War on the Crown
- By: Rory Carroll
- Narrated by: Gary Trainor
- Length: 11 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Killing Thatcher is the gripping account of how the IRA came astonishingly close to killing Margaret Thatcher and to wiping out the British Cabinet – an extraordinary assassination attempt linked to the Northern Ireland Troubles and the most daring conspiracy against the Crown since the Gunpowder Plot.
-
-
Well balanced and very well researched.
- By M R Colacicco on 14-04-23
-
The Russo-Ukrainian War
- By: Serhii Plokhy
- Narrated by: Leighton Pugh
- Length: 12 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On 24 February 2022, Russia stunned the world by launching an invasion of Ukraine. In the midst of checking on the family and friends who were now on the front lines of Europe's largest conflict since the outbreak of the Second World War, acclaimed Ukrainian-American historian Serhii Plokhy inevitably found himself attempting to understand the deeper causes of the invasion, analysing its course and contemplating the wider outcomes. The Russo-Ukrainian War is the comprehensive history of a conflict that has burned since 2014.
-
-
Holistic global perspective
- By Echternacher on 24-05-23
-
Borderland
- A Journey Through the History of Ukraine
- By: Anna Reid
- Narrated by: Anna Reid
- Length: 12 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Flat, fertile, and fatally tempting to invaders, for centuries Ukraine was fought over by more powerful neighbours. Though its modern national movement dates back to the early nineteenth century, it did not win real independence until 1991. In 2014 mass demonstrations forced out a corrupt pro-Russian president. Russia responded by invading, first seizing Crimea and the eastern Donbass, and then in February 2022 marching on Kyiv. With Western help, Ukraine is fighting back. But in what form it will emerge from the war - the bloodiest in Europe since 1945 - remains to be seen.
-
-
An excellent book on Ukraine - highly recommended
- By Smccoull on 11-12-22
-
Culture
- A New World History
- By: Martin Puchner
- Narrated by: John Sackville
- Length: 10 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Can anyone really own a culture? This magnificent account argues that the story of global civilisations is one of mixing, sharing, and borrowing. It shows how art forms have crisscrossed continents over centuries to produce masterpieces. From Nefertiti's lost city and the Islamic Golden Age to twentieth century Nigerian theatre and Modernist poetry, Martin Puchner explores how contact between different peoples has driven artistic innovation in every era - whilst cultural policing and purism have more often undermined the very societies they tried to protect.
-
-
Exceptional!
- By Epikurios on 08-03-23
-
The Restless Republic
- Britain Without a Crown
- By: Anna Keay
- Narrated by: Lucy Tregear
- Length: 14 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On a raw January afternoon, the Stuart king, Charles I, was executed for treason. Within weeks, the English monarchy had been abolished and the ‘useless and dangerous’ House of Lords discarded. The people, it was announced, were now the sovereign force in the land. What this meant, and where it would lead, no one knew. The Restless Republic is the story of the extraordinary decade that followed.
-
-
Beautifully written and brilliantly read
- By Matt Carpanini on 06-06-22
-
Beyond the Wall
- East Germany, 1949-1990
- By: Katja Hoyer
- Narrated by: Sam Peter Jackson
- Length: 16 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1990, a country disappeared. For the previous forty-one years, East Germany had existed in Western minds as more of a metaphor than a place, more of a grey communist blur than a land of real people with friends and families, workplaces and homes. As Germany once again became a single state, the history of the GDR was simplified and politicised. It was nothing but Stasi spies and central planning, nothing but a wall in Berlin. In Beyond the Wall, acclaimed historian Katja Hoyer looks past these outdated conceptions and toward a more comprehensive history.
-
-
So informative and just brilliant
- By Ms. C. Beak on 19-04-23
-
Killing Thatcher
- The IRA, the Manhunt and the Long War on the Crown
- By: Rory Carroll
- Narrated by: Gary Trainor
- Length: 11 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Killing Thatcher is the gripping account of how the IRA came astonishingly close to killing Margaret Thatcher and to wiping out the British Cabinet – an extraordinary assassination attempt linked to the Northern Ireland Troubles and the most daring conspiracy against the Crown since the Gunpowder Plot.
-
-
Well balanced and very well researched.
- By M R Colacicco on 14-04-23
-
The Russo-Ukrainian War
- By: Serhii Plokhy
- Narrated by: Leighton Pugh
- Length: 12 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On 24 February 2022, Russia stunned the world by launching an invasion of Ukraine. In the midst of checking on the family and friends who were now on the front lines of Europe's largest conflict since the outbreak of the Second World War, acclaimed Ukrainian-American historian Serhii Plokhy inevitably found himself attempting to understand the deeper causes of the invasion, analysing its course and contemplating the wider outcomes. The Russo-Ukrainian War is the comprehensive history of a conflict that has burned since 2014.
-
-
Holistic global perspective
- By Echternacher on 24-05-23
-
Borderland
- A Journey Through the History of Ukraine
- By: Anna Reid
- Narrated by: Anna Reid
- Length: 12 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Flat, fertile, and fatally tempting to invaders, for centuries Ukraine was fought over by more powerful neighbours. Though its modern national movement dates back to the early nineteenth century, it did not win real independence until 1991. In 2014 mass demonstrations forced out a corrupt pro-Russian president. Russia responded by invading, first seizing Crimea and the eastern Donbass, and then in February 2022 marching on Kyiv. With Western help, Ukraine is fighting back. But in what form it will emerge from the war - the bloodiest in Europe since 1945 - remains to be seen.
-
-
An excellent book on Ukraine - highly recommended
- By Smccoull on 11-12-22
-
Culture
- A New World History
- By: Martin Puchner
- Narrated by: John Sackville
- Length: 10 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Can anyone really own a culture? This magnificent account argues that the story of global civilisations is one of mixing, sharing, and borrowing. It shows how art forms have crisscrossed continents over centuries to produce masterpieces. From Nefertiti's lost city and the Islamic Golden Age to twentieth century Nigerian theatre and Modernist poetry, Martin Puchner explores how contact between different peoples has driven artistic innovation in every era - whilst cultural policing and purism have more often undermined the very societies they tried to protect.
-
-
Exceptional!
- By Epikurios on 08-03-23
-
The Restless Republic
- Britain Without a Crown
- By: Anna Keay
- Narrated by: Lucy Tregear
- Length: 14 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On a raw January afternoon, the Stuart king, Charles I, was executed for treason. Within weeks, the English monarchy had been abolished and the ‘useless and dangerous’ House of Lords discarded. The people, it was announced, were now the sovereign force in the land. What this meant, and where it would lead, no one knew. The Restless Republic is the story of the extraordinary decade that followed.
-
-
Beautifully written and brilliantly read
- By Matt Carpanini on 06-06-22
-
Values, Voice and Virtue
- The New British Politics
- By: Matthew Goodwin
- Narrated by: Matthew Goodwin
- Length: 7 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Over the last decade, Britain has been rocked by a series of political revolts. In trying to make sense of this remarkable churn and change, many commentators cling to very short-term and unconvincing explanations, pointing to social media, dark money, individual leaders, or the promises made to voters. But, as acclaimed political scientist Matthew Goodwin reveals in this strikingly original study, this turbulence has been a long time in the making—and it is set to continue for many years to come.
-
-
A must read political analysis
- By Anonymous User on 31-03-23
-
How Westminster Works...and Why It Doesn't
- By: Ian Dunt
- Narrated by: Ian Dunt
- Length: 10 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
British politics is broken. Anyone sitting down to watch the news will get a firm sense that something has gone terribly wrong. The MPs we get are of the lowest imaginable quality. The voting system doesn't actually count the votes. The government is in charge of scrutinising itself and takes a predictably light-touch approach to doing so. Ministers are misleading and self-serving. The legislation is sloppy, ineffective and broadly worded. Expertise is denigrated. Lies are rewarded. And deep-seated, long-lasting national problems go permanently unresolved.
-
-
Fascinating, terrifying and a vital read.
- By Al That Buys on 17-05-23
-
Johnson at 10
- By: Anthony Seldon, Raymond Newell
- Narrated by: Mark Elstob
- Length: 20 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After his sudden rise to power in the summer of 2019 amid the Brexit deadlock, Boris Johnson presided over the most dramatic period of British history in almost a century. From the controversial prorogation of Parliament in August 2019 to the historic landslide victory later that year, the agonising upheaval of Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic—and the scandals unleashed by both—the Afghanistan crisis, and the conflict in Ukraine, Johnson's premiership was more turbulent than any other in living memory.
-
-
Well balanced account
- By Vicuña on 05-05-23
-
Revolutionary Spring
- Fighting for a New World 1848-1849
- By: Christopher Clark
- Narrated by: Christopher Clark
- Length: 33 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There can be few more exciting or frightening moments in European history than the spring of 1848. Almost as if by magic, in city after city, from Palermo to Paris to Venice, huge crowds gathered, sometimes peaceful and sometimes violent, and the political order that had held sway since the defeat of Napoleon simply collapsed. Christopher Clark's spectacular new book recreates with verve, wit and insight this extraordinary period.
-
-
Brilliant performance of a brilliant book
- By Mary on 12-05-23
-
The Holocaust
- An Unfinished History
- By: Dan Stone
- Narrated by: John Sackville
- Length: 9 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The defining event of 20th-century Europe - the extermination of millions of Jews - has been commemorated, institutionalised and embedded in our collective consciousness. But in this nuanced and perceptive new history, Dan Stone, professor of modern history and director of the Holocaust Research Institute, contends that the true dimension of the horror wrought by the Nazis is inadvertently brushed aside in our current culture of commemoration.
-
-
Expertly Written
- By PaulC6230 on 26-01-23
-
The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism
- By: Martin Wolf
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 13 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Liberal democracy is in recession and authoritarianism is on the rise. The ties that ought to bind open markets to free and fair elections are being strained and spurned, even in democracy's notional heartlands. Around the world, powerful voices argue that capitalism is better without democracy; others that democracy is better without capitalism. This book is a forceful rejoinder to both views, offering a deep and lucid assessment of why the marriage between capitalism and democracy has grown so strained and making clear why a divorce would be an almost unthinkable calamity.
-
-
Fabulous Book
- By Raim Dragonetti on 20-02-23
-
The Reconstruction of Nations
- Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania, Belarus 1569-1999
- By: Timothy Snyder
- Narrated by: Rich Miller
- Length: 13 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Modern nationalism in northeastern Europe has often led to violence and then reconciliation between nations with bloody pasts. In this fascinating book, Timothy Snyder traces the emergence of Polish, Ukrainian, Lithuanian, and Belarusian nationhood over four centuries, discusses various atrocities (including the first account of the massive Ukrainian-Polish ethnic cleansings of the 1940s), and examines Poland's recent successful negotiations with its newly independent Eastern neighbors, as it has channeled national interest toward peace.
-
A Small Town in Ukraine
- The Place We Came from, the Place We Went Back To
- By: Bernard Wasserstein
- Narrated by: Steven John Shepherd
- Length: 8 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Decades ago, the historian Bernard Wasserstein set out to uncover the hidden past of the town forty miles west of Lviv where his family, especially his grandfather Berl, originated: Krakowiec (Krah-KOV-yets). In this book he recounts its dramatic and traumatic history. 'I want to observe and understand how some of the great forces that determined the shape of our times affected ordinary people.'
-
-
Small town in Ukraine
- By Anonymous User on 21-03-23
-
How Hitchens Can Save the Left
- Rediscovering Fearless Liberalism in an Age of Counter-Enlightenment
- By: Matt Johnson
- Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
- Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Christopher Hitchens was for many years considered one of the fiercest and most eloquent left-wing polemicists in the world. But on much of today's left, he's remembered as a defector, a warmonger, and a sellout—a supporter of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq who traded his left-wing principles for neoconservatism after the September 11 attacks. In How Hitchens Can Save the Left, Matt Johnson argues that this easy narrative gets Hitchens exactly wrong. Hitchens was a lifelong champion of free inquiry, humanism, and universal liberal values.
-
Tory Nation
- How One Party Took Over
- By: Samuel Earle
- Narrated by: Jamie Parker
- Length: 9 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Conservative Party has presided over countless corruption scandals, blundered its way through a pandemic and into a cost of living crisis that is set to plunge millions more into poverty. But in spite of their track record the party remains in power. Why? Tory Nation tells the story of how the Conservatives came to dominate Britain, and how this dominance is eroding our democracy, pushing us closer to a one-party state.
-
And Then What?
- Inside Stories of 21st Century Diplomacy
- By: Catherine Ashton
- Narrated by: Catherine Ashton
- Length: 9 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From 2009 to 2014, Cathy Ashton was the EU’s first High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security, effectively Europe's foreign policy supremo responsible for coordinating the EU's response to international crises. Arriving in Brussels as a relative novice to international diplomacy, she faced the challenge of representing the views and values of 28 nations during one of the most turbulent times in living memory. Decades-old certainties were swept away in days. Hope rose and fell, often in a matter of hours.
-
The Curtain and the Wall
- A Journey in the Shadow of the Cold War
- By: Timothy Phillips
- Narrated by: Gerard McCarthy
- Length: 13 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a major new book, Timothy Phillips travels the route of the Iron Curtain from deep inside the Arctic Circle to the meeting point of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey. He explores the borderlands where the clash of civilisations was at its most intense between 1945 and 1989, and where the world's most powerful ideologies became tangible in reinforced concrete and barbed wire. He looks at the new Europe that emerged from the ruins.
-
-
Incredible listen!
- By KT on 16-04-23
Summary
Brought to you by Penguin.
Homelands is a stunning blend of contemporary history, reportage and memoir by our greatest writer about European affairs.
Drawing on half a century of interviews and experience, Homelands tells the story of Europe in the later twentieth and early twenty-first centuries - how, having emerged from its wartime hell in 1945, it slowly recovered and rebuilt, liberated and united to come close to the ideal of a Europe 'whole, free and at peace'. And then faltered.
Humane, expert and deeply felt, Homelands is full of encounters, conversations and anecdotes. It is also highly personal: Timothy Garton Ash has spent a lifetime studying and thinking about Europe and this audiobook is full of life itself, from his father's experience on D-Day, to his teenage French exchange, to interviewing Polish dockers, Albanian guerrillas and angry teenagers in the poorest quarters of Paris, as well as advising prime ministers, chancellors and presidents in the UK, Europe, and the US.
Homelands is both a singular history of a period of unprecedented progress and a clear-eyed account of how so much then went wrong, all the way from the financial crisis of 2008 to the war in Ukraine. It culminates in an urgent call to the citizens of this great old continent to understand and defend what we have collectively achieved.
More from the same
Narrator
What listeners say about Homelands
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Marta Gajewska
- 10-03-23
wonderful book, but pronunciations need fixing!
a wonderful book and I loved it, but please learn to pronounce Slavic names correctly... the publisher should do better!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- veyza
- 19-05-23
This European Life
An eyewitness to history who can ably answer the question - What was that all about?
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Lorenzo Coopman
- 19-04-23
a rich story
This is a very nice book and it will help you to understand "Europe" and its history better. Doe some this will be a starting point and get interested in other books and authors. Snyder, Judt and maybe like me Havel. Warmly recommended if you want to know what is worth fighting for!
1 person found this helpful