D-DAY The Battle of Normandy

After briefly treating the buildup to D-Day, Beevor examines the invasion and subsequent liberation of Paris in a mix of sometimes-dry strategic overview and often-ghastly personal details. Simon Vance gives it all proper weight, without extravagance. He has a likable voice and pleasant English accent, which he varies, at times from one word to the next, to suit the large number of quotations. His American accent is good, and he even does Canadian. Other accents make one wonder about the convention of presenting foreign speech as accented English, but it works. It’s easy to lose track in complex audio histories (especially military); Vance’s clarity and excellent pacing help. A fascinating and well-read book. W.M. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2010]