An Officer and a Spy
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3 months free
An Officer and a Spy
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Narrated by:
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David Rintoul
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By:
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Robert Harris
About this listen
They lied to protect their country. He told the truth to save it. A gripping historical thriller from the best-selling author of Fatherland.
January 1895: On a freezing morning in the heart of Paris, an army officer, Georges Picquart, witnesses a convicted spy, Captain Alfred Dreyfus, being publicly humiliated in front of 20,000 spectators baying ‘Death to the Jew!’ The officer is rewarded with promotion: Picquart is made the French army’s youngest colonel and put in command of ‘the Statistical Section’ - the shadowy intelligence unit that tracked down Dreyfus.
The spy, meanwhile, is given a punishment of medieval cruelty: Dreyfus is shipped off to a lifetime of solitary confinement on Devil’s Island - unable to speak to anyone, not even his guards, his case seems closed forever. But gradually Picquart comes to believe there is something rotten at the heart of the Statistical Section. When he discovers another German spy operating on French soil, his superiors are oddly reluctant to pursue it. Despite official warnings, Picquart persists, and soon the officer and the spy are in the same predicament....
Narrated by Picquart, An Officer and a Spy is a compelling recreation of a scandal that became the most famous miscarriage of justice in history. Compelling, too, are the echoes for our modern world: an intelligence agency gone rogue, justice corrupted in the name of national security, a newspaper witch hunt of a persecuted minority, and the age-old instinct of those in power to cover-up their crimes.
©2013 Robert Harris (P)2013 Random House AudiobooksListeners also enjoyed...
Would you consider the audio edition of An Officer and a Spy to be better than the print version?
Many of the names of people and places are of course French. The David Rintoul's pronunciation made it all the more real.What was one of the most memorable moments of An Officer and a Spy?
There are many memorable moments, but the way in which the duel was read was excellent.Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
I really felt for Georges Piquant throughout as I found I knew him so well.Facinating story from a different perspective
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A shocking story that is amazing and based almost totally on actual events. Don't hesitate to get it.
Excellent stuff!
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Superb
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Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Yes. It is an excellent way of understanding those awful school history lessons.What was one of the most memorable moments of An Officer and a Spy?
The final court case.Which character – as performed by David Rintoul – was your favourite?
PicquartWas this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
I'd love to if I had the time. I often put it on while I was cooking and would be listening to several chapters at a time.Any additional comments?
A truly excellent "read"Excellent Choice!
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I recommend this audio book highly!
Brilliantly written and beautifully read
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Fascinating and gripping
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Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
This is an extraordinarily accomplished reconstruction of the notorious Dreyfus Affair, wonderfully engrossing and atmospheric and brilliantly read by David Rintoul. A truly magnificent audiobook.Brilliant Retelling
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If you could sum up An Officer and a Spy in three words, what would they be?
Fantastic historical storyWhat did you like best about this story?
It's so well writtenWhat about David Rintoul’s performance did you like?
It's utterly engagingWas this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
YesAny additional comments?
I have about 170 audiobooks. It's in my top 5.What a story!
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Et tu brut
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Would you consider the audio edition of An Officer and a Spy to be better than the print version?
I approached this book with a few doubts , having some knowledge the Dreyfus affair and not having been particularly excited by the author's recent dramatisations of Roman history.I finished the book having been gripped from start to finish, even though I knew what the end was going to be. The blending of extensive research with the author's narrative talent made this book as enjoyable and informative as Hilary Mantel's award winning novels on Thomas Cromwell.
I also recommend listening to the BBC podcast on Dreyfus from the In Our Time series for an overview from 3 leading historians, either before or after listening to the book.
What about David Rintoul’s performance did you like?
As you would expect from an accomplished actor, I could not fault his handling of the pronunciation of the various French and German names and terms.An excellent piece of historical faction.
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