A Line in the Sand
Britain, France and the struggle that shaped the Middle East
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A Line in the Sand
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Narrated by:
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Peter Noble
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By:
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James Barr
About this listen
‘One of the unexpected responses to reading this masterful study is amazement at the efforts the British and French each put into undermining the other’ Spectator
A fascinating insight into the untold story of how British-French rivalry drew the battle-lines of the modern Middle East.
In 1916, in the middle of the First World War, two men secretly agreed to divide the Middle East between them. Sir Mark Sykes was a visionary politician; François Georges-Picot a diplomat with a grudge. They drew a line in the sand from the Mediterranean to the Persian frontier, and together remade the map of the Middle East, with Britain’s 'mandates' of Palestine, Transjordan and Iraq, and France's in Lebanon and Syria.
Over the next thirty years a sordid tale of violence and clandestine political manoeuvring unfolded, told here through a stellar cast of politicians, diplomats, spies and soldiers, including T. E. Lawrence, Winston Churchill and Charles de Gaulle. Using declassified papers from the British and French archives, James Barr vividly depicts the covert, deadly war of intrigue and espionage between Britain and France to rule the Middle East, and reveals the shocking way in which the French finally got their revenge.©2011 James Barr (P)2018 Simon & Schuster, UK
Critic Reviews
What listeners say about A Line in the Sand
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Frank Hal
- 05-08-2023
A book worth reading
An excellent recap of a very important period in the history of this region. The sequence of events and content narrated was clear and to the point. The audio narration was top quality. One observation though; it was somehow too critical of the French role although it gave me personally a new insight of how the interests/actions being played among the powerful nations.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Fliss Butcher
- 14-11-2023
Good history lesson, bad narration
Great lesson in middle east history. I did not enjoy the narrator as it sounded like he was rushing and as if every sentence ended in an exclamation mark ie ! that style is not conducive to getting a mindful relaxing listening. I persevered as I wanted to hear the book. Might need to buy the hard copy.
I wonder if authors get to choose who they want to read their work - also who directs the narrators?
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Bruce Mason
- 12-02-2019
A great read through of a deeply interesting era
Absolutely fascinating. Thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend. A detailed account of troubles that remain to this day.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 02-07-2022
outstanding piece of work well researched
really enjoyed this... nothing to detract from this fine piece of work. the narration was very good and overall certainly worth the time
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 15-07-2024
A Crucial and very relevant history
I'm a huge follower of politics and current events yet very few in the media these days analyse the events in this book in much detail. This will also appeal to those with an interest in geography and maps and why the borders in of Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Turkiye, Israel, and Palestine are where they are. Great narration performance too.
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