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  • Travellers in the Third Reich

  • The Rise of Fascism Through the Eyes of Everyday People
  • By: Julia Boyd
  • Narrated by: Stephanie Racine
  • Length: 14 hrs and 14 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (269 ratings)

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Travellers in the Third Reich

By: Julia Boyd
Narrated by: Stephanie Racine
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Summary

The Sunday Times top three best seller. 

One of the Daily Telegraph's Best Books of 2017.

A Guardian 'Readers' Choice' Best Book of 2017.

The events that took place in Germany between 1919 and 1945 were dramatic and terrible, but there were also moments of confusion, of doubt - of hope. How easy was it to know what was actually going on, to grasp the essence of National Socialism, to remain untouched by the propaganda or predict the Holocaust?  

Travellers in the Third Reich is an extraordinary history of the rise of the Nazis based on fascinating firsthand accounts, drawing together a multitude of voices and stories, including students, politicians, musicians, diplomats, schoolchildren, communists, scholars, athletes, poets, journalists, fascists, artists, tourists, even celebrities like Charles Lindbergh and Samuel Beckett. Their experiences create a remarkable three-dimensional picture of Germany under Hitler - one so palpable that the listener will feel, hear, even breathe the atmosphere.  

These are the accidental eyewitnesses to history. Disturbing, absurd, moving, and ranging from the deeply trivial to the deeply tragic, their tales give a fresh insight into the complexities of the Third Reich, its paradoxes and its ultimate destruction.

©2017 Julia Boyd (P)2019 Hachette Audio UK
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

What listeners love about Travellers in the Third Reich

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An unusual journey

Confirms a number of suspicions but they remain uncertain. A catchup sequel at say 1955 of all the folk referred to would be quite revealing.

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5 people found this helpful

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history is another planet

this was a fascinating journey from start to finish. Hindsight is such a bland place but these stories remind us how easy it is not to see what is staring us in the face. well written, very good to listen to, great narration.

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4 people found this helpful

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A Must Read.

An intriguing and often frightening insight into how otherwise rational people can tolerate and even promote a regime that itself is inherently evil. A warning for modern times.

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4 people found this helpful

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Fascinating - and a perfect choice of narrator

Well done to whoever chose Stephanie Racine to narrate this fascinating book - her pleasant, clear voice and delivery are perfect and she has good german pronunciation when needed. The book is really intriguing - a very human view of history, whose imagery and anecdotes stayed with me much longer than some 'straight' histories I have read.

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3 people found this helpful

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Great narrator, interesting book

The narrator has a very soothing voice, which made for easy and pleasant listening. Interesting subject.

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2 people found this helpful

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Fascinating

This is a fascinating account of life in Nazi Germany, through the eyes (and diaries) of foreign travellers, mostly from English-speaking countries, which raises questions of personal awareness and responsibility of individuals choosing to travel to Germany, while at the same time offering a pre-war perspective that was trying to make sense of the new world and maintain peace. It is at once narrated like a novel and full of testimonies, which makes the period come to life.

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a hundred voices !

the research that went in here is amazing. all those voices in your headphones. this is probably what time travel will feel like. alas, what I found slightly annoying is the authors 21st Century interpretation of what was just said.. I don't want to get into politics here for fear of the sensors.

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Interesting

Good enough text but delivered with a very annoying and completely unnecessary halt before every quotation which gets very tedious
as the majority of the book is quotations . Impressive German pronunciation though from the narrator .

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A view through a narrow lens

A good listen, but inevitably, because of the period, the travellers are mostly people of means and their experiences reflect that - in the places they go and the people they meet. The changes in Germany are well observed, but it is through a narrow lens of people with money There is a lot of champagne. While that provides exposure to some of the main figures of the time, there is little sense of the mass experience. However, that is a familiar issue with history books. Worth listening to and well narrated.

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Excellent book, excellent reading

Julia Boyd weaves a huge amount of research into a fluid & interesting narrative which does much to illuminate the character of Germany from 1919 to 1945. Taking various aspects of the country in each chapter and constantly moving the clock forward, she selects what seems like hundreds of pertinent quotes from visitors to Germany at that time, most of which are British or American, some famous, some not.

This is a fascinating account made even better by the perfect reading by Stephanie Racine who keeps foreign accents to a minimum only pronouncing a few foreign words like Fuhrer and Reich with pluperfect accuracy. Those interested in this subject should also check out the books by William Shirer which are available on Audible. He was an American reporter living in France and Germany in this period. His books are long but are filled with pertinent detail throughout and complement Boyd's book very well.

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  • J. FREDERIKSEN
  • 05-06-22

Fascinating book, perfectly performed

Ideal audiobook material - something you can pick up for a half hour, break and then come back to, returning to the flow with ease.

Writing is great, stories are fascinating and the narration is lovely - as if a clever friend of one of the more credible Mitford sisters was at the mic, knowing but a little distant.

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