bernfarr's review against another edition
5.0
This was a very informative book with lots of details about the various intrigues in London and beyond that influences how WWII played out. It's clear that Czechoslovakia and Poland and their population was vastly underserved by the 'great' powers of Great Britain, the US and USSR.
My only 'complaint' was that some of the book subjects were worth a lot more detail, but then it would have been an even longer book. As it is, it whetted my appetite to read more about both Czechoslovakia and Poland and what happened around WWII in both of those countries.
I'm currently reading [b:When Time Stopped: A Memoir of My Father's War and What Remains|49933185|When Time Stopped A Memoir of My Father's War and What Remains|Ariana Neumann|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1575589886l/49933185._SY75_.jpg|71431928] which is about one family's experience in Czechoslovakia around the same era. I'd recommend it if you liked Lynne Olson's book.
My only 'complaint' was that some of the book subjects were worth a lot more detail, but then it would have been an even longer book. As it is, it whetted my appetite to read more about both Czechoslovakia and Poland and what happened around WWII in both of those countries.
I'm currently reading [b:When Time Stopped: A Memoir of My Father's War and What Remains|49933185|When Time Stopped A Memoir of My Father's War and What Remains|Ariana Neumann|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1575589886l/49933185._SY75_.jpg|71431928] which is about one family's experience in Czechoslovakia around the same era. I'd recommend it if you liked Lynne Olson's book.
lokster71's review
5.0
This is a fine book. It's well-researched, well-written and - unintentionally I suspect - has made me radically anti-Brexit (but that is a story for another day.)
It tells the story of Britain and it's European allies (although Yugoslavia gets skipped for reasons Olson explains at the end) before, during and after World War Two. It's a tale of success and failure. There are heroes and there are villains. It shows how Poland, ostensibly the reason we went to war, was utterly failed by the Allies (although I'm not quite sure what they could have done to stop Stalin getting what he wanted. Unless they went to war with Russia in 1945.) And Poland's story is the darkest of them all. There's also the Czechs, the Belgians, the Dutch, the Free French and the Norwegians.
The book does a fine job of showing the gap in the British experience of World War Two and the continents, which had a major impact on how we interacted with Europe afterwards. It's good on Churchill's romantic streak being unable to stand up to the reality of being the 'little donkey' between the US and the USSR. It's a little scathing about Montgomery's faffing over Antwerp and the impact of the failure of Operation Market Garden on the Dutch.
It's good on how the British wrote the Poles out of the story of the cracking of the Enigma code (until recently) and indeed - indirectly - on how the British have written the Poles out of a lot of our World War Two experience.
The women of Britain come out of it well. As do the women of occupied Europe. I was particularly moved by a story at the end about Andrée de Jongh, who had helped run an escape line for Allied escapers and evaders, which I won't spoil.
The BBC comes out of it well too, which is good to be reminded of at a time when it is under the cosh from the left and the right in Britain for its political coverage. It was the voice of hope to a lot of Occupied Europe.
MI6 and the SOE come out of it less well, although things do improve as the war goes on but the catastrophic failure of SOE in the Netherlands is well-told.
But I'm waffling on. You should read this because it is good. Because it is a reminder of a time when Britain did the right thing - not always for unselfish reason - and it is a reminder that Britain is European. Our island status does not separate us from Europe however much we may want it to. Our history is tied up with the continental part of Europe and to pretend otherwise is to be a fool.
Highly recommended.
It tells the story of Britain and it's European allies (although Yugoslavia gets skipped for reasons Olson explains at the end) before, during and after World War Two. It's a tale of success and failure. There are heroes and there are villains. It shows how Poland, ostensibly the reason we went to war, was utterly failed by the Allies (although I'm not quite sure what they could have done to stop Stalin getting what he wanted. Unless they went to war with Russia in 1945.) And Poland's story is the darkest of them all. There's also the Czechs, the Belgians, the Dutch, the Free French and the Norwegians.
The book does a fine job of showing the gap in the British experience of World War Two and the continents, which had a major impact on how we interacted with Europe afterwards. It's good on Churchill's romantic streak being unable to stand up to the reality of being the 'little donkey' between the US and the USSR. It's a little scathing about Montgomery's faffing over Antwerp and the impact of the failure of Operation Market Garden on the Dutch.
It's good on how the British wrote the Poles out of the story of the cracking of the Enigma code (until recently) and indeed - indirectly - on how the British have written the Poles out of a lot of our World War Two experience.
The women of Britain come out of it well. As do the women of occupied Europe. I was particularly moved by a story at the end about Andrée de Jongh, who had helped run an escape line for Allied escapers and evaders, which I won't spoil.
The BBC comes out of it well too, which is good to be reminded of at a time when it is under the cosh from the left and the right in Britain for its political coverage. It was the voice of hope to a lot of Occupied Europe.
MI6 and the SOE come out of it less well, although things do improve as the war goes on but the catastrophic failure of SOE in the Netherlands is well-told.
But I'm waffling on. You should read this because it is good. Because it is a reminder of a time when Britain did the right thing - not always for unselfish reason - and it is a reminder that Britain is European. Our island status does not separate us from Europe however much we may want it to. Our history is tied up with the continental part of Europe and to pretend otherwise is to be a fool.
Highly recommended.
scribepub's review against another edition
For a year, between the fall of France and the German invasion of the Soviet Union, the men and women of the seven countries of occupied Europe were Britain’s only non-colonial allies. For them Britain was the only hope. The nature of that unbalanced relationship, so crucial to the postwar future of the Continent, is the subject of this fascinating, uplifting and at times horrifying book … A complex narrative of need and desperation, tales of almost unimaginable courage, brilliant improvisation, fantastic stupidity and vile treachery … Exciting and informative.
David Aaronovitch, The Times
[An] excellent book … [Olson] acknowledges that British bravery and determination were the only things that gave Europe hope during the darkest days of the war. Europeans have always been grateful for this, and continue to be so today. We British have not always shown the same sense of gratitude. Olson’s message is simple: when it comes to the Second World War at least, we should give credit where credit is due.
Keith Lowe, The Mail on Sunday
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 recognise. Books and films have dramatised individual stories of the resistance, but the scale of the organisation she describes is breathtaking … Olson’s histories have well honoured Britain’s heroism. In Last Hope Island, she justifies her toast to the exiles and their compatriots.
The New York Times book 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, New York Times bestselling Author of Dead Wake
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
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
Exhilarating and epic.
The Mail on Sunday
Last Hope Island is a book to be welcomed, both for the past it recovers and also, quite simply, for being such a pleasant tome to read … Certain of these refugee groups have had their stories told before … but Olson’s book is the first to weave this all together … It’s a well-written and well-illustrated book, and deeply researched.
The Washington Post
[A] pointed volume . . . [Olson] tells a great story and has a fine eye for character.
The Boston Globe
In Last Hope Island [Olson] argues an arresting new thesis: that the people of occupied Europe and their expatriate leaders did far more for their own liberation than historians and the public recognise … She is persuasive in dramatizing great deeds done and then forgotten.
The Scotsman
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
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
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)
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
Uplifting … a gripping story.
Harold Evans, The Week
Lynne Olson is one of the best popular historians now living and writing.
Peter Hitchens, Mailonline
[Olson’s] clear-eyed prose challenges popular myths about Britain’s “finest hour” …Although it is a brick of a book with a daunting number of subjects, it skips along, focusing on the vibrant personalities and their extraordinary stories … the lasting interest of Last Hope Island is its cool reckoning of history, away from the heat of bombs and battles.
The Guardian
The wealth of evidence [Olson] presents, and the verve with which she tells her stories, many not widely known, is a necessary antidote to the myths with which we all live.
Financial Times
Last Hope Island is a great read, packed with the stories of very colourful characters … highly recommended.
Military History Monthly
David Aaronovitch, The Times
[An] excellent book … [Olson] acknowledges that British bravery and determination were the only things that gave Europe hope during the darkest days of the war. Europeans have always been grateful for this, and continue to be so today. We British have not always shown the same sense of gratitude. Olson’s message is simple: when it comes to the Second World War at least, we should give credit where credit is due.
Keith Lowe, The Mail on Sunday
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 recognise. Books and films have dramatised individual stories of the resistance, but the scale of the organisation she describes is breathtaking … Olson’s histories have well honoured Britain’s heroism. In Last Hope Island, she justifies her toast to the exiles and their compatriots.
The New York Times book 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, New York Times bestselling Author of Dead Wake
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
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
Exhilarating and epic.
The Mail on Sunday
Last Hope Island is a book to be welcomed, both for the past it recovers and also, quite simply, for being such a pleasant tome to read … Certain of these refugee groups have had their stories told before … but Olson’s book is the first to weave this all together … It’s a well-written and well-illustrated book, and deeply researched.
The Washington Post
[A] pointed volume . . . [Olson] tells a great story and has a fine eye for character.
The Boston Globe
In Last Hope Island [Olson] argues an arresting new thesis: that the people of occupied Europe and their expatriate leaders did far more for their own liberation than historians and the public recognise … She is persuasive in dramatizing great deeds done and then forgotten.
The Scotsman
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
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
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)
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
Uplifting … a gripping story.
Harold Evans, The Week
Lynne Olson is one of the best popular historians now living and writing.
Peter Hitchens, Mailonline
[Olson’s] clear-eyed prose challenges popular myths about Britain’s “finest hour” …Although it is a brick of a book with a daunting number of subjects, it skips along, focusing on the vibrant personalities and their extraordinary stories … the lasting interest of Last Hope Island is its cool reckoning of history, away from the heat of bombs and battles.
The Guardian
The wealth of evidence [Olson] presents, and the verve with which she tells her stories, many not widely known, is a necessary antidote to the myths with which we all live.
Financial Times
Last Hope Island is a great read, packed with the stories of very colourful characters … highly recommended.
Military History Monthly
lenascholman's review
5.0
Eminently readable insight into WWII power and politics. With so much fiction vaunting the SOE or Netflix shows celebrating Churchill and allied military glory, this book offers a very human counterpoint to the suffering behind the scenes in occupied Europe.
By the time I discovered this book, I had been researching for my own WWII project for five + years. This tome is reminiscent of Margaret MacMilland in terms of intellectual rigour and John Le Carre for page turnability.
By the time I discovered this book, I had been researching for my own WWII project for five + years. This tome is reminiscent of Margaret MacMilland in terms of intellectual rigour and John Le Carre for page turnability.
peterdray's review
5.0
This was the first longer treatment of the Second World War I'd read. I've come away with fresh understanding around it's events, new respect for brave individuals who sought to make the difference they could, and a deepened understanding of the forces that have sculpted Europe to the way it is today. It was enlightening to learn of Britain's long uneasy relationship with continental Europe - and saddening especially to learn of Britain's failure towards Poland. Overall I'm feeling inspired to learn more about this important period of history.
meghanmarion's review
5.0
I received this book free via Goodreads giveaways.
I've read many books about this time period and I feel like I still learned things about WWII. The author don't a great job building the story and keeping the reader engaged. This time period covers so much information but she seemed to share just the right amount of information to build upon the story. I will definitely have to check out more of her work.
I've read many books about this time period and I feel like I still learned things about WWII. The author don't a great job building the story and keeping the reader engaged. This time period covers so much information but she seemed to share just the right amount of information to build upon the story. I will definitely have to check out more of her work.
rainbowbookworm's review
4.0
Fascinating look at how Europe's leaders sought refuge in England and led the war from abroad. The book talks about how the various monarchs and leaders arrived in England and what they did-both heroic and underhanded-to help defeat the Nazis. Some of the underhanded actions had consequences that are still being felt today.
blckngld18's review
3.0
3.5 Fascinating to read of all the behind the scenes underground stories behind all well known dates and battles
anfweldon's review
5.0
To start, I received this novel through goodreads giveaways.
History novels can be slightly boring due to the way they are written. This is by no means the case with Lynne Olson. She is an absolutely phenomenal writer. Lynne Olsen takes history and writes in a way that draws you in, making you want to continue reading page after page. She dives into history writing about people, places, and battles that have not been researched in depth. I truly enjoyed reading this novel and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys history or a great story.
History novels can be slightly boring due to the way they are written. This is by no means the case with Lynne Olson. She is an absolutely phenomenal writer. Lynne Olsen takes history and writes in a way that draws you in, making you want to continue reading page after page. She dives into history writing about people, places, and battles that have not been researched in depth. I truly enjoyed reading this novel and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys history or a great story.