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Last Hope Island: Britain, occupied Europe, and the brotherhood that helped turn the tide of war

Last Hope Island: Britain, occupied Europe, and the brotherhood that helped turn the tide of war

by Lynne Olson (Author)

  • Used

    Hardcover 2017

    $4.63
Synopsis

An engrossing account of how Britain became the base of operations for the exiled leaders of Europe in their desperate struggle to reclaim their continent from Hitler. When the Nazi blitzkrieg rolled over continental Europe in the early days of World War II, the city of London became a refuge for the governments and armed forces of six occupied nations - Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg, Norway, Czechoslovakia, and Poland - who escaped there to continue the fight. So, too, did General Charles de Gaulle, the self-appointed representative of free France. As the only European democracy still holding out against Hitler, Britain became known to occupied countries as 'Last Hope Island'. In this epic, character-driven narrative, acclaimed historian and New York Times-bestselling author Lynne Olson takes us back to those perilous days when the British and their European guests joined forces to combat the mightiest military force in history and restore order to a broken continent.

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2 in stock

More Information

Format: Hardcover
 Pages: 576
 Publisher: Scribe UK
Published: 08 Jun 2017
ISBN 10: 1911344064
ISBN 13: 9781911344063

Media Reviews
'Lynne Olson is a master story teller, and she brings her great gifts to this riveting narrative of the Resistance to Hitler's war machine. You will be thrilled and moved - and enraged, saddened and shocked - by the courage and steadfastness, human waste and stupidity, carelessness and nobility of an epic struggle. Last Hope Island is a smashing good tale.' -- Evan Thomas, author of Sea of Thunder and Being Nixon 'You wouldn't think that there would still be untold tales about World War II, but Lynne Olson, a master of that period of history, has found some. Not only does she narrate them with her usual verve, but her book reminds us how much we unthinkingly assume that it was the United States and Britain alone who defeated the Nazis in Western Europe. Last Hope Island is a valuable, and immensely readable, corrective.' -- Adam Hochschild, author of Spain in Our Hearts and King Leopold's Ghost 'This is Olson's fourth book dealing with Britain and World War II, but in Last Hope Island she argues an arresting new thesis: that the people of occupied Europe and the expatriate leaders did far more for their own liberation than historians and the public alike recognize. Books and films have dramatized individual stories of the resistance, but the scale of the organization she describes is breathtaking ... Olson's histories have well honored Britain's heroism. In Last Hope Island, she justifies her toast to the exiles and their compatriots.' The New York Times Book Review 'Spellbinding ...[A] masterful account of England in World War II ... [Olson] brings both a journalist's eye and a novelist's command of character and setting to this subject ... For American readers inclined to begin their World War II reading after U.S. entry into the conflict, Last Hope Island opens a fascinating trove of stories, characters and facts ... Olson's book, 10 years in the making, not only helps illuminate the past but also serves as an insightful backdrop for today's discussion of the future of 21st-century European alliances.' Bookpage, 'Top Pick' 'Bestselling historian Olson writes a vivid history of the war through the eyes of the exiles and compatriots left behind. She reveals inspiring tales of heroism, suffering, and sacrifice ... [and] delivers an engrossing, sometimes-disturbing account of their energetic efforts.' Kirkus Reviews 'Lynne Olson's gifts as a storyteller, combined with her ability to find exciting new aspects of World War II to write about, give Last Hope Island the page-turning power of a great novel... Olson writes so vividly that the past seems like the present, and she has a way of connecting what happened in an earlier time to our contemporary concerns.' Connecticut Post 'This is a history book that reads like the best thrillers ... Olson offers a fascinating view of the war and its aftermath, less from a military than from a high-level civilian perspective ... The many individuals are finely drawn, major developments are well covered, and the book provides an unusual and very insightful angle on the war.' Booklist (starred review) 'A rip-roaring saga of hair-breadth escape, espionage, and resistance during World War II - Olson's Last Hope Island salvages the forgotten stories of a collection of heroic souls from seven countries overrun by Hitler, who find refuge in Churchill's London and then seek payback in ways large and small. In thrilling fashion, Olson shows us that hell hath no fury like a small country scorned.' Erik Larson 'In a series of compelling books in recent years, Lynne Olson has established herself as an authoritative and entertaining chronicler of perhaps the largest single event in human history-the Second World War. Now comes Last Hope Island, a powerful and surprising account of how figures from Nazi-occupied Europe found Great Britain an essential shield and sword in the struggle against Hitler. This is a wonderful work of history, told in Olson's trademark style.' -- Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of American Lion '[A] pointed volume ... [Olson] tells a great story and has a fine eye for character.' The Boston Globe
Author Bio
Lynne Olson is the former White House correspondent for the Baltimore Sun. In addition to 2010's Citizens of London, she is most recently the author of Those Angry Days: Roosevelt, Lindbergh, and America's fight over WWII 1939-1941. She is also the author of Troublesome Young Men: the rebels who brought Churchill to power and helped save England and Freedom's Daughters: the unsung heroines of the civil rights movement from 1830 to 1970, and is a co-author of two other books.