Sold On The Miracle Of Dunkirk

The only reasons I purchased this book were because of the movie about Dunkirk that premieres next month and the book's highest average rating. I wasn't sure what to expect due to the topic. The narrator was lively and "personable" as if relaying a story he new rather than reading and the book itself was exceptionally well written. The book itself was history told through macro and micro perspectives which demonstrated how an incredibly botched withdrawal operation did indeed turn out to be a miracle.

19 people found this helpful

Book is better than the movie!!

What made the experience of listening to The Miracle of Dunkirk the most enjoyable?

I thought the way the events were detailed was well done. I had seen the preview for the movie and it looked compelling, which is what led me to seek out this book. The book was so fascinating and read as a novel. I was hugely disappointed in the movie because it didn't convey the enormity of this undertaking and left out so much of the humanity involved. This book did not disappoint!

What other book might you compare The Miracle of Dunkirk to and why?

I don't think I've read another book like this.

What does Jeff Cummings bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I found his voice entertaining to listen to and I wouldn't be able to read the book while accomplishing other things. I listen to audible books because I fall asleep while reading and I don't have time to just sit down and read.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There were so many interesting characters in the book, so no one moment particularly moved me.

Any additional comments?

The Miracle of Dunkirk does justice to the monumental task of the rescue of almost 400,000 men. It is well written and the narrator kept me engrossed. I would HIGHLY recommend this book.

14 people found this helpful

For heavens sake!

I have just finished this book. presently, I am on a jag, reading WWII military history and looked forward to this.

But... and what a big but. Audible needs to think very deeply about increasing their pool of readers. I don't mind this piece of British history being read by an American but for heavens sake! To hear almost every single vessel's name butchered with gross mispronunciation hurts the ear. And we won't even start on the mangling of the French place names. The flat monotone accent, coupled with the lacerated pronunciation left me gritting my teeth. Appalling.

As for the history itself, it does not have a patch on other histories. Robert Gandt's The Twilight Warriors, any of Antony Beevor's books or T R Ferenbach's 'This Kind of War leave this rather pedestrian account in the dust. In some places it reads like a cub reporters litany of names, all carefully captured at the expense of the narrative.

10 people found this helpful

Disappointed ... but good Subject

What disappointed you about The Miracle of Dunkirk?

Impressive story, one of the greatest of our time. But the book was a lot like the evacuation—jumbled, fractured, fragmented. There’s not much story here, meaning no context or theme, hardly nothing about how the evacuation fit in with the pre-Dunkirk machinations of war. Just plop there you are at the start of the evacuation, and the story is told in hundreds of little brief vignettes, related only because they were all in generally the same place. After a while they all just ran together.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Miracle of Dunkirk?

The discussion about the boats. And mentioning that this was probably the first time in history that the civilians came to the aid of the army. Very astounding and chilling.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Jeff Cummings?

Not sure. But Mr. Cummings sounds like he was reading marketing material for a toothpaste commercial. Nice voice, wrong book.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Miracle of Dunkirk?

Sometimes the author tells Jerry’s side, but only in small parts and it was not very effective or thorough, and sometimes confusing—the transitions were poorly done. I would have added more about the war strategy on both sides. The BEF didn't just suddenly appear in France. They had a mission.

Any additional comments?

Sorry I was disappointed, though I am a WWII book and podcast junkie.

10 people found this helpful

heart stopping

I saw the movie and was inspired to learn more about Dunkirk and it's heroes

5 people found this helpful

What Fails, The Narration or the Story?

I've read Lord's "Incredible Victory" and "Night to Remember" and there are some important comparisons and contrasts with this book. What stands out for me, to a greater or lesser extent, with all three is the surprisingly glib way Lord addresses death and tragedy. In "Incredible Victory" one doesn't notice the glib treatment of death so much because it's in the context of heroic victory - death is less tragic when death is heroic. But death, treated glibly, becomes more offending when in the context of events like the Titanic and Dunkirk. This is particularly galling in this work, "Miracle at Dunkirk". Is it the tone of the narrator or the way the book was written? What one learns in this account of Dunkirk is that while it is true the bulk of an one army (the British) and a percentage of another (the French) was saved - and this is a terrific salivation - nevertheless many were lost in horrific ways (strafing, bombing, torpedoing, exposure to the elements, drowning while trapped in sinking ship, drowning while in sight of home, etc.). The tone-of-voice as these tragedies are related is buoyant, just as buoyant as when people are being rescued. It's bizarre.


Tone-of-voice aside I found the relating of the events of the evacuation at Dunkirk to be rather dull, and I struggled to keep my focus on the story as I listened. This is probably less Lord's fault than the simple truth that an evacuation is not a particularly exciting event - mostly turning tail - as opposed to the story of when heroes stand and fight. The decision to evacuate was wise, but wise does not necessarily make for thrilling reading.

3 people found this helpful

this could have been way shorter

I generally like WW books that build on the experiences of real people but this one just had too much. I also thought the narrative was a bit disjointed and I think he failed to paint an appropriate picture of the herculean effort done by the ships/boats/etc. that were used in this massive exodus.

I did however enjoy the analysis of the Naxi missteps and poor strategy/tactics. Dunkirk could have turned out way worse

3 people found this helpful

What a story !

I wish I would have had a map of France in front of me when I listened to the first couple of chapters. but in spite of that failing, I loved the book !

3 people found this helpful

Dunkirk

Extremely interesting and substantive history of what events led to the evacuation and very effective description of the impact individual soldier.

2 people found this helpful

Unbelievable story

The title couldn’t be more true. The rescue of these men truly was a miracle of the highest order. The fact that hundreds if thousands of men got trapped and rescued by mostly small civilian vessels is just awe inspiring. And that the British regrouped to fight the Germans head to head not long after that is even more incredible. This is not to be missed.

1 person found this helpful