Audible Book Review: Christmas Eve, 1914 by Charles Olivier

This is heart-wrenching.

Christmas Eve, 1914
By: Charles Olivier
Narrated by: Cameron Daddo, Xander Berkeley, Cody Fern, Damon Herriman, James Scott, John Beck, Lance Guest, Gabe Greenspan, Nate Jones

Length: 1 hr and 13 mins
Performance
Release date: 12-16-14
Language: English
Publisher: Audible Studios
Categories: Fiction, Historical
My Rating: 5.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 5.0; Narration 5.0.

About This Audible Original
"Gentlemen, maybe war takes a holiday today."
This mesmerizing audio drama takes you to the dismal trenches of World War I. It is here, under the constant threat of exploding shells and artillery, that British and German soldiers live in deplorable conditions. Braving the merciless cold and crushing exhaustion and hunger, the men conduct patrols and fight, often to the death, to advance mere inches in the frozen No Man’s Land that lies between them.
But on Christmas Eve, the Western Front gives way to a miracle of grace, as soldiers from both sides emerge from their trenches to greet each other, share their meager rations, and bury the dead for an unofficial and temporary truce. Drawing upon the unforgettable true story of history’s most transcendent ceasefire, this Audible Original, a finalist for the 2016 Audie Award for Best Audio Drama, commemorates an astonishing moment of peace—and celebration of man’s capacity for kindness—in the midst of total war. A full cast performance of a heart-wrenching script written by Emmy Award-winner Charles Olivier and produced by Dawn Prestwich (The Killing), Christmas Eve, 1914 is the perfect reminder of how holiday hope can be found in the unlikeliest of places. At the story’s end, listeners will also enjoy a performance of the classic carol, "Il Est Ne" by Tom Tom Club.
The ensemble cast includes Damon Herriman, Cameron Daddo, Xander Berkeley, James Scott, Lance Guest, Nate Jones, Cody Fern, John Beck, Gabe Greenspan, and Heiko Obermoeller.
©2014 Audible Inc. (P)2014 Audible Inc.

Review:
This story is set up as a letter from a field officer to a mother of a very young soldier who died ten years earlier. The officer describes the events surrounding the soldier’s arrival at the front, leading to his death and a moving impact resulting in his burial and a day of truce on the battlefield. The officer clearly expresses his emotions of regret, heartbreak, and humility based on the bravery of the young man who stepped forward to fight for his country and to encourage the other soldiers.

This is a full-cast dramatization that puts the listener at the front with the mud, the grit, the stink, the hunger, the exhaustion, the sounds of bombing, the fear, and even the dysfunction – all expressing the horror of war. The lack of integrity and the incompetence of the officers is disturbing as are the sometimes nonsensical orders. The conditions that all of the soldiers faced on the front line are gut-wrenching.

I think that I had heard about this cessation of hostilities for Christmas before, but this story brings it alive. I loved the addition of the singing by the young man and the echoes that bring the sides to the point of truce and allow them to move out to “No Man Lands” to bury the dead. My heart was soon hurting as I listened and by the end tears were running into my ears (I was lying down).

This is beautifully written on a very tough subject. I hope to get my children and grandchildren to listen to this and to recognize how human we are and how horrible war is. The Audible is moving and I highly recommend it.

#HoHoHoRat.
Source: December 2018 Free Audible Original. This qualifies for 2019TBR and 2019Audiobook goals.