Bomber
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Product Description
Review
Praise for Bomber:
'The magnificent Bomber is rich with historical detail' The Times
Praise for The Ipcress File:
'A spy story with a difference.' Observer
'A master of fictional espionage.' Daily Mail
'The Ipcress File helped change the shape of the espionage thriller…the prose is still as crisp and fresh as ever…there is an infectious energy about this book which makes it a joy to read, or re-read.' Daily Telegraph
'The self-conscious cool of Deighton's writing has dated in the best way possible…a stone-cold cold war classic.' Guardian
Praise for Funeral in Berlin:
'A ferociously cool fable, even better than The Spy Who Came In From the Cold'
New York Times
'A most impressive book in which the tension, more like a chronic ache than a sharp stab of pain, never lets go.'
Evening Standard
Product Description
The classic documentary war novel, now back in print due to strong demand from fans of Len Deighton.
‘Bomber’ follows the progress of an Allied air raid through a period of twenty-four hours in the summer of 1943.
It portrays all the participants in a terrifying drama, in the air and on the ground, in Britain and in Germany.
In its documentary style, it is unique. In its emotional power, it is overwhelming.
Len Deighton has been hugely acclaimed both as a novelist and as an historian. In ‘Bomber’ he has combined both talents to produce a masterpiece.
As Max Hastings observed, Deighton captured a time and a mood in his books – 'To those of us who were in our twenties in the 1960s, his books seemed the coolest, funkiest, most sophisticated things we'd ever read' – and his books have now deservedly become classics.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
32 of 32 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Kingsley Amis called this one of the best ten books of the 20th century, and I'm not going to argue. Deighton normally writes agreeable spy and war fiction, but this is on a higher plane (no pun intended). The story of Creaking Door, Joe for King, The Volkswagen and all the other Lancasters flying out of Warley Fen seems to have tapped a deep root of emotion in Deighton, leading him to write a book that for sheer emotional engagement has few parallels. He writes above himself consistently, making the characters live - and die - for you in a way few if any writers could equal. The story is by turns amusing, interesting, and in the end horrifying. I find it hard to believe that anyone could read this without being deeply moved. If Deighton could write like this all the time, he would be acclaimed as one of the greatest novelists of the age; he never reaches such heights in any other work, but I for one am glad he did it once.
The audiobook of the 1995 BBC radio adaptation is (if possible) even better, being quite simply one of the finest examples of radio drama ever produced; Deighton's powerful story is interwoven with comments from real veterans of the bombing campaign (British and German) and the terrific acting, incredible atmosphere and superb adaptation combine into a solid gold masterpiece. Buy both book and CD, and enhance the quality of your library.
The audiobook of the 1995 BBC radio adaptation is (if possible) even better, being quite simply one of the finest examples of radio drama ever produced; Deighton's powerful story is interwoven with comments from real veterans of the bombing campaign (British and German) and the terrific acting, incredible atmosphere and superb adaptation combine into a solid gold masterpiece. Buy both book and CD, and enhance the quality of your library.
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio Cassette
This really is the best dramatisation of a book I've ever listened to. At first I thought 'Another WWII tale - can there be anything here I haven't heard before'? Well, there was. Most people know of the horrendous suffering caused by bombing cities in WWII, but I hadn't realised until I listened to this what an ordeal it was to be in the bombers themselves. As one airman says, 'If my mother had known I'd go through this she would never have had me'. The story is gripping from start to finish, with just enough complexity to keep you interested, but not so much that you get confused. The characters, both English and German, are very well voiced, and the sound effects contribute to the story - it's one of those rare adaptations where having the story dramatised really adds something to it. Be warned though - this really should carry a '15' certificate as the descriptions of the effects of the raid, and the German attempts to shoot down the bombers, are almost unbearable to listen to - but you can't stop listening because you want to find out how it ends. At the beginning, Field Marshal Sir Arthur Harris, in charge of Bomber Command, states 'I will level the whole of Germany if it is necessary'. By the end, you still can't decide one way or the other if you agree with him or not, the dramatisation captures the utter pointlessness, cruelty and horror of war so well. Should one sympathise with the innocent German civilians - who support a vile regime experimenting on concentration camp victims? Or the allies, willing to sacrifice hundreds of young men and innocent civilians in order to secure victory? Listen to the tape and you'll see what I mean - it should be required listening for anyone studying WWII.
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Len Deighton's "Bomber" is a searing anti-war novel and his own views about the futility and pointlessness of the Allied air raids against Germany (the Luftwaffe having proved in 1940/41 that such tactics don't succeed in destroying morale) are clearly reflected here. The novel features many diverse and fascinating characters, some of whom the reader comes to care about deeply. There is one passage in particular which describes in dreadful, horrible, stark detail the unravelling, unstoppable complexities that occur as a German nightfighter stalks and shoots down a Lancaster bomber, down to the moment the stricken aircraft and its dying pilot hit the ground - a piece of modern literature that every politician should be made to read before making any kind of decision commiting nations to war. Truly a classic novel.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Gritty, detailed narrative. Pulls no punches.
One of my favourite Len Deighton books, this is a blow-by-blow account of one WW2 bomber raid viewed from the perspective of all those affected on both sides. Read more
Published 7 days ago by Paul Wisken
So good to read it again!
I first read this 30+ years ago when it first came out and reread it last summer. A really first class book. Glad I did so.
Published 16 days ago by Capone Boy
Bomber
I am a third of the way through it and I think the author is trying hard to impress with his research but he's forgotten about the story he is telling.
Published 21 days ago by PMJ
One of the best anti-war books ever written
I read this over twenty years ago and thought then that it was a masterpiece. I have just re-read it and had my earlier feelings fully justified. Read more
Published 22 days ago by Alan J. Crowley
Outstanding
"Bomber" is a fantastic book, the most striking thing for me is the level of detail. The amount of research that must have been undertaken would have been immense, it's one thing... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Ricky C
Harrowing
I read this book in a few days it was a book I had to keep reading obsessively despite the very tragic and harrowing subject matter. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Ladyg
bomber
stunning book- really brings home what happened to people like my uncle in the war. dispassionate so has a greater impact. highly recommended
Published 8 months ago by pat
Book
Excellent book in excellent condition. Increasing word count a a a a a a a a a a a a
Published 9 months ago by eileen leonard
Unsparing in its depiction of war with amazing detail.
I have read much war poetry and many books about war. "Good-bye to all that," by Robert Graves and "Memoirs of an Infantry Officer" by Siegfried Sassoon come to mind as amongst the... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Broga
Stunning account of WW2
I purchased this book as I have an interest in the RAF in the second world war. I was expecting a one sided story about the bravery and heroism of our boys fighting the damned... Read more
Published 11 months ago by J. Bradley
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