Wide Is the Gate

The Lanny Budd Novels, Book 4

By: Upton Sinclair

Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot

Wide Is the Gate, written in 1943, is the fourth of the epic eleven-part classic Lanny Budd series written by Upton Sinclair.

Wide Is the Gate followed the 1943 Pulitzer Prize-winning Dragon’s Teeth and introduces Lanny as a secret double agent fighting the Nazis as a supporter of the resistance in Germany. Lanny is living in England with his wife of almost five years, Irma Barnes, the twenty-three-million-dollar heiress. But Lanny is conflicted continuously in his heart and soul for the workers and social justice. He attempts to commit to Irma, to “behave” himself and lead a normal aristocratic life. But foremost he is committed to ending Nazism, Fascism, and the overthrow of the democratically elected Spanish government.

Lanny is awakened at the end of Dragon’s Teeth to the oncoming dangers of the Nazis, and involves himself in a double agent role by helping a new friend, Monck. Monck is a German socialist who is part of the underground and works with the resistance to alert people to the terrors of the Nazis.

Many adventures and dangers present themselves as Lanny travels back into Germany as an art expert, eventually dealing directly with Hermann Göring. He uses the proceeds of the confiscated artwork stolen by Göring to help finance the resistance from inside the heart of Naziland.

©1943 Upton Sinclair. © renewed 1971 by David Sinclair (P)2022 Blackstone Publishing

Most excellent historical fiction

How to study modern European history while thoroughly enjoying a great and well-told story: listen to this series of books read by a talented voice!

Best history of this era I have read.

An amazing performance of a great series of historical novels. Having lived in Spain for a few years this one was especially interesting.

Fantastic series with the perfect narrator!

Love the series - not unlike War and Peace, it’s an investment whose payoff far exceeds the required attention. Have sped through the first four novels in just a couple of months.
The novels are themselves history lessons - detailing events both famous and lesser known. In a Forrest Gump manner, Lanny Budd finds himself a participant/eyewitness to the 20th century’s most crucial events (but with a narrator who possesses all the necessary awareness and ability to describe the moments)! And Bronson Pinchot continues to prove that he’s one of the very best audiobook readers Audible has to offer. In no small part thanks to his narration, I’m sure to complete this massive series.

Lanny Budd Strikes Again!

Upton Sinclair's Lanny Budd series gets back in the fact lane with Wide is the Gate. The urgency returns in Book 4 of the series and Bronson Pinchot continues his excellent reading of Sinclair's work. With each book in the Lanny Budd series, Sinclair seems more & more prescient with his observations (is he writing about the 1930s or sometime much more recent?). I look forward to continuing the series!

Fat Phobia

I’m a great admirer of Upton Sinclair’s social conscience, so I’m saddened by the frequent emphasis put on the word ‘ fat’ as almost synonymous with ‘disgusting and hateful’. Sinclair’s constant repetition of the description doesn’t need to be amplified by the narrator’s emphasis on the word.