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Blood, Tears and Folly

An Objective Look at World War Two
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( 700 ratings, 42 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Blood, Tears and Folly by Len Deighton presents an insightful examination of the early years of World War II. It combines meticulous research with vivid storytelling, exploring the strategic failures and human experiences that shaped the conflict. By delving into both well-known events and lesser-known narratives, the book offers a comprehensive and compelling picture of this tumultuous period.
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you're fascinated by a detailed, insightful analysis of the early years of World War II. It offers an engaging narrative exploring the complexities, strategies, and human experiences that shaped this tumultuous period in history.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

A magisterial history of the Second World War by best-selling novelist and former RAF pilot Len Deighton.

This unflinching history of the darkest days of the Second World War covers the entire world stage, from the Battle of the Atlantic to Pearl Harbor. Rooted in the personal accounts of the soldiers themselves, Blood, Tears and Folly is a sweeping, moving account of the political machinations, the strategy and tactics, the weapons and the men on both sides who created a world of devastation.

Series: Penguin Modern Classics

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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Len Deighton's Blood, Tears and Folly is praised for its scholarly approach to World War II and its engaging narrative style. Readers appreciate the author's ability to bring historical facts to life with a novelistic flair, and the excitement and insight into his discoveries are highly regarded. His skill in character depiction and scene-setting is highlighted as particularly brilliant.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780241505236

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 15 July 2021

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Penguin Classics

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 35.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 564g

Pages: 832

About the Author

Len Deighton was born in 1929 in London. He did his national service in the RAF, went to the Royal College of Art and designed many book jackets, including the original UK edition of Jack Kerouac's On the Road. The enormous success of his first spy novel, The IPCRESS File (1962), was repeated in a remarkable sequence of books over the following decades. These varied from historical fiction (Bomber, perhaps his greatest novel) to dystopian alternative fiction (SS-GB) and a number of brilliant non-fiction books on the Second World War (Fighter, Blitzkrieg and Blood, Tears and Folly). His spy novels chart the twists and turns of Britain and the Cold War in ways which now give them a unique flavour. They preserve a world in which Europe contains many dictatorships, in which the personal can be ruined by the ideological and where the horrors of the Second World War are buried under only a very thin layer of soil. Deighton's fascination with technology, his sense of humour and his brilliant evocation of time and place make him one of the key British espionage writers, alongside John Buchan, Eric Ambler, Ian Fleming and John Le Carre.

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