A Bridge Too Far

By: Cornelius Ryan

Narrated by: Clive Chafer

The classic account of one of the most dramatic battles of World War II.

A Bridge Too Far is Cornelius Ryan’s masterly chronicle of the Battle of Arnhem, which marshaled the greatest armada of troop-carrying aircraft ever assembled and cost the Allies nearly twice as many casualties as D-day.

In this compelling work of history, Ryan narrates the Allied effort to end the war in Europe in 1944 by dropping the combined airborne forces of the American and British armies behind German lines to capture the crucial bridge across the Rhine at Arnhem.

Focusing on a vast cast of characters - from Dutch civilians to British and American strategists to common soldiers and commanders - Ryan brings to life one of the most daring and ill-fated operations of the war. A Bridge Too Far superbly recreates the terror, suspense, heroism, and tragedy of this epic operation, which ended in bitter defeat for the Allies.

About the author: Cornelius Ryan (1920–1974), born in Dublin, Ireland, became one of the preeminent war correspondents of his time, flying fourteen bombing missions with the US Eighth and Ninth Air Forces. He is the author of numerous books, including several classics of military history, which have appeared throughout the world in nineteen languages. He was awarded the Legion of Honor by the French government in 1973.

©1974 Cornelius Ryan (P)2012 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“I know of no other work of literature of World War II as moving, as awesome, and as accurate in its portrayal of human courage.” (General James M. Gavin)

“Ryan masters a spare, strong style to deliver a battle that has much of the majesty and beauty of classic tragedy. ( Kirkus Reviews)

A touching and astonishing read

While there are plenty of details about battles, I was most struck by the anecdotes and testimony from the incredibly brave men and women who lived through one of the most grueling episodes of World War II. The stories are all the more meaningful in light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine that is going on right now. What a waste war is!

The ultimate overall story of Market Garden

I am sure like many of you, I also watched the film A Bridge Too Far. This is the true story of Operation Market Garden, that is told in all of its glory, heroics, and harrowing experiences.

There are only two slight qualms I have with this book, and those are the misidentification of Browning as the Airborne Corps Commander. That was Ridgeway. Browning was the second in command of the First Allied Airborne Army, but was in the field of battle. Ridgeway is mentioned maybe once. In other more American-centric focused accounts of Market Garden Ridgeway is told to have felt impotent and useless , essentially. Even though he too was on the field of battle.
That brings me to my second slight qualm is that besides the initial day or two, and crossing the Waal River by 3/504 PIR, the latter half of the book only really focuses on the First Airborne and XXX Corpse.

However, those two qualms are minor, and I think combined with other books, like September Hope, and It Never Snows in September, among others, this book does the best telling of the overall story and is a must read.

Boring performance for a classic.

The narrator speaks in a near monotone, making what should have been a fascinating book somewhat boring and hard to follow.

Listen to the book, watch the movie

The movie is referred to as "A Hour Too Long" and it is a long film (3hrs). The book though brings clarity and if you wish to watch the film, I suggest listening to this book; before, after or during it does not matter. Spoiler alert, the cavalry doesn't quite make it. What you do get from this book is a clear understanding of what happen, what went wrong and possibly a good answer to the question of why. This is the 'boys own adventure' to battle and even if you are not into history, is a good yarn. Characters, action, sacrifice and morals are on every page. A damn good listen.

#WorldWarII. Very detailed but not boring!

I've listened to a lot of books on WW2 but this is a must listen to if you want to really learn what happened at operation Market garden. At first, I thought the reader was not very good but I got accustomed to his way of reading and really enjoyed the book.
#WorldWarII, #Inspiring
#tagsgiving and #sweepstakes