Verdict on Vichy

Power and Prejudice in the Vichy France Regim

By: Michael Curtis

Narrated by: James Patrick Cronin

This masterful audiobook is the first comprehensive reappraisal of the Vichy France regime for over 20 years. France was occupied by Nazi Germany between 1940 and 1944, and the exact nature of France's role in the Vichy years is only now beginning to come to light. One of the main reasons that the Vichy history is difficult to tell is that some of France's most prominent politicians, including President Mitterand, have been implicated in the regime. This has meant that public access to key documents has been denied and it is only now that an objective analysis is possible.

The fate of France as an occupied country could easily have been shared by Britain, and it is this background element, which enhances our fascination with Vichy France. How would we have acted under similar circumstances? The divisions and repercussions of the Vichy years still resonate in France today, and whether you view the regime as a fascist dictatorship, an authoritarian offshoot of the Third Reich or an embodiment of heightened French nationalism, Curtis's rounded, incisive book will be seen as the standard work on its subject for many years.

©2003, 2014 Michael Curtis (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Vichy’s Crimes

Excellent in-depth story of how Vichy France aided in the Nazi holocaust and caused the deaths of thousands and the loss of Jewish property under French laws. Excellent history with a cautionary tale of how civilized learned people acted barbarically.

Performance Ruined It

What did you like best about Verdict on Vichy? What did you like least?

The reader made it unbearable to listen.

Would you be willing to try another book from Michael Curtis? Why or why not?

Yes.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Awful. Simply awful. Made it impossible to finish.

Was Verdict on Vichy worth the listening time?

No.

Unknown History

I knew the basic facts but was surprised by how much I did not know about Vichy. I gave it 3 stars, by which I nean it was good, solid, interesting history. órgãos in the text the French quotations have transladado footnotes, but it took away from my pleasure to miss the "key point" when it came from the França witnesses.

Very Informative

This book gives much detail and nuance to the generalization of Vichy France.

The reader was generally very good, but his strenuous, but very poor pronunciation of French was a serious distraction. It is better to pronounce foreign words as an American than to try to sound French.

Great update on current scholarship, however...

I gave up on this audiobook partway into the third chapter, and ordered a copy of the book, which I find fascinating. The problem is the narrator, whose inability to pronounce French comprehensibly is a serious handicap given the subject matter. I'm bilingual, and moderately familiar with the period, so usually had a fair idea of the names being mangled, but it simply became too painful to continue. Poor pronunciation of the occasional French word in an English-language novel or work of non-fiction is annoying but bearable. In this case, where the majority of relevant names and places will of necessity be in French, the narrator must be able to make him/herself understood, and preferably not drive listeners crazy while doing so. Based on the other comments I've read, I'm far from alone in my frustration.