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The Great Hurricane: 1938 Audiobook
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(3.09) - 177 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
On the night of September 20, 1938, the news on the radio was full of Hitler’s pending invasion of Czechoslovakia. In a matter of hours, however, a hurricane of unprecedented force would tear through one of the wealthiest and most populated stretches of coastline in America, obliterating communities from Long Island to Providence, destroying entire fishing fleets from Montauk to Narragansett Bay, and leaving seven hundred people dead.
Using newspaper reports, survivor testimony, and archival sources, Cherie Burns reconstructs this harrowing day and the amazing tales of heroism, survival, and loss that occurred. Those who survived still remember the Great Hurricane as the most terrifying moment of their lives. Burns’s masterful storytelling follows the storm’s monstrous path and preserves for posterity the way the Great Hurricane changed New England forever.
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"I enjoyed this book quite a bit. She provided very good historical information as well as anecdotal info about the survivors. The play by play of each person's as it happened story kept me very interested. I enjoy historical narratives like this and would recommend it to others. "
— Camille (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“From start to finish, this powerful story of nature’s fury and human survival pulls the reader in and doesn’t let go.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“While giving the story the respect due a historical volume, Fields captures the sense of urgency and loss that those in the hurricane’s path must have felt.”
— AudioFile -
“Author Burns makes this horrendous tragedy something the listener can relate to. We come to know the families, their plans for that fateful day, their names, what they wore, their pets, their likes and dislikes…Reader Fields displays an anchorwoman-like straightforwardness as she reads in a nearly emotionless, journalistic manner, a ‘this just handed to me’ style so appropriate for audio.”
— Kliatt
Awards
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Publishers Weekly Listen-Up Award
The Great Hurricane Listener Reviews
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" The book was OK, covering an event which was unfamiliar to me, and I believe is generally unfamiliar to most. The author tells the story through the recollections of a number of survivors, but the book wasn't as dramatic as I guessed it might have been. It read more like a series of newspaper accounts, factual, interesting, but the danger the survivors must have felt didn't always come across. Interesting to me, living in the 21st century, was the description of the lack of accurate weather forecasting at the time. "
— Ray, 2/11/2014 -
" Wow, had no idea that this hurricane took place here in New England. 700 People died. Very sad. "
— Darlene, 1/3/2014 -
" Since my parent were living in NYC in 1938 I was curious to read this account. Very graphic account of the destruction on the eastern end of Long Island and Rhode Island "
— Bruce, 12/25/2013 -
" So far so good. This is a good summer read. I'm only reading it because my dad was interested in it and let me have the book. Its not something I would normally pick up, but I think now I would give other books like this, with similar topics, a chance. "
— Tiffany, 12/5/2013 -
" Fascinating how elements combined to make this such deadly disaster. Great personal stories of survival mixed with history of the time. This took place just at the end of the great depression and early in WWII. "
— Shelley, 11/16/2013 -
" Members of my family went through this storm. Interesting. "
— Christopher, 11/11/2013 -
" I enjoyed this book quite a bit. She provided very good historical information as well as anecdotal info about the survivors. The play by play of each person's as it happened story kept me very interested. I enjoy historical narratives like this and would recommend it to others. "
— Camille, 11/11/2013 -
" An extremely interesting account of a disastrous hurricane no one ever talks about. Well-read by narrator Anna Fields. "
— Diana, 10/28/2013 -
" Before CNN, twitter and facebook...Amazing and horrific! "
— Sarah, 9/9/2013 -
" An excellent book that recounts personal stories of a forgotten hurricane; the storm that was Hitler overshadowed the event. It's amazing what we take for granted now. "
— Adrienne, 6/5/2013 -
" Interesting. I'd never even heard about this! "
— Cindy, 4/22/2013 -
" Yep another classic that all should read at least those in the Northeast. Another book should be "The Northeast be Dammed". "
— Jack, 3/29/2013 -
" My Mom remembers the hurricane. Her sister caught her finger in the door to the house when the wind blew it shut. My uncle took my Mom (age 8) on his shoulders to see the flood waters of the local river. "
— Susan, 2/5/2013 -
" I absolutely loved this book. Very well written. I teared up a few times and was completely riveted at other times, not wanting to put it down. "
— Jessica, 1/5/2012 -
" I liked this book because there are different stories in it than the Sudden Sea, which is still my favorite. "
— Lee-ann, 12/6/2010 -
" Journalistic account of the devastating 1938 hurricane suffers from poor organization, with a plethora of characters and often confusing narration of events. The intrinsic drama of the content keeps it moving. "
— Edward, 10/11/2010 -
" Interesting. I'd never even heard about this! "
— Cindy, 9/1/2010 -
" Wow, had no idea that this hurricane took place here in New England. 700 People died. Very sad. "
— Darlene, 8/17/2010 -
" My Mom remembers the hurricane. Her sister caught her finger in the door to the house when the wind blew it shut. My uncle took my Mom (age 8) on his shoulders to see the flood waters of the local river. "
— Susan, 9/3/2009 -
" So far so good. This is a good summer read. I'm only reading it because my dad was interested in it and let me have the book. Its not something I would normally pick up, but I think now I would give other books like this, with similar topics, a chance. "
— Tiffany, 6/9/2009 -
" Members of my family went through this storm. Interesting. "
— Christopher, 8/11/2008 -
" Fascinating how elements combined to make this such deadly disaster. Great personal stories of survival mixed with history of the time. This took place just at the end of the great depression and early in WWII. "
— Shelley, 3/11/2008
About Cherie Burns
Cherie Burns is a writer whose work has appeared in the New York Times, People, Glamour, US, New York, and other publications. This is her second book.
About Anna Fields
Kate Fleming (a.k.a. Anna Fields) (1965–2006), winner of more than a dozen Earphones Awards and the prestigious Audie Award in 2004, was one of the most respected narrators in the industry. Trained at the Actors Theatre of Louisville, she was also a director, producer, and technician at her own studio, Cedar House Audio.