A Village in the Third Reich
How Ordinary Lives Were Transformed by the Rise of Fascism
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A Village in the Third Reich
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Narrated by:
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Julie Teal
About this listen
New from the author of Travellers in the Third Reich—the Sunday Times top-three best seller and Waterstones Book of the Month: a stunningly evocative portrait of Hitler’s Germany through the people of a single village.
Oberstdorf is a beautiful village high up in the Bavarian Alps, a place where for hundreds of years ordinary people lived simple lives while history was made elsewhere. Yet even here, in the farthest corner of Germany, National Socialism sought to control not only people’s lives but also their minds.
Drawing on archive material, letters, interviews and memoirs, A Village in the Third Reich is an extraordinarily intimate portrait of Germany under Hitler, of the descent into totalitarianism and of the tragedies that befell all of those touched by Nazism. In it, we meet the Jews who survived—and those who didn’t, the Nazi mayor who tried to shield those persecuted by the regime and a blind boy whose life was thought ‘not worth living’.
It is a tale of conflicting loyalties and desires, of shattered dreams, despair and destruction—but one in which, ultimately, human resilience triumphs.
These are the stories of ordinary lives at the crossroads of history.
©2022 Julia Boyd and Angelika Patel (P)2022 Simon & Schuster, UKListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
"Compelling." (Daily Telegraph)
"Fascinating." (Spectator)
What listeners say about A Village in the Third Reich
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Dave W
- 30-10-22
Recommended
Well balanced, well researched history giving a human face to a difficult period of European history. A welcome counterpoint to the many histories of WW2 focussing on battles, strategies etc and revealing the complexities & dilemmas of a small community in a momentous time. Nothing is simple & there but for the grace..we might all have been placed.
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3 people 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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Story4 out of 5 stars
- CatherineESP
- 15-12-22
An unusual account of the third Reich.
Through the lives of individuals living in this Southern village in Bavaria one gains an understanding of how the third Reich developed and grew. Julia Boyd's use of diaries, letters and records is very impressive.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Sarah Banbery
- 21-04-24
Absolutely Fascinating
This was excellent - hearing about the war through the experiences of a small German village was a revelation. Wonderfully researched and very well written- I highly recommend it.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Myles
- 05-06-24
Wonderfully human
This excellent book brings the well-known story of the Third Reich to life with a focus on a community who lived through it. Humanising.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Spook
- 27-05-23
A wonderful balanced account of life in Nazi Germany
I found this narrative approach to life in Nazi Germany most refreshing and illuminating, a welcome change from the traditional focus on why and how National Socialism took root in Germany. The characters in the village are really brought to life and the listener can understand all too well why so many Germans were drawn to the magnetism and the message of Adolph Hitler.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- D. Maggs
- 30-10-22
Excellent perspective on realities of 3rd Reich
History through individuals over time. Excellent on suppression of Christianity by race worship and denazification.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- StaffordSmith
- 08-04-23
Gripping insight into the Third Reich
I was completely gripped by this book. By focusing on a Bavarian village you get an incredible insight into the effect of the Third Reich on its people. Very harrowing and sad in places. Beautifully narrated.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Nairnsue
- 10-06-22
A difficult subject skilfully treated
This was very well read by Julie Teal and beautifully put together by the authors. We get to know certain villagers quite well through their repeated appearances in public records and the interesting proposition is advanced that it was possible to be a Nazi and a decent human being. Some of the descriptions of what the Nazis did are indeed sobering and upsetting, but the subject is treated very fairly, the authors demonstrating how reasonable people could appear to support the unsupportable whilst also working to mitigate some of the grosser aspects of the regime. On the other hand, we are left in no doubt as to the iniquity of the Third Reich. Altogether, a thought-provoking and interesting listen.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Bammosan
- 21-01-24
Excellent history and warning
Narration just the right amount of gravitas. Kept attention to know more about these ordinary people and how some were sucked into the nazi machine and others resisted. Should be on all school syllabuses as a warning about the creeping right wing Natzi-ism in current society.
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- William
- 06-03-23
An excellent piece of modern historical research
This book tells the story of a small Bavarian town, from the First World War to the end of the second. Everyday life is shown in all of its mundane but fascinating detail, but central to everything is the Nazis’ rise to power. The power of the state to control all aspects of everyday life is shown in frightening detail, and the mind bending facility of the Nazi propaganda machine to shape the beliefs of ordinary citizens is there for all to see. The punctilious workings of the Nazi extermination machine show German efficiency in its darkest light, To imagine that these are times best forgotten is to ignore what is still happening in parts of Europe today.
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1 person found this helpful