Last Hope Island
Britain, Occupied Europe, and the Brotherhood That Helped Turn the Tide of War
by Lynne Olson
ebook
2 of 3 copies available
When the Nazi blitzkrieg rolled over continental Europe in the early days of World War II, the city of London became a refuge for the governments and armed forces of six occupied nations who escaped there to continue the fight. So, too, did General Charles de Gaulle, the self-appointed representative of free France.
As the only European democracy still holding out against Hitler, Britain became known to occupied countries as “Last Hope Island.” Getting there, one young emigré declared, was “like getting to heaven.”
In this epic, character-driven narrative, acclaimed historian Lynne Olson takes us back to those perilous days when the British and their European guests joined forces to combat the mightiest military force in history. Here we meet the courageous King Haakon of Norway, whose distinctive “H7” monogram became a symbol of his country’s resistance to Nazi rule, and his fiery Dutch counterpart, Queen Wilhelmina, whose antifascist radio broadcasts rallied the spirits of her defeated people. Here, too, is the Earl of Suffolk, a swashbuckling British aristocrat whose rescue of two nuclear physicists from France helped make the Manhattan Project possible.
Last Hope Island also recounts some of the Europeans’ heretofore unsung exploits that helped tilt the balance against the Axis: the crucial efforts of Polish pilots during the Battle of Britain; the vital role played by French and Polish code breakers in cracking the Germans’ reputedly indecipherable Enigma code; and the flood of top-secret intelligence about German operations—gathered by spies throughout occupied Europe—that helped ensure the success of the 1944 Allied invasion.
A fascinating companion to Citizens of London, Olson’s bestselling chronicle of the Anglo-American alliance, Last Hope Island recalls with vivid humanity that brief moment in time when the peoples of Europe stood together in their effort to roll back the tide of conquest and restore order to a broken continent.
Praise for Last Hope Island
“In Last Hope Island [Lynne Olson] argues an arresting new thesis: that the people of occupied Europe and the expatriate leaders did far more for their own liberation than historians and the public alike recognize. . . . The scale of the organization she describes is breathtaking.”—The New York Times Book Review
“Last Hope Island is a book to be welcomed, both for the past it recovers and also, quite simply, for being such a pleasant tome to read.”—The Washington Post
“[A] pointed volume . . . [Olson] tells a great story and has a fine eye for character.”—The Boston Globe
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
April 25, 2017 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9780812997361
- File size: 31552 KB
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9780812997361
- File size: 31529 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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January 15, 2017
A "rich, intensely human story" of European cooperation during World War II.Early on during the war, government officials and many citizens of a host of conquered European nations fled to Britain. Bestselling historian Olson (Those Angry Days: Roosevelt, Lindbergh, and America's Fight Over World War II, 1939-1941, 2013, etc.) writes a vivid history of the war through the eyes of the exiles and compatriots left behind. She reveals inspiring tales of heroism, suffering, and sacrifice without ignoring too many incidents of betrayal, missed opportunities, and incompetence. First to arrive were the Poles and Czechs. That Britain had betrayed Czechoslovakia to Hitler in 1938 and remained passive while the Wehrmacht conquered Poland in 1939 did not lessen their commitment. Their military units fought with the Allies, and their prewar intelligence skills were far superior. The brilliant Bletchley Park decoders could not have succeeded without the earlier innovations of Polish codebreakers. In 1940, leaders from conquered Norway, Denmark, Belgium, and Holland formed exile governments. Though no significant French political figures came to Britain, Winston Churchill encouraged the obscure brigadier general Charles de Gaulle. Olson reminds readers that, until late 1942, none of this activity greatly inconvenienced Hitler or his plans. Britain's victory (really a draw) in the Battle of Britain was followed by a numbing series of blunders and defeats. Joining the resistance was suicidal; even military buffs will recoil at the murderous ineptitude of early British secret operations. By 1943, however, the Allies had gotten their act together. Their armies were advancing, and the resistance was functioning efficiently. Feel-good histories of World War II have fallen out of fashion, but Britain's sole stand against Hitler remains inspiring. Despite the title, the occupied nations that she sheltered did not "turn the tide," but Olson delivers an engrossing, sometimes-disturbing account of their energetic efforts.COPYRIGHT(2017) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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November 1, 2016
In her latest offering, best-selling author Olson (Those Angry Days; Citizens of London; A Question of Honor) revisits World War II history, a topic of several of her previous works. The author once again focuses on the intersections between war and politics, this time with an emphasis on the exile governments situated in London during the conflict. Olson's main argument is that cooperative wartime exile helped many European leaders form connections and networks with one another that would not have been possible in more distant circumstances. These relationships laid the foundation for such political and economic developments as the Benelux Treaty and the European Union. Olson's work is well-researched and well-written, weaving together personal narratives of many prominent Allied leaders with political intrigue and wartime developments. VERDICT Recommended to readers with an interest in World War II, political science, European history, and 20th-century history.--Crystal Goldman, Univ. of California, San Diego Lib.
Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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Starred review from February 1, 2017
This is a history book that reads like the best thrillers. Olson, who has often written on the period before WWII (Those Angry Days, 2013), has clearly utilized her knowledge and prior research well. England, the island of the title, was home to several of Europe's exiled leadersCharles de Gaulle, King Haakon VII of Norway, Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlandsand private citizens and soldiers (the airmen of Poland, leaders of Czechoslovakia, and the Free French) during WWII. Focusing on these exiles, Olson offers a fascinating view of the war and its aftermath, less from a military than from a high-level civilian perspective. The well-demonstrated incompetence of British intelligence (especially in light of its diametrically opposite reputation) and its military and civilian leaders occasionally lends the astute writing an almost comic perspective. The narrative jumps from London to the Continent, where British cooperation with the Resistance in various countries had much to do with the Allies' victory, and this is carefully recounted. The many individuals are finely drawn, major developments (breaking of the Enigma code, D-Day, the Battle ofArnhem, the crucial contribution of the BBC) are well covered, and the book provides an unusual and very insightful angle on the war.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.) -
November 15, 2016
As Germany flattened continental Europe at the start of World War II, Britain remained the only European combatant standing and became known as "Last Hope Island." Olson explores the relationship between the Continent and Britain while portraying this land of refuge. From the New York Times best-selling author of Citizens of London.
Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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