Love and War in the Apennines
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Love and War in the Apennines
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Narrated by:
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James Bryce
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By:
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Eric Newby
About this listen
Hailed as Newby's 'masterpiece', Love and War in the Apennines is the gripping real-life story of Newby's imprisonment and escape from an Italian prison camp during World War II.
After the Italian Armistice of 1943, Eric Newby escaped from the prison camp in which he'd been held for a year. He evaded the German army by hiding in the caves and forests of Fontanellato, in Italy's Po Valley. Against this picturesque backdrop, he was sheltered for three months by an informal network of Italian peasants, who fed, supported and nursed him, before his eventual recapture.
‘Love and War in the Apennines’ is Newby's tribute to the selfless and courageous people who were to be his saviours and companions during this troubled time and of their bleak and unchanging way of life. Of the cast of idiosyncratic characters, most notable was the beautiful local girl on a bike who would teach him the language, and eventually help him escape; two years later they were married and would spend the rest of their lives as co-adventurers. Part travelogue, part escape story and part romance, this is a mesmerising account of wisdom, courage, humour and adventure, and tells the story of the early life of a man who would become one of Britain's best-loved literary adventurers.
©2019 Eric Newby (P)2019 HarperCollins Publishers LimitedListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
'His masterpiece' Spectator
'Superbly funny … as civilizing, generous and affecting as “Vivere in Pace”, and the men, women and children, weather and woodsmoke are as fresh as yesterday' Observer
'A vivid description of Italian village life, full of notable characters … and the reactions of one sensitive man to being out of the war in the middle of one' Daily Telegraph
'It is necessary to state with emphasis that this is a very good book indeed' Times Literary Supplement
'An exciting story, superbly told. And wisdom, courage and generosity illuminate it' Punch
What listeners say about Love and War in the Apennines
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jane W
- 24-06-20
Superb story
Beautifully performed and narrated by James Bryce. Brings the country and its people vividly to life.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mr Andrew Lush
- 18-08-20
A great story of courage from all involvef
The book is a great story told with humility and humour whilst stressing the part played by local people at huge risk
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Flea FitzGerald
- 30-04-21
Most enjoyable listen
A gripping true story of the Italian people who helped a Btitish POW ( and many others) escape the Facists and Germans. Their courage thwarting the authorities deserved medals. The shepherds and contadini had skills to survive the mountain winters. Ingenious skills now long gone. The narrator has a warm voice and very good accents and the story has humour and romance too. The whole package. Why hasn’t an Italian company made a film? Svegliati ragazzi!
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- eric.rayner@btinternet.com
- 21-06-21
What I did in the war
I love Eric Newby's books. This is a step away from his usual travel writing; it's the story of his wartime experiences in the SBS, as a PoW and on the run.
Tense and incredibly touching, and with a happy ending.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- APat
- 20-06-20
A great real life story
A great real life story from an little know aspect of WW II - I very much enjoyed it
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- J. E. Treays
- 22-09-20
Brilliant, evocative, eloquent tale from WW2
I loved this book. It's humorous, thought provoking, charming and moving in a variety of ways. Despite the fact it is the story of war and survival, I found it to be very upbeat and actually quite inspiring in places. The courage and kindness of the Italians who helped and sheltered Newby is genuinely moving and Newby is a brilliant story teller, and a very brave man!
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- charles rissbrook
- 21-02-23
Exceptional
wonderful, would make a fantastic film or Netflix series. A stunning evocation of wartime Italy
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mrs. Shirley Gould-smith
- 29-05-23
Italy in war time
I just loved this tale of escape, endurance, friendship, help, luck and love. Something good came from something pathetically bad. Very well told and very well read. A pleasure to have listened to it all.
Thank you
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Debbie
- 08-01-24
Superbly narrated
Overall an interesting and enjoyable listen. Not my usual choice and some of the war details were a bit more than I’d have liked (he does warn you of this at the very beginning though!). It was a book club pick and I’m pleased I’ve listened to it.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- martin
- 02-06-22
A GREAT CURE FOR INSOMNIA
This "story" and I use the word very loosely is as boring as they get. It is a non-entity of a story. Somehow I listened to it all as I was working and I can honestly say it was a chore of the ultimate magnitude. The problem is there is simply no story to it. Nothing happens. Avoid.
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1 person found this helpful