Taking Paris: The Epic Battle for the City of Lights
- Downloads：7651
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-09-08 17:21:09
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Martin Dugard
- ISBN：B091V4T4C6
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Sharon Huether
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 The events of World War II and the taking back of Paris are so vividly written with such expertise 。Churchill， Eisenhauer De Gaulle and Franklin Roosevelt， De Gaulle and Patton all have their parts in the battles and getting back to Paris。 The book was written in such a way that the reader could feel the joy in the final liberation of Paris。1940- 1944I won this A R C book from Penguin Random House。
Randal White
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I found this book to be a great addition to my knowledge of World War 2。 This time， it is told through the eyes of the French。 Dugard does a wonderful job of letting one see the effects of the war by telling it from the perspective of common citizens， international spies， and military leaders。 A much easier， less technical read than most World War 2 books。 Very good！
G。
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If you are interested in learning about WWII military campaigns， than this is a book you should read。 I enjoy Martin Dugard's books， especially "The Murder of King Tut" that he wrote with James Patterson。 If you are interested in learning about WWII military campaigns， than this is a book you should read。 I enjoy Martin Dugard's books， especially "The Murder of King Tut" that he wrote with James Patterson。 。。。more
Rachel Brewer
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I feel compelled to start this review by saying I’m generally not a fan of non-fiction （unless it’s true crime！） and I’m certainly not a WWII buff but I really enjoyed this book。 It read like fiction。 I learned a lot while reading it and I appreciated the history。 I also really enjoyed the scenes of France and Paris， it’s almost like I was there myself。 I’d recommend this book for anyone interested in travel or Paris/France， not just those interested in history or WWII。
Leslie
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Martin Dugard has written an accessible， easy to read piece of popular history with Taking Paris。 This is the first of his books that I have read so I was previously unfamiliar with his writing style。 I can see how his books appeal to a wide range of readers。 The brief chapters kept me engaged， and he has a nice way of building suspense， particularly for those without a lot of prior knowledge of the events。 I have read quite a few books about WWII but thoroughly enjoyed this format - taking one Martin Dugard has written an accessible， easy to read piece of popular history with Taking Paris。 This is the first of his books that I have read so I was previously unfamiliar with his writing style。 I can see how his books appeal to a wide range of readers。 The brief chapters kept me engaged， and he has a nice way of building suspense， particularly for those without a lot of prior knowledge of the events。 I have read quite a few books about WWII but thoroughly enjoyed this format - taking one country and fleshing out its impact and importance in the context of the larger war。Favorites:* The descriptive words and phrases used throughout the book are outstanding in evoking the sights， sounds， smells and tastes of that period。* The book is much farther reaching than its title suggests。 It isn't just about the transfer of Paris from the French to the Germans and back again。 It traces the events throughout WWII that supported and led to its liberation。 I learned new things， particularly about the North African campaign。* Masterly demonstration of how seemingly disparate events occurring in remote locations were interrelated and had far reaching implications。* I loved the sections on the making of the movie Casablanca。Not as enjoyable:* I hope that the final edition has some pictures in it， particularly of the people involved。* At times it felt that the prose edged too closely to melodrama。 So this is not the book to read if you are more in search of factual information given without emotion。I received this book from the Goodreads Giveaways program in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
William Harris
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I recently completed my reading of Martin Dugard's latest popular history， entitled "Taking Paris" provided to me as an ARC by Penguin （it will be published under the Dutton Caliber imprint）。 Many of you will have some familiarity with Dugard's work through his lucrative collaboration with Bill O'Reilly on the "Killing" series of books that have become staples on best seller lists。 The first thing that struck me about this book is that its style is largely anecdotal and filled with the trivial d I recently completed my reading of Martin Dugard's latest popular history， entitled "Taking Paris" provided to me as an ARC by Penguin （it will be published under the Dutton Caliber imprint）。 Many of you will have some familiarity with Dugard's work through his lucrative collaboration with Bill O'Reilly on the "Killing" series of books that have become staples on best seller lists。 The first thing that struck me about this book is that its style is largely anecdotal and filled with the trivial details that often give us a taste for the past （hence the term "popular history"）。 Initially， this put me off as I am well versed in military history and was hoping for considerably more depth; however， Dugard's narrative mastery is so pronounced that he quickly won me over。 Keep in mind that the title is a bit misleading。 The book is not exclusively about the Allies' "liberation" of Paris in 1944 （a conclusion I had， not unreasonably jumped to as a consequence of the title）， but uses the City of Paris and its troubled martyrdom during the Second World War as a focal point to concentrate on the fate of France during that titanic struggle。 This allows the author to introduce many characters familiar to students of the period， people like the leaders of the Free French and their rivals as well as the German， British and American military and political figures who figured prominently in the struggle for France from the tragic failures of 1940 to the successful invasion of 1944 （and everything in between）。 Obviously， given the events Dugard has chosen to focus on， there is no possibility of an in-depth exploration of often incredibly complex issues。 That said， however， this is a marvelous primer of sorts。 I recommend it to all those looking to fill in gaps in their own knowledge and most especially for young readers who are unlikely to be well versed in the events and thematic concerns Dugard is exploring。 It would make a superb Christmas or Birthday gift for young people fascinated by history， particularly twentieth century history。 。。。more
Ben
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As an avid reader of military histories and memoirs， especially those from WW2， I had thought that the story of the liberation of Paris had been told in a book “ Is Paris Burning” ， and as a chapter of countless military histories on WW2。 What more could be be there to say， I thought。 But along comes “ Taking Paris” by Martin Dugard to prove me wrong。 Mr。 Dugard writes a fresh， informative and entertaining popular history that should have wide appeal。 He accomplishes it by writing in a “ Your A As an avid reader of military histories and memoirs， especially those from WW2， I had thought that the story of the liberation of Paris had been told in a book “ Is Paris Burning” ， and as a chapter of countless military histories on WW2。 What more could be be there to say， I thought。 But along comes “ Taking Paris” by Martin Dugard to prove me wrong。 Mr。 Dugard writes a fresh， informative and entertaining popular history that should have wide appeal。 He accomplishes it by writing in a “ Your Are There” present - tense sort of style， making the reader a witness to events great and small involving people whose names fill histories and biographies and unknown others who also fought， alone， inside occupied France。 Example: one may think as I did despite all my reading， that when the Germans attacked France in 1940 that the entire French army collapsed in front of the Panzers like a soggy croissant。 One unit did not。 Led by Col。 Charles DeGaulle， the French 4th Division not only stopped the Germans， they pushed them back in fierce fighting。 Even when the politicians and generals surrendered， DeGaulle fought on。 His story is featured in “ Taking Paris” as a man whose stubborn pride overcame all obstacles until the day he entered the liberated city。 There were other French soldiers who fought on。 An example of a person whose story is told in the book is Virginia Hall。 Known by many names， using many disguises， she survived the war years living under the Germans’ noses as a spy， gathering information and transmitting it back，maintains a spy cadre， and exfiltrating downed flyers ， all the while the Gestapo searched for the woman with the noticeable limp （ she had a wooden leg from a hunting accident。） The author’s tale of her escape over the Pyrenees to Spain is thrilling to read。 These personal stories and many more are what make “ Taking Paris” worth the reader’s time。 It is the best sort of popular history writing。 The novel is factually correct with interesting details， without overwhelming the reader with arcane statistics 。 With the compelling personal stories it has appeal for everyone。 The reader comes to know through clear vignettes the dangerous lives of men and women who fought their brutal occupiers。 The clash of wills between the FDR， Churchill and DeGaulle is fascinating reading。There are maps and footnotes。 There were no photos， but this was an advanced reader copy， they may be in the final book。Summing up: a good book， very well presented 。Even those who do not usually read history will enjoy “ Taking Paris”。My thanks to Net Galley for the ARC 。。。more
Ron Baumer
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