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  • The Flame of Resistance

  • American Beauty. French Hero. British Spy.
  • By: Damien Lewis
  • Narrated by: Damien Lewis
  • Length: 16 hrs and 39 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (28 ratings)
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The Flame of Resistance cover art

The Flame of Resistance

By: Damien Lewis
Narrated by: Damien Lewis
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Summary

During WW2, Josephine Baker, the world's richest and most glamorous entertainer, was an Allied spy in Occupied France. This is the story of her heroic personal resistance to Nazi Germany.

Prior to World War II, Josephine Baker was a music hall diva renowned for her singing and exotic dancing, her beauty and sexuality; she was the most highly paid female performer in Europe. When the Nazis seized her adopted city, Paris, she was banned from the stage, along with all 'negroes and Jews'. Yet, instead of returning to America, she vowed to stay and to fight the Nazi evil. Overnight she went from performer to Resistance spy. 

In The Flame of Resistance, best-selling author Damien Lewis uncovers this little known history of the famous singer's life. During the years of the war, as a member of the French Nurse paratroopers—a cover for her spying work—she participated in numerous clandestine activities and emerged as formidable spy. In turn, she was a hero of the three countries in whose name she served: the US, the nation of her birth; France, the land that embraced her during her adult career and Britain, the country from which she took her orders, as one of London's most closely guarded special agents. Baker's secret war embodies a tale of unbounded courage, passion, devotion and sacrifice, and of deep and bitter tragedy, fueled by her own desire to combat the rise of Nazism, and to fight for all that is good and right in the world. 

Drawing on a plethora of new historical material and rigorous research, including previously undisclosed letters and journals, Lewis upends the conventional story of Josephine Baker, revealing that her mark on history went far beyond the confines of the stage.

©2022 Omega Ventures Limited (P)2022 Quercus Editions Limited

What listeners say about The Flame of Resistance

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

narration let it down

good story and well written, let down by the narration. but still worth a listen.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Great Story, poorly read.

I found the story interesting and well written, but i’m afraid the narration was a real struggle. It was often read as if there was no understanding where sentences were going, leading to pauses in all the wrong places.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A truly inspiring story

The story is inspiring and opens the world up to a woman few in modern times know of.
As others have said the narration is dire at times and the mispronunciations are many, also being a story set in France then the author should know how to pronounce French words and names although those of German words are also dire.
Despite all that very much worth a listen.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Writing books is not the same as reading them

The story of Josephine Baker is a very interesting one and highly recommended. I would say read the book do not listen to the audiobook.

Mr Lewis is a good author, but a terrible leader of books, his mispronunciation of several words grinds on you after awhile, one could say, affluent and effluent , are too very different things.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Very Interesting....

Dispite the odd narration by Damien Lewis this, story is interesting and dramatic.

It's nothing like "daggers, bombs and action. It's more dark and moody.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great book.

An excellent book and great story. Only let down a little by the narrator, but still good.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Interesting History

I knew nothing about the history of the French Resistance this book tells you about. The dilemmas faced by agents of all sides and friendships and lack of trust just keep the book moving. The author might have made the book shorter and I'm afraid the narration should have been better in.my view !

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

fascinating story

Good book; not quite what I expected. Could do with extra editing sometimes just in praise of its hero! Thought it would be a broader book about resistance rather than the story of Josephine Baker French dancer. That would be a better title. Still worth a read

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Off-putting narration

Such an interesting story, shame about the awful and distracting narration. What a remarkable woman she was!

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