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Charles Kingsford Smith and Those Magnificent Men

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Charles Kingsford Smith and Those Magnificent Men

By: Peter FitzSimons
Narrated by: Richard Aspel
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About this listen

 Known to millions of Australians simply as "Smithy", Sir Charles Kingsford Smith was one of Australia's true 20th-century legends. In an era in which aviators were superstars, Smithy was among the greatest and, throughout his amazing career, his fame in Australia was matched only by that of Don Bradman

Among other achievements, Kingsford Smith was the first person to fly across the Pacific. He broke the record for the fastest flight from England to Australia, and at one point he held more long-distance flying records than anyone else on the planet.

If that wasn't enough, Smithy was also a war hero, receiving the Military Cross for gallantry in action after being shot - and losing three toes - during one of many flying missions during World War I. Smithy was not the lone adventurer of the skies. Early aviation drew to it a company of daredevils who all challenged gravity and fear.

This comprehensive biography, written with typical flair by best-selling author Peter FitzSimons, covers the triumphs and tragedies of not only Kingsford Smith's daring and controversial life but also those of his companion aviators.

©2009 Peter FitzSimons (P)2009 Bolinda Publishing Aviation Transportation War Military

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Would you listen to Charles Kingsford Smith and Those Magnificent Men again? Why?

I will most certainly listen to this again

What did you like best about this story?

An interesting back ground on an Australian Charector , given his notoriety I am surprised in a way to find how his fame out weighed his business sense. It was also interesting to hear about a history of aviation and the names that have and have not carried through to nowadays.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I listen to these things at work, as with all the other FitzSimons stories I struggle to turn them off when I go home at the end of the day

Great piece of history

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I found this book to be more like a thrilling novel than just a mere biography. The stories of Kingsford Smith and his contemporaries are presented in such a way that you really experience them as living, breathing people.

I was a bit unsure at first about the theatrical narration of the audiobook, but I quickly came to love the drama that the characterisations brought.

Excellent book with brilliant narration

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A great book about an interesting character. Fitzsimons is a decent enough writer, and pulled together a pretty compelling version of the history of the early days of aviation, and the story of Kingsford-Smith. The narrator is fine when he is just reading, but when he does an accent or sings a song he is AWFUL. I mean really really awful. Terrible scottish accents, a New York accent that made me laugh out loud, comedy French and German accents and at one point he does the voice of a Greek official and I have no idea what accent that was. At times I almost abandoned the book but I want to finish the story so I suffered on. And the few time he sings (a TERRIBLE version of Blue Skies) I have had to just jump forward until it ends. I just wish he would read it straight as his normal voice is pretty good, but he seems to be under some delusion he has an amazing range (or maybe he was just bored and did the accents to amuse himself)...

But, as I say, the story itself is great.

Great subject, good story, spoiled narration

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