“I know of no other work of literature of World War II as moving, as awesome and as accurate in its portrayal of human courage… ” said Major Jim Gavin. Well, he would know. This is the book, the title, the tome – the epic that started it all. A Bridge Too Far was not only the sentiment but also the net effect of the doomed allied attempt to shorten the second world war with a bold assault, Operations MARKET and GARDEN.
Cornelius Ryan was a gifted writer. His ability to put readers at the heart of the action made this a shoo-in for shifting to the silver screen – do bring up the PIAT, Mr Hopkins – but really, you should get a copy of the book. You’ll find more insight, more blow-by-blow detail, more background, too; plus, the larger-than-life characters are depicted without becoming caricatures. Plagued by bad luck, yes. Fateful indecision and the fact it was a terrible plan. What went wrong? Everything. There are 101 reasons to buy A Bridge Too Far. If the faded cover depicting the original, classic, 1970’s David Shepherd painting of Arnhem at 5pm isn’t on your bookshelves already… well, don’t worry. The publishers may have changed the covers but they haven’t changed a word between them. With the benefit of detached hindsight, subsequent books do offer different perspectives – but if you haven’t stopped reading and clicked the Amazon button below already, are you even a member of the Independent Company?
Featured in:
>> Livestream Thursday 6th August 2020
>> Podcast Episode 30: The Hartenstein Hotel
>> Podcast Episode 31: Twenty-Four Hours in Arnhem
>> Podcast Episode 32: The Battle for Arnhem
>> Podcast Episode 33: Market Garden with Dan Snow
>> Podcast Episode 34: XXX Corps
>> Podcast Episode 35: Al Murray walks the Oosterbeek Perimeter
>> Podcast Episode 37: A Bridge Too Far?
>> Podcast Episode 29: Operation Market Garden – Day 1
