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The Perfect Horse : The Daring U. S. Mission to Rescue the Priceless Stallions Kidnapped by the Nazis by Elizabeth Letts (2016, Compact Disc, Unabridged edition)
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- Buy It NowThe Perfect Horse: Daring U.S. Mission to Rescue Priceless Stallions Kidnapped
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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - From the author of The Eighty-Dollar Champion, the remarkable story of the heroic rescue of priceless horses in the closing days of World War II WINNER OF THE PEN AWARD FOR RESEARCH NONFICTION In the chaotic last days of the war, a small troop of battle-weary American soldiers captures a German spy and makes an astonishing find--his briefcase is empty but for photos of beautiful white horses that have been stolen and kept on a secret farm behind enemy lines. Hitler has stockpiled the world's finest purebreds in order to breed the perfect military machine--an equine master race. But with the starving Russian army closing in, the animals are in imminent danger of being slaughtered for food. With only hours to spare, one of the U.S. Army's last great cavalrymen, Colonel Hank Reed, makes a bold decision--with General George Patton's blessing--to mount a covert rescue operation. Racing against time, Reed's small but determined force of soldiers, aided by several turncoat Germans, steals across enemy lines in a last-ditch effort to save the horses. Pulling together this multistranded story, Elizabeth Letts introduces us to an unforgettable cast of characters: Alois Podhajsky, director of the famed Spanish Riding School of Vienna, a former Olympic medalist who is forced to flee the bomb-ravaged Austrian capital with his entire stable in tow; Gustav Rau, Hitler's imperious chief of horse breeding, a proponent of eugenics who dreams of genetically engineering the perfect warhorse for Germany; and Tom Stewart, a senator's son who makes a daring moonlight ride on a white stallion to secure the farm's surrender. A compelling account for animal lovers and World War II buffs alike, The Perfect Horse tells for the first time the full story of these events. Elizabeth Letts's exhilarating tale of behind-enemy-lines adventure, courage, and sacrifice brings to life one of the most inspiring chapters in the annals of human valor. Praise for The Perfect Horse "Winningly readable . . . Letts captures both the personalities and the stakes of this daring mission with such a sharp ear for drama that the whole second half of the book reads like a WWII thriller dreamed up by Alan Furst or Len Deighton. . . . The right director could make a Hollywood classic out of this fairy tale." -- The Christian Science Monitor "Letts, a lifelong equestrienne, eloquently brings together the many facets of this unlikely, poignant story underscoring the love and respect of man for horses." -- Kirkus ReviewsProduct Identifiers
PublisherPenguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
ISBN-100735285063
ISBN-139780735285064
eBay Product ID (ePID)219398591
Product Key Features
Book TitlePerfect Horse : the Daring U. S. Mission to Rescue the Priceless Stallions Kidnapped by the Nazis
TopicMilitary / World War II, Animals / Horses, Personal Memoirs, World
Publication Year2016
LanguageEnglish
GenreBiography & Autobiography, Nature, History
AuthorElizabeth Letts
FormatCompact Disc
Dimensions
Item Height1.1in.
Item Length5.9in.
Item Width5.1in.
Item Weight9.5 Oz
Additional Product Features
Intended AudienceTrade
ReviewsAdvance praise for The Perfect Horse "[Elizabeth] Letts, a lifelong equestrienne, eloquently brings together the many facets of this unlikely, poignant story underscoring the love and respect of man for horses. . . . The author's elegant narrative conveys how the love for these amazing creatures transcends national animosities." -- Kirkus Reviews, Advance praise for The Perfect Horse "[Elizabeth] Letts, a lifelong equestrienne, eloquently brings together the many facets of this unlikely, poignant story underscoring the love and respect of man for horses. . . . The author's elegant narrative conveys how the love for these amazing creatures transcends national animosities." -- Kirkus Reviews "Straight out of the cauldron of Nazi brutality and war, Elizabeth Letts weaves not just a page-turner but an achingly glorious story of grace and redemption. She embeds us with an international ensemble cast of battle-toughened soldiers. It is through their eyes, and through Letts's nearly supernatural horse sense, that we fall in love with sensitive Lipizzaner and fine-boned Arabians--the rescued animals who inspired men to reclaim their humanity." --Vicki Constantine Croke, author of Elephant Company "In the early years of World War II, the finest purebred horses in Nazi-occupied Europe were stolen by the Germans for experiments to develop the perfect horse. In this spellbinding, heart-stopping book, Elizabeth Letts does full justice to the extraordinary drama of the horses' rescue in the war's chaotic final days." --Lynne Olson, author of Those Angry Days " The Perfect Horse is an enthralling and moving story that I could not put down. This is a riveting and unique perspective on World War II. History buffs and horse lovers will enjoy this amazing tale." --Molly Guptill Manning, author of When Books Went to War "Passionately told and dazzling in scope, The Perfect Horse charges headlong into an unforgettable tale of World War II, when good men were given a final mission--to save beloved horses--at an hour when no one wanted to die. In Elizabeth Letts, the saga of World War II's white stallions has found its perfect guardian." --Adam Makos, author of A Higher Call "Elizabeth Letts's beautiful prose, woven together with meticulous research, takes you for a ride that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the end." --Robin Hutton, author of Sgt. Reckless "Letts deftly tells the harrowing tale of a little-known wartime mission and its unlikely heroes, who understood that the treasures they risked their lives for--some of the world's finest-bred horses--were a keystone of civilization during a time of perilous threat. This is the best kind of storytelling." --Joe Drape, author of American Pharoah "In Elizabeth Letts's engrossing, richly researched book--a story of horses and heroism during the final days of World War II--we learn that our human instinct to protect our equine friends can cause us to risk even our own lives for their sake. This relatively unknown episode is as moving as it is dramatic." --Wendy Williams, author of The Horse From the Hardcover edition., "Hard to put down . . . One need not be an equestrian or horse lover in order to appreciate this story." -- New York Journal of Books "A truly fascinating chronicle of a dedicated group of horsemen and the risks they were willing to take to preserve the equine icon that is the Lipizzaner. . . . I was hooked from start to finish by Letts''s incredible attention to detail and her gripping account of the events surrounding and leading up to the rescue mission." -- Horse Nation "A brilliantly written story about Hitler''s effort to build an equine master race with the finest horses in Europe gathered in one place. As the end neared, these beautiful animals were within days of being slaughtered when a controversial covert mission was planned to rescue the horses and smuggle them to safety." -- PineStraw Magazine "A riveting and touching piece of equestrian history beautifully told . . . [Letts makes] long dead characters come alive, revealing their passions and fears and flashes of uncommon valor for the sake of horses whose fate lay in their hands. The horses, too, are vivid and unforgettable. . . . Don''t miss it." --EquiSearch "[Elizabeth] Letts, a lifelong equestrienne, eloquently brings together the many facets of this unlikely, poignant story underscoring the love and respect of man for horses. . . . The author''s elegant narrative conveys how the love for these amazing creatures transcends national animosities." -- Kirkus Reviews "Straight out of the cauldron of Nazi brutality and war, Elizabeth Letts weaves not just a page-turner but an achingly glorious story of grace and redemption. She embeds us with an international ensemble cast of battle-toughened soldiers. It is through their eyes, and through Letts''s nearly supernatural horse sense, that we fall in love with sensitive Lipizzaner and fine-boned Arabians--the rescued animals who inspired men to reclaim their humanity." --Vicki Constantine Croke, author of Elephant Company "In the early years of World War II, the finest purebred horses in Nazi-occupied Europe were stolen by the Germans for experiments to develop the perfect horse. In this spellbinding, heart-stopping book, Elizabeth Letts does full justice to the extraordinary drama of the horses'' rescue in the war''s chaotic final days." --Lynne Olson, author of Citizens of London " The Perfect Horse is an enthralling and moving story that I could not put down. This is a riveting and unique perspective on World War II. History buffs and horse lovers will enjoy this amazing tale." --Molly Guptill Manning, author of When Books Went to War "Passionately told and dazzling in scope, The Perfect Horse charges headlong into an unforgettable tale of World War II, when good men were given a final mission--to save beloved horses--at an hour when no one wanted to die. In Elizabeth Letts, the saga of World War II''s white stallions has found its perfect guardian." --Adam Makos, author of A Higher Call "Elizabeth Letts''s beautiful prose, woven together with meticulous research, takes you for a ride that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the end." --Robin Hutton, author of Sgt. Reckless "Letts deftly tells the harrowing tale of a little-known wartime mission and its unlikely heroes, who understood that the treasures they risked their lives for--some of the world''s finest-bred horses--were a keystone of civilization during a time of perilous threat. This is the best kind of storytelling." --Joe Drape, author of American Pharoah "In Elizabeth Letts''s engrossing, richly researched book--a story of horses and heroism during the final days of World War II--we learn that our human instinct to protect our equine friends can cause us to risk even our own lives for their sake. This relatively unknown episode is as moving as it is dramatic." --Wendy Williams, author of The Horse From the Hardcover edition.
Number of Volumes10 Vols.
Edition DescriptionUnabridged Edition
Ratings and Reviews
Most relevant reviews
- Feb 13, 2017
wonderful book
the story was very well written and researched. I have read other books by the author and this one did not disappoint. I passed it to a friend to listen to on a cross country trip. Even if you know nothing about horses you will love the WW11 history God Bless America for saving the Priceless horsesVerified purchase: YesCondition: New
